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Illinois Compiled Statutes

Information maintained by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Updating the database of the Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) is an ongoing process. Recent laws may not yet be included in the ILCS database, but they are found on this site as Public Acts soon after they become law. For information concerning the relationship between statutes and Public Acts, refer to the Guide.

Because the statute database is maintained primarily for legislative drafting purposes, statutory changes are sometimes included in the statute database before they take effect. If the source note at the end of a Section of the statutes includes a Public Act that has not yet taken effect, the version of the law that is currently in effect may have already been removed from the database and you should refer to that Public Act to see the changes made to the current law.

REVENUE
(35 ILCS 200/) Property Tax Code.

35 ILCS 200/Art. 21 Div. 2

 
    (35 ILCS 200/Art. 21 Div. 2 heading)
Division 2. Enforcement actions

35 ILCS 200/21-70

    (35 ILCS 200/21-70)
    Sec. 21-70. Lien - Payments by representative or agent. When property is assessed to any person as agent for another, or in a representative capacity, the agent or representative shall have a lien on the property, or any property of his or her principal in the agent's possession, until he or she is indemnified against the payment thereof, or, if he or she has paid the tax, until he or she is reimbursed for the payment.
(Source: Laws 1939, p. 886; P.A. 88-455.)

35 ILCS 200/21-75

    (35 ILCS 200/21-75)
    Sec. 21-75. Lien for taxes. The taxes upon property, together with all penalties, interests and costs that may accrue thereon, shall be a prior and first lien on the property, superior to all other liens and encumbrances, from and including the first day of January in the year in which the taxes are levied until the taxes are paid or until the property is sold under this Code.
    (a) Foreclosure - Property forfeited for 2 or more years. A lien may be foreclosed, in the circuit court in the name of the People of the State of Illinois, whenever the taxes for 2 or more years on the same description of property have been forfeited to the State. The property may be sold under the order of the court by the person having authority to receive County taxes, with notice to interested parties and right of redemption from the sale, (except that the interest or any other amount to be paid upon redemption in addition to the amount for which the property was sold shall be as provided herein), as provided in Sections 21-345 through 21-365 and 21-380, and in conformity with Section 8 of Article IX of the Illinois Constitution.
    In any action to foreclose the lien for delinquent taxes brought by the People of the State of Illinois when the taxes for 2 or more years on the same description of property have been forfeited to the State, service of process shall be made in the manner now prescribed by law. All owners, parties interested, and occupants of any property against which tax liens are sought to be foreclosed shall be named as parties defendant, and shall be served in the manner and form as provided by law for the service of defendants in foreclosures of lien or encumbrances upon real estate. In case there are other parties with ownership interests in the property, they shall be named in the notice under the designation "unknown owners".
    (b) Redemption interest. The interest to be paid upon redemption from all tax foreclosure sales held under this Section shall be:
        (1) If redeemed within 2 months from the date of the
    
sale, 3% per month upon the amount for which the property was sold for each of the first 2 months, or fraction thereof;
        (2) If redeemed between 2 and 6 months from the date
    
of the sale, 12% of the amount of sale;
        (3) If redeemed between 6 and 12 months from the date
    
of the sale, 24% of the amount of sale;
        (4) If redeemed between 12 and 18 months from the
    
date of the sale, 36% of the amount of sale;
        (5) If redeemed between 18 and 24 months from the
    
date of the sale, 48% of the amount of sale;
        (6) If redeemed after 24 months from the date of
    
