35 ILCS 200/ Property Tax Code.

(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)

Sec. 21-90. Purchase and sale by county; distribution of proceeds. When any property is delinquent, or is forfeited for each of 2 or more years, and 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, 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 or person to attend such sales and bid or, in the case of forfeited property, to apply to the county clerk to purchase. The County shall apply on the bid or purchase the unpaid taxes and special assessments due upon the property. No cash need be paid. 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 shall list the street or common address, if known, 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 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 or assign the property so acquired, or the certificate of purchase to it, to any party, including taxing districts. The proceeds of that sale or assignment, less all costs of the county incurred in the acquisition, operation, maintenance, and sale or assignment of the property, 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 21-405, a County may bid or purchase only in the absence of other bidders.

(Source: P.A. 102-363, eff. 1-1-22.)

(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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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.

(Source: P.A. 97-557, eff. 7-1-12.)

(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)

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)

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.)

(35 ILCS 200/Art. 21 Div. 3 heading) Division 3. Notice and publication provisions

(35 ILCS 200/21-135)

Sec. 21-135. Mailed notice of application for judgment and sale. Not less than 15 days before the date of application for judgment and sale of delinquent properties, the county collector shall mail, by registered or certified mail, a notice of the forthcoming application for judgment and sale to the person shown by the current collector's warrant book to be the party in whose name the taxes were last assessed or to the current owner of record and, if applicable, to the party specified under Section 15-170. The notice shall include the intended dates of application for judgment and sale and commencement of the sale, and a description of the properties. The county collector must present proof of the mailing to the court along with the application for judgement.

In counties with less than 3,000,000 inhabitants, a copy of this notice shall also be mailed by the county collector by registered or certified mail to any lienholder of record who annually requests a copy of the notice. The failure of the county collector to mail a notice or its non-delivery to the lienholder shall not affect the validity of the judgment.

In counties with 3,000,000 or more inhabitants, notice shall not be mailed to any person when, under Section 14-15, a certificate of error has been executed by the county assessor or by both the county assessor and board of appeals (until the first Monday in December 1998 and the board of review beginning the first Monday in December 1998 and thereafter), except as provided by court order under Section 21-120.

The collector shall collect $10 from the proceeds of each sale to cover the costs of registered or certified mailing and the costs of advertisement and publication. If a taxpayer pays the taxes on the property after the notice of the forthcoming application for judgment and sale is mailed but before the sale is made, then the collector shall collect $10 from the taxpayer to cover the costs of registered or certified mailing and the costs of advertisement and publication.

(Source: P.A. 93-899, eff. 8-10-04.)

(35 ILCS 200/21-140)

Sec. 21-140. Printer's error in advertisement. In all cases where there is a printer's error in the advertised list which prevents judgment from being obtained against any property, or against all of the delinquent list, at the time stated in the advertisement, the printer shall lose the compensation allowed by this Code for those properties containing errors, or for the entire list, as the case may be.

(Source: Laws 1939, p. 886; P.A. 88-455.)

(35 ILCS 200/21-145)

Sec. 21-145. Scavenger sale. At the same time the County Collector annually publishes the collector's annual sale advertisement under Sections 21-110, 21-115 and 21-120, it is mandatory for the collector in counties with 3,000,000 or more inhabitants, and in other counties if the county board so orders by resolution, to publish an advertisement giving notice of the intended application for judgment and sale of all properties upon which all or a part of the general taxes for each of 3 or more years are delinquent as of the date of the advertisement. Under no circumstance may a tax year be offered at a scavenger sale prior to the annual tax sale for that tax year (or, for omitted assessments issued pursuant to Section 9-260, the annual tax sale for that omitted assessment's warrant year, as defined herein). In no event may there be more than 2 consecutive years without a sale under this Section, except where a tax sale has been delayed pursuant to Section 21-150 as a result of a statewide COVID-19 public health emergency. The term delinquent also includes forfeitures. The County Collector shall include in the advertisement and in the application for judgment and sale under this Section and Section 21-260 the total amount of all general taxes upon those properties which are delinquent as of the date of the advertisement. In lieu of a single annual advertisement and application for judgment and sale under this Section and Section 21-260, the County Collector may, from time to time, beginning on the date of the publication of the annual sale advertisement and before August 1 of the next year, publish separate advertisements and make separate applications on eligible properties described in one or more volumes of the delinquent list. The separate advertisements and applications shall, in the aggregate, include all the properties which otherwise would have been included in the single annual advertisement and application for judgment and sale under this Section. Upon the written request of the taxing district which levied the same, the County Collector shall also include in the advertisement the special taxes and special assessments, together with interest, penalties and costs thereon upon those properties which are delinquent as of the date of the advertisement. The advertisement and application for judgment and sale shall be in the manner prescribed by this Code relating to the annual advertisement and application for judgment and sale of delinquent properties.

As used in this Section, "warrant year" means the year preceding the calendar year in which the omitted assessment first became due and payable.

(Source: P.A. 101-635, eff. 6-5-20; 102-519, eff. 8-20-21.)