Delinquent Tax Information

Annual Tax Sale

The Annual Tax Sale will take place November 6, 2023, in the Peoria County Courthouse in the County Boardroom on the 4th floor starting at 9 a.m. 

Tax buyers must register in advance and registration eligibility is subject to the Single Bidder Rule (35 ILCS 200/21-205).  Legislation enacted and signed into law directs county collectors in counties with 275,000 or more inhabitants to adopt a single bidder rule to prohibit a tax purchaser from registering more than one related bidding entity at the tax sale.  Anyone wishing to be a tax buyer must submit a completed Peoria County registration form  AND an affidavit signed by each registered tax buyer attesting to compliance with the single bidder rule. 

 Single Bidder Rule:

1.             A registered tax buying entity (principal) may only have one registered buyer at the tax sale and may not have a related bidding entity directly or indirectly register as a buyer or participate in a tax sale. 

2.             A registered tax buying entity may not engage in any multiple bidding strategy for the purpose of having more than one related bidding entity submit bids at the tax sale. 

3.             A related bidding entity is defined as any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, business organization, or other entity that has a shareholder, partner, principal, officer, general partner, or other person or entity having 

a.             An ownership interest in a bidding entity in common with any other registered participant in the tax sale or 

b.             A common guarantor in connection with a source of financing with any other registered participant in the tax sale. 

 

Any person who knowingly or intentionally completes a registration and/or Single Bidder form, may be prosecuted for providing false information on a government document. 

 

If a property is purchased during any tax sale and it is later determined that the property was purchased by an individual, party or entity in violation of the Single Bidder Rule, the sale may be voided, at the sole discretion of the Peoria County Treasurer and/or her/his designee. 

 

Any individual, party or entity who is found to have violated the Single Bidder Rule in the purchase process during a Tax Sale, may be prohibited from participating in a Tax Sale in the future, at the sole discretion of the Peoria County Treasurer and/or his/her designee.

 

The tax sale will be conducted and administered by Joseph A Meyer and Associates’  R.A.M.S 2  ( Randomized Auction Management System) tax sale system.  With the R.A.M.S. 2 system, on the day of the sale, bids will be collected from each eligible registered buyer on a USB Drive from a file that contains their percentage bids for each parcel.  Once all bids from all the registered tax buyers are loaded into the R.A.M.S 2 system, the sale will be processed.  Each parcel will be awarded to the lowest bid for a particular parcel.  If there are multiple lowest bids, a random lowest bid is selected.  The processing should only take a few minutes.  The tax buyer is not required to wait for all bids to be collected.  Tax buyers will be free to leave after their bids have been submitted.  Tax buyers will immediately receive an email confirmation that their bids were submitted.  Attached to the email will be a copy of the original bid file submitted and a processed bids file that will show what bids were successfully imported into the R.A.M.S 2 system.  A tax buyer’s bid file may contain parcels that are no longer being offered, so those parcels and bids will not be imported.

 

Please note: It is A requirement that only one file be on the USB Drive, that being the bid file for a particular registered buyer and the Peoria County tax sale.

We will also require the buyer number assigned by Peoria County to be in the filename for confirmation purposes.  Each registered buyer will receive via email a bid file with an appropriate filename that includes the buyer number.

Please contact Joseph A Meyer & Association if you have questions regarding R.A.MS by one of the following methods:

 

Peoria County Tax Sale Instructions to Those Interested in Participating

 

Annually, the Peoria County Treasurer holds a tax sale of all the current delinquent real estate taxes. At the sale, tax buyers will bid on the percentage of penalty that will be charged to the taxpayer. The penalty percentage is a max of 9% and is awarded to the lowest bidder.  All bidders are required to personally attend the sale per 35 ILCS 200/21-205.

Tax Buyers must register 10 business days prior to the tax sale. Registrations will be accepted through 5:00 p.m. on October 23rd.  All registrations received after this date will be returned.  All tax buyers must use the Peoria County registration form and complete the Single Bidder Rule affidavit.   You can find the tax buyer registration form here and  Single Bidder form here.  