sale, the 48% for the 24 months plus interest at 6% per year thereafter.
    (c) Enforcement of lien from rents and profits. A lien under this Section may be enforced at any time after 6 months from the day the tax becomes delinquent out of the rents and profits of the land accruing, or accrued and under the control or jurisdiction of a court. This process may be initiated by the county board of the county or by the corporate authorities of any taxing body entitled to receive any part of the delinquent tax, by petition in any pending suit having jurisdiction of the land, or in any application for judgment and order of sale of lands for delinquent taxes in which the land is included, in the name of the People of the State of Illinois.
    The process, practice and procedure under this subsection shall be the same as provided in the Civil Practice Law and the Supreme Court Rules adopted in relation to that Law, except that receivers may be appointed on not less than 3 days' written notice to owners of record or persons in possession. In all petitions the court shall have power to appoint the county collector to take possession of the property only for the purpose of collecting the rents, issues and profits therefrom, and to apply them in satisfaction of the tax lien. When the taxes set forth in the petition are paid in full, the receiver shall be discharged. If the taxes described in the petition are reduced by the final judgment of a court, the county collector shall immediately refund all moneys collected by him or her as receiver over and above the taxes as reduced, and shall deduct that amount from the moneys thereafter distributed to the taxing bodies which received the tax revenue.
    In proceedings to foreclose the tax lien, or in petitions to enforce the lien, the amount due on the collector's books against the property shall be prima facie evidence of the amount of taxes against the property. When any taxes are collected, they shall be paid to the county collector, to be distributed by him or her to the authorities entitled to them. All sales made under this Section shall be conducted under the order and supervision of the court by the county collector.
    An action to foreclose the lien for delinquent taxes under this Code is an action in rem.
(Source: P.A. 84-551; 88-455.)

35 ILCS 200/21-80

    (35 ILCS 200/21-80)
    Sec. 21-80. Preventing waste to property; receiver. During the pendency of any tax foreclosure proceeding and until the time to redeem the property sold expires, or redemption is made, from any sale made under any judgment foreclosing the lien of taxes, no waste shall be committed or suffered on any of the property involved. The property shall be maintained in good condition and repair. When violations of local building, health or safety codes make the property dangerous or hazardous, when taxes on the property are delinquent for 2 years or more, or when in the judgment of the court it is to the best interest of the parties, the court may, upon the verified petition of any party to the proceeding, or the holder of the certificate of purchase, appoint a receiver for the property with like powers and duties of receivers as in other cases of foreclosure of mortgages or trust deeds. The court in its discretion, may take any other action as may be necessary or desirable to prevent waste and maintain the property in good condition and repair.
(Source: P.A. 85-795; 88-455.)

35 ILCS 200/21-85

    (35 ILCS 200/21-85)
    Sec. 21-85. No receiver for farm or homestead dwelling. No receiver shall be appointed under the provisions of Section 21-80 for property used for farming or for property improved in whole or in part as a family dwelling and occupied by the owner as a residence at the time the unpaid taxes became a lien and continuously thereafter.
(Source: Laws 1939, p. 877; 88-455.)

35 ILCS 200/21-90

    (35 ILCS 200/21-90)
    Sec. 21-90. Purchase and sale by county; distribution of proceeds.
    (a) When any property is offered for sale under any of the provisions of this Code, the county board of the county in which the property is located, in its discretion, may bid, or, in the case of forfeited property, may apply to purchase it or otherwise acquire the tax lien or certificate in the name of the county as trustee for all taxing districts having an interest in the property's taxes or special assessments for the nonpayment of which the property is sold. The presiding officer of the county board, with the advice and consent of the board, may appoint on its behalf some officer, person, or entity to attend such sales, bid on tax liens or certificates, and act on behalf of the county when exercising its authority under this Section. The county shall apply on the bid or purchase the unpaid taxes and special assessments due upon the property. No cash need be paid.
    (b) The county, as trustee for all taxing districts having an interest in the property's taxes or special assessments, shall be the designated holder of all tax liens or certificates that are forfeited to the State or county. No cash need be paid for the forfeited tax lien or certificate.
    (c) For any tax lien or certificate acquired under subsection (a) or (b) of this Section, the county may take steps necessary to acquire title to the property and may manage and operate the property, including, but not limited to, mowing of grass, removal of nuisance greenery, removal of garbage, waste, debris or other materials, or the demolition, repair, or remediation of unsafe structures. When a county, or other taxing district within the county, is a petitioner for a tax deed, no filing fee shall be required. When a county or other taxing district within the county is the petitioner for a tax deed, one petition may be filed including all parcels that are tax delinquent within the county or taxing district, and any publication made under Section 22-20 of this Code may combine all such parcels within a single notice. The notice may include the street address as listed on the most recent available tax bills, if available, and shall list the Property Index Number of the parcels for informational purposes. The county, as tax creditor and as trustee for other tax creditors, or other taxing district within the county, shall not be required to allege and prove that all taxes and special assessments which become due and payable after the sale or forfeiture to the county have been paid nor shall the county be required to pay the subsequently accruing taxes or special assessments at any time. The county board or its designee may prohibit the county collector from including the property in the tax sale of one or more subsequent years. The lien of taxes and special assessments which become due and payable after a sale to a county shall merge in the fee title of the county, or other taxing district within the county, on the issuance of a deed.
    The county may sell any property acquired with authority provided in this Section, or assign any tax certificate to any party, including, but not limited to, taxing districts, municipalities, land banks created pursuant to Illinois law, or non-profit developers focused on constructing affordable housing.
    The assigned tax certificate shall be void with no further rights given to the assignee, including no right to refund or reimbursement, if a tax deed has not been recorded within 4 years after the date of the assignment unless a court extends the assignment period as provided in this Section. Upon a motion by the assignee, a court may toll the 4-year deadline for a specified period of time if the court finds the assignee is prevented from obtaining or recording a deed by injunction or order of any court, by the refusal or inability of any court to act upon the application for a tax deed, by a municipality's refusal to issue necessary transfer stamps or approvals for recording, or by the refusal of the clerk to execute the deed. If an assigned tax certificate is void under this Section, it shall be forfeited to the county and held as a valid certificate of sale in the county's name pursuant to this Section 21-90. The proceeds of any sale or assignment under this Section, less all costs of the county incurred in the acquisition, operation, maintenance, and sale of the property or assignment of the tax certificate, including all costs associated with county staff and overhead used to perform the duties of the trustee set forth in this Section, shall be distributed to the taxing districts in proportion to their respective interests therein.
    Under Sections 21-110, 21-115, 21-120, and 21-190, a county may bid or purchase only in the absence of other bidders.
(Source: P.A. 102-363, eff. 1-1-22; 103-555, eff. 1-1-24.)

