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Tax Sale Atlas

DeWitt County, IL tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the DeWitt County, IL tax sale, one of 2,553 counties in 30 states. Illinois sells tax lien certificates paying up to 9%. Sale office, calendar and list locations read from the county’s own official pages on Jul 30, 2026.

How tax lien and tax deed sales work in DeWitt County, seat of Clinton: sale calendar, auction platform, over-the-counter lists, and the offices that run each sale.

New to tax sales? Read how Illinois tax sales work or look terms up in the glossary.

Next sale
Within 120 days after the court order authorizing the auction.
County office
(217) 935-7820
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Jul 30, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How DeWitt County sells delinquent taxes

Tax certificate sale (lien)

Run by
DeWitt County Treasurer, serving as ex officio DeWitt County Collector
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Once a year in late October.
When it runs
Once a year in late October. The Collector's page states "As Collector, I hold a tax sale at the end of each year to sell the taxes on every parcel that remains unpaid" and "The tax sale is held within 5 business days from the date of judgment." The posted 2026 calendar lists Judgment on "Tuesday, October 27th, 2026 @ 9:00am" and the Tax Sale on "Thursday, October 29th", with the start time not yet posted by the county.
Registration and deposit

Registration uses the county's own paper Bidder Registration Form, filed with the County Collector. The form states that "All bidders at the Collector's annual sale of real estate tax delinquent lands, lot and parcels must complete and sign this registration" and that "This registration must be received in the office of the Collector at least (10) business days prior to the day of the sale." It collects the bidder attending the sale, who the bid is on behalf of, mailing address, state of creation and registered agent for corporations, email, phone, and SS# or FEIN. The county calendar lists Friday, October 16th, 2026 as the last day to register for the 2026 sale. The posted calendar date and the form's ten business day rule do not line up exactly, so confirm the cutoff with the Collector before relying on either.

Sale format and venue
No online auction platform is posted for this sale. The county's bidder form asks for the "Bidder Attending Sale," and registration is filed on paper in the Collector's office, so plan on a live sale conducted by the Collector rather than an internet auction. Confirm the format and start time with the office before the sale date. The delinquent list is published in a newspaper rather than posted as a downloadable list: the Collector's page says "State Statute requires us to publish all delinquent taxes at least 10 days prior to date of judgment" and that "The publication will list the parcel number, the owner of record and the delinquent tax amount," with publication scheduled for Friday, October 16th, 2026. Certified delinquent notices go out at least 15 days before judgment, and after those notices are sent the office accepts only cash, money order, or cashier's check. Payments of delinquent taxes are not accepted once the sale has begun. After purchase, redemption runs through a different office: "After the tax is sold the property owner will have to redeem the tax from the tax buyer through the County Clerk's Office." Separately, ILTaxSale.com lists DeWitt County sealed bid real estate auctions and a paid list of assignable tax lien certificates. That site is run by Joseph E. Meyer and Associates, which describes itself as "the Delinquent Tax Agent for 94 of 102 counties in Illinois" and which "obtains tax deeds on behalf of the taxing districts and sells the properties at public auction." Those are trustee sales of previously unsold parcels and certificates, not the County Collector's annual tax sale, so do not treat that site as the registration or bidding channel for the October sale.
Source: DeWitt County Treasurer and County Collector, official department page· Verified Jul 30, 2026

Tax deed sale

Run by
Sheriff or a court-appointed private selling officer, under an order of the circuit court. A county acting as trustee runs its own tax deed auctions.
Frequency
as ordered by the circuit court
Typical timing
Within 120 days after the court order authorizing the auction.
When it runs
Within 120 days after the court order authorizing the auction. Public Act 104-0553 created this route for tax certificates issued on or after July 10, 2026, so the earliest Illinois judicial tax deed auctions fall in 2027, after the 1 year short redemption track runs.
Registration and deposit

Terms of a judicial tax deed auction, including whether it runs online, in person, or both, and what deposit is required, are set in the court's order and published in the notice of tax deed auction. That notice runs once a week for 3 consecutive weeks, starting no more than 45 days and ending no less than 7 days before the auction. Read the notice for each parcel; there is no statewide platform or standing bidder registration.

