Cook County Tax Sale Starts November 15

Treasurer Maria Pappas is urging 45,088 property owners to pay their delinquent bills immediately to prevent their unpaid taxes from being offered for auction at the Cook County Tax Sale that runs November 15 – 18, 2022. Properties with unpaid 2020 property taxes (due in 2021) will be offered at the Sale.

More than $169 million is due on delinquent homes, businesses and land in the county. The owners were sent notices via certified mail informing them that their unpaid taxes could be auctioned, which would put a lien against their properties. However, more than 14,136 bills were returned by the U.S. Postal Service. In addition to the mailings, the Treasurer’s Office published delinquency property tax lists in area newspapers.

Less than $1,000 is owed on 12,163 properties in Chicago and 6,100 properties in suburban Cook County.

"Homeowners should make sure they are up to date on their taxes and getting all the exemptions they deserve, so they can rest easier in their home, which probably is the biggest investment of their lives," Pappas said.

Owners can avoid the Tax Sale by paying the delinquent taxes and interest before the Sale begins. Check to see if your taxes are delinquent by visiting cookcountytreasurer.com. Use the box on the home page labeled "Avoid the Tax Sale" to search for your home or other property by entering a Property Index Number or an address. Property owners can also use the website to make sure they are receiving the exemptions for which they qualify. These include the homeowner, senior and senior freeze exemptions.

Payment can be made in five ways:

• Online for free at cookcountytreasurer.com
• At any Chase Bank location
• At any of more than 100 community banks where you have an account
• By mail
• At the Treasurer’s Office

Per Illinois law, an annual tax sale is conducted 13 months after the due date. But the pandemic delayed the 2018 and 2019 tax sales. The 2018 Tax Sale was held in November 2021, and the 2019 Tax Sale was held in May.