35 ILCS 200/21-95

    (35 ILCS 200/21-95)
    Sec. 21-95. Tax abatement after acquisition by a governmental unit. When any county, municipality, school district, forest preserve district, or park district acquires property through the foreclosure of a lien, through a judicial deed, through the foreclosure of receivership certificate lien, or by acceptance of a deed of conveyance in lieu of foreclosing any lien against the property, or when a government unit acquires property under the Abandoned Housing Rehabilitation Act or a blight reduction or abandoned property program administered by the Illinois Housing Development Authority, or when any county or other taxing district acquires a deed for property under Section 21-90 or Sections 21-145 and 21-260, or when any county, municipality, school district, forest preserve district, or park district acquires title to property that was to be transferred to that county, municipality, school district, forest preserve district, or park district under the terms of an annexation agreement, development agreement, donation agreement, plat of subdivision, or zoning ordinance by an entity that has been dissolved or is being dissolved or has been in bankruptcy proceedings or is in bankruptcy proceedings, all due or unpaid property taxes and existing liens for unpaid property taxes imposed or pending under any law or ordinance of this State or any of its political subdivisions shall become null and void.
(Source: P.A. 100-314, eff. 8-24-17; 100-445, eff. 1-1-18; 100-863, eff. 8-14-18.)

35 ILCS 200/21-100

    (35 ILCS 200/21-100)
    Sec. 21-100. Notice to county officials; voiding of tax bills. The county board or corporate authorities of the county, or other taxing district acquiring property under Section 21-95 shall give written notice of the acquisition to the chief county assessment officer and the county collector and the county clerk of the county in which the property is located, and request the voiding of the tax liens as provided in this Section. The notice shall describe the acquired property by legal description or property index number.
    Upon receipt of the notice, the county collector and county clerk shall void the current and all prior unpaid taxes on the records in their respective offices by entering the following statement upon their records for the property: "Acquired by ... (name of county, municipality, school district, or park district acquiring the property under Section 21-95). Taxes due and unpaid on this property ... (give legal description or property index number and address of the property) ... are waived and null and void under Section 21-100 of the Property Tax Code. The tax bills of this property are hereby voided and liens for the taxes are extinguished."
(Source: P.A. 96-1142, eff. 7-21-10.)