Sale format and venue
Bidding opens at the tax deed judgment amount plus 0.75 percent per month since judgment, plus publication and selling officer costs. The petitioning certificate holder is entered as a credit bidder at that minimum. Surplus above the minimum goes to the county treasurer for the former owner to claim.
Source: Public Act 104-0553 (HB 4537), enrolled text of 35 ILCS 200/22-42 (new), effective July 10, 202635 ILCS 200/22-42· Verified Jul 29, 2026

DeWitt County tax sale list and auction calendar

For DeWitt County tax sale 2026 searches, use the county-run sources below rather than a copied parcel list, and confirm the parcel, registration cutoff, deposit, and payment deadline against the county before you bid. If the parcels on this list are vacant land rather than houses, what buying land at a tax sale hands you is the place to start.

  1. Get the advertised list

    DeWitt County publishes no tax sale list online. The Sheriff or a court-appointed private selling officer, under an order of the circuit court. A county acting as trustee runs its own tax deed auctions. advertises the parcels ahead of the sale rather than posting them, so the list reaches bidders through the county legal newspaper and the office itself. Call (217) 935-7820 to ask for the current advertisement.

  2. Register to bid

    Ask the county office how and when to register; many counties close registration days or weeks before the sale.

  3. Sale day

    Within 120 days after the court order authorizing the auction. The auction platform is still being verified. Confirm the next sale date and registration window with the county before you bid.

  4. Confirm with the office

    If the list, platform, and notice disagree, use Sheriff or a court-appointed private selling officer, under an order of the circuit court. A county acting as trustee runs its own tax deed auctions. as the source to confirm which parcels are actually offered.

Before you bid in DeWitt County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    There is no online list to price against. DeWitt County advertises the parcels before the sale rather than posting them, so get the advertisement from the office on (217) 935-7820 and price from the parcel numbers it carries.

  2. Confirm registration and deposit

    Terms of a judicial tax deed auction, including whether it runs online, in person, or both, and what deposit is required, are set in the court's order and published in the notice of tax deed auction. That notice runs once a week for 3 consecutive weeks, starting no more than 45 days and ending no less than 7 days before the auction. Read the notice for each parcel; there is no statewide platform or standing bidder registration.

  3. Check the state rules that change the bid

    Read the Illinois due-diligence checklist before bidding. Redemption, liens that survive a tax deed, title cleanup, and payment deadlines can change what a parcel is worth. Which liens survive is state law, so read what survives a tax deed in Illinois before you price the title work.

  4. Set a walk-away number

    Work out what the parcel is actually worth with the rural land value estimator, then turn it into a ceiling with the tax deed max-bid calculator.

Over-the-counter (leftover) purchases

Certificates nobody bids on at the annual sale are forfeited to the county as trustee for the taxing districts. The county may then assign a forfeited certificate to any party or sell property it has acquired, which many counties handle through a delinquent tax agent rather than a public counter. Counties may also offer county-held certificates at a scavenger sale with a minimum bid of $250, or half the tax when total liability is under $500. Ask the county collector and the county clerk which program the county runs and who may buy.

New to this path? Read how over-the-counter certificates work. Every state has its own name for what goes unsold, so check what Illinois calls its leftover tax-sale inventory.

Use the arrow keys to switch between these sections.

County offices

Tax Collector (runs the certificate sale)

DeWitt County Treasurer and County Collector

(217) 935-7820

201 West Washington Street, Clinton, Illinois 61727

Official website

County notes

  • The Treasurer is Jade Russell. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Fax is (217) 935-7829 and email is jrussell@dewittcountyil.gov.
  • Redemption is handled by the DeWitt County Clerk and Recorder, not the Collector. Clerk Kari Harris, (217) 935-7780, 201 W. Washington St., Clinton, IL 61727, mailing address PO Box 439, Room 109, Clinton IL 61727.
  • 2026 property tax calendar posted by the Collector: bills mailed Wednesday, June 10th; first installment due Friday, July 17th; second installment due Friday, September 4th; first day to pay subsequent taxes Friday, September 18th; last day to pay before the $10 publication fee 4:30pm Thursday, September 24th; certified letters mailed Friday, September 25th; last day to pay before publication Friday, October 9th by 4:30pm.
  • No county-hosted delinquent or sale list URL was found. The list is published in a newspaper under 35 ILCS 200, so request it from the Collector or watch the local legal notices.
  • Caution for buyers searching online: ILTaxSale.com shows DeWitt County sealed bid auctions dated 07/05/2024, 08/01/2025, and 07/24/2026. Those are the state trustee agent's tax deed and assignable certificate sales, a separate channel from the county's annual October tax sale.