  1. Only one registration is allowed based on EIN or SSN and the single bidder rule. All bidders are required to personally attend the sale. 
  2. There is a $500 deposit per buyer to be submitted at the time of registration. This deposit will be applied to the amount due on properties the registrant purchases at the tax sale.
  3. If a registrant cannot participate, the registrant may notify the Treasurer's office no later than 5 business days prior to the sale of the name of the substitute person to participate in the registrant's place as long as still complying with the single bidder rule. No additional deposit is required in this circumstance.
  4. Failure to attend the tax sale will forfeit the deposit.
  5. Tax buyers who attend and fail in their attempt to purchase parcels shall receive a refund of the deposit.
  6. For a fee of 10 cents per parcel, the tax sale list will be available via email starting in late October and will be updated two times.  It is up to the tax buyer to indicate which list they would like to purchase on the registration form. Any subsequent updates done after the initial purchased list is included in that list price.
  7. First time Peoria County tax buyers will be required to submit certified funds the morning of the tax sale. A deposit of 1-1/2 times what you expect to spend at the tax sale is required before the sale. Established tax buyers with Peoria County can deposit signed blank personal or company checks from a US Bank when checking in the morning of the tax sale. Tax buyers will be notified of any balance remaining, which will be due the day of the tax sale.
  8. Check in the morning of the tax sale will be in the County Board room on the 4th floor of the Peoria County courthouse.  The Courthouse does not open until 8:30. There is no advantage in getting to the Courthouse early.  Please note, the only entrance opened is the Jefferson Street entrance.
  9. There are no unsold taxes available after the tax sale.
  10. Participating in the tax sale involves significant risk.  The tax sale procedures are outlined in the Illinois Complied Statutes, Chapter 35 Act 200. The Treasurer’s staff will not give legal or bidding advice.  If you need advice, please contact an attorney specializing in tax sale procedures.

 

 

Penalty

The penalty starts at 9% per six-month period and decreases as the tax buyers bid against one another with their submitted USB drives. The lowest percentage is accepted and will be calculated at six-month intervals from the date of tax sale.  See above for specific information regarding the R.A.M 2 tax sale system.

Payments

The amount of delinquent taxes plus cost of tax sale (currently $123 as stipulated by statute) must be paid by the successful bidder the day of the tax sale.

Subsequent Taxes

Any buyer wishing to purchase subtaxes must provide their list at least 24 hours in advance for the garbage fees, if any, to be removed.  The list should be in an Excel spreadsheet if at all possible. It is up to the tax buyer to check for redemptions and to make sure the subsequent taxes are added to the redemption amount.

Sale in Errors

Tax buyers should inspect properties prior to bidding on the taxes. Sales in error will be contested if a previous sale in error for condition was granted.

Redemption Period

If the property is owner occupied, the redemption period is two years and six months. Prior to the expiration of the redemption period, tax deed procedures must be completed. The service of an attorney that is familiar with tax deed procedures is strongly advised. Purchasing taxes at the tax sale does not automatically give the tax buyer any legal right to the property. The redemption period, set by law, must expire without redemption before a tax deed can be issued. 

Please note that participating in the sale involves significant risk.  Should the tax buyer fail to fulfill the requirements as outlined in 35 ILCS 200/21&22, the tax buyer could lose their money and any interest in the property in question. The Treasurer’s office will not give any legal or bidding advice.

Assignment of County Sales

In the absence of a tax buyer's bid, the County of Peoria Trustee enters an automatic bid of 9% every 6 months and becomes the tax buyer.

Trustee-Owned Property for Sale

The Peoria County Trustee, as tax purchaser, does acquire property through the tax deed procedure. Once the property is acquired, the Trustee sells the property at an auction held yearly (Public Auction for Surplus Property). The sale is conducted under the direction and authority of the County Board, which is acting as Trustee for the taxing districts. Parcels are sold to the highest bidder. All necessary research is the responsibility of the potential buyer.

Auction for Surplus Property

The Auction for Surplus Property will be held as a sealed bid auction with the last day to bid being TBD, 2023. The property catalog that lists available property for auction will be available 30 days prior to the auction in the Peoria County Treasurer's office in a limited quantity. The catalog can also be accessed at www.iltaxsale.com for an electronic version once it becomes available. The catalogs cost $20 for a printed copy (subject to change). The catalog will state the minimum bid for each item which is $817.00 (subject to change). Your bid must be equal to or greater than the minimum bid. You only have one chance to bid so we suggest you bid the maximum amount you wish to invest in the property. You do not personally appear at an auction site; you simply submit your bid (included in the catalog or on-line) and payment.  Payment must be made in full with certified funds or personal check. Bids received after the deadline will not be accepted. The proceeds from this sale are distributed to the taxing districts.  Your sealed bid package has to be turned into the Treasurer's office by 5:00 p.m. on TBD, 2023.

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries regarding the Auction of Surplus Property to:

Peoria County Delinquent Tax Agent
 141 St. Andrews
 P.O. Box 96
 Edwardsville, IL 62025
 Phone: 618-656-5744 or 800-248-2850

For further information, please consult the Illinois Compiled Statues, Chapter 35 (the Revenue Act) Section 200.