35 ILCS 200/21-105

    (35 ILCS 200/21-105)
    Sec. 21-105. Liability of owner; rights of tax purchaser. Nothing in Sections 21-95 and 21-100 shall relieve any owner liable for delinquent property taxes under this Code from the payment of any delinquent taxes or liens which have become null and void under those Sections.
    Sections 21-95 and 21-100 shall not adversely affect the rights or interests of the holder of any bona fide certificate of purchase of the property for delinquent taxes. However, upon acquisition of property by a governmental unit as set forth in Section 21-95, the rights and interests of the holder of any bona fide certificate of purchase of the property for delinquent taxes shall be limited to a sale in error and a refund as provided under Section 21-310.
(Source: P.A. 91-177, eff. 1-1-00.)

35 ILCS 200/21-110

    (35 ILCS 200/21-110)
    Sec. 21-110. Published notice of annual application for judgment and sale; delinquent taxes. At any time after all taxes have become delinquent in any year, the Collector shall publish an advertisement, giving notice of the intended application for judgment and sale of the delinquent properties. The advertisement may include the street address on file with the county collector, if available, and shall include the PIN number of each delinquent property. Except as provided below, the advertisement shall be in a newspaper published in the township or road district in which the properties are located. If there is no newspaper published in the township or road district, then the notice shall be published in some newspaper in the same county as the township or road district, to be selected by the county collector. When the property is in a city with more than 1,000,000 inhabitants, the advertisement may be in any newspaper published in the same county. When the property is in an incorporated town which has superseded a civil township, the advertisement shall be in a newspaper published in the incorporated town or if there is no such newspaper, then in a newspaper published in the county.
    The provisions of this Section relating to the time when the Collector shall advertise intended application for judgment for sale are subject to modification by the governing authority of a county in accordance with the provisions of subsection (c) of Section 21-40.
(Source: P.A. 97-557, eff. 7-1-12.)

35 ILCS 200/21-112

    (35 ILCS 200/21-112)
    Sec. 21-112. Publication time limit.
    (a) The Collector may recommend to a county board that the board pass an ordinance or resolution stating that the Collector shall no longer publish or send notice of delinquent or forfeited property taxes owed by a lessee of the property, pursuant to a leasehold assessment under Section 9-195 or Section 15-55 of the Property Tax Code or their predecessor provisions in the Revenue Act of 1939, if the taxes have been delinquent or forfeited for at least 10 years and there are no current delinquent or forfeited taxes. The Collector shall discontinue publishing and sending notice of the delinquent or forfeited taxes upon passage of the ordinance or resolution.
    (b) The Collector shall no longer publish delinquent or forfeited property taxes for any property under Section 10-35 or any other property that is exempt from taxation under this Code.
(Source: P.A. 100-1095, eff. 1-1-19.)

35 ILCS 200/21-115

    (35 ILCS 200/21-115)
    Sec. 21-115. Times of publication of notice. The advertisement shall be published once at least 10 days before the day on which judgment is to be applied for, and shall contain a list of the delinquent properties upon which the taxes or any part thereof remain due and unpaid, the names of owners, if known, the total amount due, and the year or years for which they are due. In counties of less than 3,000,000 inhabitants, advertisement shall include notice of the registration requirement for persons bidding at the sale. Properties upon which taxes have been paid in full under protest shall not be included in the list.
    The collector shall give notice that he or she will apply to the circuit court on a specified day for judgment against the properties for the taxes, and costs, and for an order to sell the properties for the satisfaction of the amount due.
    The collector shall also give notice of a date within the next 5 business days after the date of application on which all the properties for the sale of which an order is made will be exposed to public sale at a location within the county designated by the county collector, for the amount of taxes, and cost due. The advertisement published according to the provisions of this Section shall be deemed to be sufficient notice of the intended application for judgment and of the sale of properties under the order of the court. A county with fewer than 3,000,000 inhabitants may, by joint agreement, combine its tax sale with the tax sale of one or more other contiguous counties; such a joint tax sale shall be held at a location in one of the participating counties. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section and Section 21-110, in the 10 years following the completion of a general reassessment of property in any county with 3,000,000 or more inhabitants, made under an order of the Department, the publication shall be made not sooner than 10 days nor more than 90 days after the date when all unpaid taxes on property have become delinquent.
(Source: P.A. 101-379, eff. 1-1-20.)