Illinois rules

Max interest rate
9% per redemption period maximum, bid down at auction
Minimum return
No statutory minimum return; what you earn is set by the penalty rate at the sale
Redemption
Property sold at an Illinois tax sale may be redeemed at any time before the redemption period expires. Public Act 104-0553 set the standard period at 3 years from the date of sale for tax certificates issued on or after July 10, 2026. Certificates issued between January 1, 2024 and July 9, 2026 run on the earlier 2.5 year (30 month) track, and on that track the certificate holder could file a written notice with the county clerk extending redemption to a date no later than 3 years from the sale. A short 1 year period applies when the parcel was, on the date of sale, vacant non-farm property, commercial or industrial property, or improved with a structure holding 7 or more residential units. Certificates the county holds or assigns as trustee run on their own schedule under Section 21-385, and an assignee must file notice within 60 days of assignment setting a redemption deadline no later than 3 years from the assignment.
Deed deposit
Illinois does not fix a statutory deposit percentage. Deposit and payment terms are set in the court's order authorizing the auction and by the selling officer, so read the notice of tax deed auction for each sale. A purchaser who fails to complete the sale forfeits any deposit already made to the county surplus equity fund, and the court orders a new auction of the property.
Surplus proceeds
Any amount by which the winning bid exceeds the minimum bid is surplus. Within 30 days after the court confirms the sale the selling officer deposits the surplus with the county treasurer, who notifies everyone who received the Section 22-10 take notice that the owner at the time of the sale may file a claim for it. A county running its own tax deed auction deposits surplus with the treasurer within 30 days of the sale and notifies interested parties within 60 days. Separately, a previous owner who lost equity through a tax deed can claim an award from the county surplus equity fund, capped at the value of the property when the deed issued less mortgages, liens, and the taxes the purchaser paid.
Governing statute
35 ILCS 200, Articles 21 and 22

A tax deed does not convey marketable title. Most buyers file a quiet title action before they can resell or insure the property. See the due diligence guide.

See the full Illinoisrules and every county →

Frequently asked questions

Does DeWitt County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?

DeWitt County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.

When is the DeWitt County tax certificate sale?

Once a year in late October. The Collector's page states "As Collector, I hold a tax sale at the end of each year to sell the taxes on every parcel that remains unpaid" and "The tax sale is held within 5 business days from the date of judgment." The posted 2026 calendar lists Judgment on "Tuesday, October 27th, 2026 @ 9:00am" and the Tax Sale on "Thursday, October 29th", with the start time not yet posted by the county. Always confirm the exact date with the County Collector before the sale.

How often does DeWitt County hold tax deed sales?

DeWitt County holds its tax deed sale as ordered by the circuit court. Within 120 days after the court order authorizing the auction. Each sale is scheduled and advertised in advance, so check the county's tax deed calendar for the next posted date.

I own a property in this sale. Can I stop it?

Often yes, by paying the overdue taxes, interest, and costs before the deadline. Illinois's redemption rule: 3 years from the date of sale, or 1 year for vacant non-farm, commercial, industrial, and 7-or-more-unit residential property. Call the Sheriff or a court-appointed private selling officer, under an order of the circuit court. A county acting as trustee runs its own tax deed auctions. as early as possible for your exact payoff and options; deadlines are strict. Free help: lawhelp.org lists legal aid programs, and consumerfinance.gov lists HUD-approved housing counselors.

Verified Jul 30, 2026 against official county and state sources.

Tax Sale Atlas publishes educational information about public tax sale processes. This is not legal, financial, or investment advice. Rules, dates, and fees change; confirm with the county office before you bid.

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Call DeWitt County Treasurer and County Collector