Property Tax Sale
Did you know that there are 56,976 properties whose owners have not paid their Cook County property taxes?
Did you know that nearly 21,000 owners may be unaware that their property taxes have become eligible for sale because their bills and notices have been returned-to-sender?
Make sure that your property is not one!
Property Tax Sale
By law, the Cook County Treasurer’s Office is required to put delinquent property taxes on homes, businesses and land up for auction. This year's Tax Sale is of unpaid taxes two years ago. The only way to avoid the sale of delinquent taxes is to pay all taxes and interest due before the Tax Sale.
Three ways to check if your property taxes are going up for sale:
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Go to cookcountytreasurer.com to look up your Property Index Number.
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Call the Treasurer’s Office at (312) 443 - 5100.
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Visit the Treasurer's Office at 118 N. Clark St., Room 112, Chicago, Illinois 60602.
Paying Property Taxes to Avoid Sale
If you find that your taxes are for sale, you must pay all delinquent taxes and interest.
Before paying, check if you qualify for a returning veterans exemption, disabled veterans exemption, senior citizen exemption or senior freeze, which may remove you from the sale entirely. Please note that these are exemptions that must be applied for every year. A full list of available exemptions can be found on the Assessor’s website.
Three ways to pay your property taxes:
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The fastest way to pay your property taxes is via the treasurer’s website.
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Pay directly at a Chase bank or a participating community bank, accompanied by your tax bill, with a personal check. After that, all payments must be made by certified check, cashier’s check, money order or cash.
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In person at the Treasurer's Office.
If your property taxes are paid by your lender, contact them to ensure the PIN is correct and to request proof of payment. If you think your taxes have been deemed delinquent in error, call the Treasurer’s Office at (312) 433 - 5100 or visit their office with proof of payment.
Property Tax Redemption Following a Tax Sale
Following the sale of property taxes, if a property owner does not pay their property taxes before the deadline, usually just over two years, a tax buyer can go to court and obtain ownership of your property.
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Three ways to redeem your property taxes:
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If your property taxes were sold, you may redeem your taxes and avoid property loss by repaying the Cook County Clerk the sold taxes, interest and fees. Visit the Cook County Clerk's Office to order an "Estimate of Redemption," and pay that redemption bill.
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If you feel your taxes were sold in error, please contact the Cook County Treasurer's Office to request a sale-in-error.
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You may also "redeem your taxes under protest," which preserves your right to claim that your taxes were improperly sold, and should you lose that argument, will redeem your taxes, thus preserving your ownership of that property. In this case, the property owner needs to submit a deposit for redemption with the Cook County Clerk specific information outlined on the Cook County Treasurer's webpage on tax redemption.