35 ILCS 200/21-117

    (35 ILCS 200/21-117)
    Sec. 21-117. Costs of publishing delinquent list. A county shall pay for the printer for advertising delinquent lists the following fees:
        (1) in all counties, for tracts of land, $0.40 per
    
column line; and
        (2) for town lots, (i) in counties of the first and
    
second class, $0.40 per column line and (ii) in counties of the third class, $0.50 per column line, to be taxed and collected as costs.
    The printer shall receive for printing the preamble, the descriptive headings, the affidavit, and any other matter accompanying the delinquent list, the sum of $0.40 per column line, to be paid by the county.
    No costs except printer's fee shall be charged on any lands or lots forfeited to the State.
(Source: P.A. 93-963, eff. 8-20-04.)

35 ILCS 200/21-118

    (35 ILCS 200/21-118)
    Sec. 21-118. Tax sale; online database. At least 10 days prior to any tax sale authorized under this Article 21, the county collector may post on his or her website a list of all properties that are eligible to be sold at the sale. The list shall include the street address on file with the county collector, if available, and shall include the PIN number assigned to the property. The list may not include the name of the property owner. The list may designate properties on which a sale in error has previously been declared, provided that those designations are posted at least 7 days before any tax sale authorized under this Article 21. If the list designates properties as properties on which a sale in error has previously been declared, the list shall also include the court case number or administrative number under which the declaration of the sale in error was made and the basis for the sale in error. No sale in error may be declared under this Code based upon an omission from or error on the list of designated properties.
(Source: P.A. 103-555, eff. 1-1-24.)

35 ILCS 200/21-120

    (35 ILCS 200/21-120)
    Sec. 21-120. Publication of notice of application for judgment; special assessments; counties of 3,000,000 or more. In all cities, villages and incorporated towns in counties with 3,000,000 or more inhabitants, separate advertisements may be made giving notice of an intended application for judgment and for an order of sale on account of delinquent special assessments at any time after the first day of August after the special assessments have become delinquent. The procedure in that case is to be in all other respects, except as to the time of making advertisement and application for judgment and sale, the same as in the case of delinquent general taxes. There shall not be included in the advertisement and application for judgment and sale provided by this Section any properties which are included in the advertisement and application for judgment and sale under Section 21-145.
    No advertisement or publication may include parcels for which, under Section 14-15, certificates of error have been executed by the county assessor, or by both the county assessor and board of appeals. In the absence of notice under Section 21-135, or the absence of publication under this Section, the court shall retain jurisdiction to enter final judgments sustaining the assessor's objection on certificates of error. However, the court shall provide for publication and mailing prior to the entry of a final judgment in any case in which the assessor's objection is denied.
    The provisions of this Section relating to the time when the Collector shall advertise intended application for judgment for sale are subject to modification by the governing authority of a county in accordance with the provisions of subsection (c) of Section 21-40.
(Source: P.A. 87-1189; 88-455; 88-518.)

35 ILCS 200/21-125

    (35 ILCS 200/21-125)
    Sec. 21-125. Sale of properties previously ordered sold. Property ordered sold by unexecuted judgments and orders of sale, previously entered, shall be included in the advertisement for sale only under the previous orders, and shall be sold in the order in which they appear in the delinquent list contained in the advertisement. At any time between annual sales the county collector also may advertise for sale any properties subject to sale under orders previously entered and not executed for any reason. The advertisement and sale shall be regulated by the provisions regulating the annual advertisement and sale of delinquent properties, as far as applicable.
(Source: Laws 1939, p. 886; P.A. 88-455.)

35 ILCS 200/21-130

    (35 ILCS 200/21-130)
    Sec. 21-130. Use of figures and letters in advertisement and other lists. In all advertisements for the sale of properties for taxes or special assessments, and in entries required to be made by the clerk of the court or other officer, letters, figures, characters or property index numbers may be used to denote townships, ranges, sections, parts of sections, lots or blocks, or parts thereof, the year or the years for which the taxes were due, and the amount of taxes, special assessments, interest and costs. The county collector may subsequently advertise and obtain judgment on properties that have been omitted, or that have been erroneously advertised or described in the first advertisement.
(Source: P.A. 76-2254; 88-455.)