District 14 is home to 119,041 residential and commercial properties, across nearly 20 municipalities, and five Townships. Each community maintains schools, libraries, parks, roads, sanitation, public safety agencies, and other critical services and support that residents rely on every day. Residents fund those common, local government services, in part, through property taxes.

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Twice a year, residential and commercial property owners will receive property tax bills. The first installment, also known as the blue bill, is 55% of the previous year's total tax and due on the first of March. The second installment, also known as the yellow bill, includes the rest of the amount due minus exemptions or other reductions and is due on the first of August.

If property tax bills are paid past the due date, a late fee is incurred. If they are not paid at all after two years, the delinquent taxes are put up for sale. 

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The amount owed in property taxes needed is based on the local levies set by municipalities or other local governing districts, such as sanitation districts and fire protection districts, that fund common, local government services. A property owners portion of that levy is based on a percentage of the assessed value of the property, as determined by the Cook County Assessor's Office.

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Every three years, the Cook County Assessor's Office reassesses properties to set fair and accurate assessed values for the 1.8 million parcels of Cook County property. This works to ensure that property is assessed at the same level other property of like kind, and likewise a resident's property taxes. These assessments are based on, among other things, data regarding economic developments, neighborhood trends, and property rental and sales information. An assessment is not your tax bill. 

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Following each assessment period, property owners have two opportunities to appeal the Cook County Assessor's Office's reassessments if they feel that their property has been overvalued compared to similar properties. The first opportunity is to appeal directly with the Cook County Assessor's Office, and the second opportunity is to appeal with the independent Board of Review. 

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Click through these links to learn more about the process.