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Tax Sale Atlas

McHenry County, IL tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the McHenry 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 McHenry County, seat of Woodstock: 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.
Format
In person
County office
(815) 334-4260
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Jul 30, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How McHenry County sells delinquent taxes

Tax certificate sale (lien)

In person
Run by
McHenry County Treasurer, acting as ex officio McHenry County Collector (the County Clerk directs all tax-sale questions to the McHenry County Collector's Office, and sale checks are payable to McHenry County Collector)
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Tax Sale Date: November 16, 2026 @ 9AM *We suggest you arrive no later than 8:45am*.
Registration
All buyers must follow the single bidder rule required by law and be registered by the close of business on October 28, 2026.
Sale list
Paid tax sale list from the Treasurer ($200, emailed to registered buyers)
When it runs
The Treasurer's Tax Sale page lists "Tax Sale Date: November 16, 2026 @ 9AM *We suggest you arrive no later than 8:45am*", held at the McHenry County Administration Building, Conference Rooms B & C, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock IL 60098. The County Clerk adds that "Tax Sale occurs typically every year in November." General publication of the delinquent list is set for October 22, 2026 in the Northwest Herald.
Registration and deposit

All buyers must follow the single bidder rule required by law and be registered by the close of business on October 28, 2026. Postmarks are not accepted, and one buyer per registration may bid. Mail a completed Tax Sale Registration Form, a completed and signed W-9, and the $500 registration fee to McHenry County Treasurer, 2200 N Seminary Ave., Woodstock IL 60098. The Treasurer returns the $500 check on the day of the sale in exchange for a check covering purchases. The $200 tax sale list fee is optional. Use separate checks for each fee, payable to McHenry County Collector. Forms are posted on the Tax Sale page or available from the office at 815-334-4260.

Sale format and venue
Bidding is in declining order down from 9%, and the County Clerk explains that the percentage taxes sell at is the interest applied every six months from the date of sale. Bidder numbers are assigned to registered buyers on the day of the sale, and certificates are issued only in the registered name of the successful bidder. The Treasurer states the sale uses the RAMS computerized tax lien auction and that registered buyers must be present the day of the sale, so this is a live in-person sale at the county Administration Building with no online bidding portal. RAMS 2 is bid-collection software used at in-person Illinois sales, where buyers submit a bid file rather than bidding on a website. The delinquent list is not posted free online: the Treasurer charges $200, emails a preliminary list on October 28, 2026, and emails the final list on the evening of November 13, 2026 to the address on the registration form. If no tax buyer bids on a parcel, the McHenry County Trustee becomes the default buyer at 9%. In person (RAMS computerized tax lien auction)
Source: McHenry County Treasurer, Tax Sale· 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

McHenry County tax sale list and auction calendar

For McHenry 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

    Use Paid tax sale list from the Treasurer ($200, emailed to registered buyers) for the current advertised parcels, then recheck it before the auction.

  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 sale is live and in person; there is no online bidding platform. Confirm the venue and hour with the county office before you go.

  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 McHenry County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Paid tax sale list from the Treasurer ($200, emailed to registered buyers). Lists can change before the sale, so recheck the county source before you price a parcel.

  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)

McHenry County Treasurer (ex officio County Collector)

(815) 334-4260

Office of Treasurer, 2200 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock, IL 60098 (mailing). Public office location: 2100 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock, IL 60098, open 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday.

Official website

County notes

  • Redemption runs through the McHenry County Clerk, not the Treasurer. The Clerk's office handles payment on taxes sold at the annual sale, at 815-334-4242 or TaxRedemption@mchenrycountyil.gov, and lists a physical address of 667 Ware Rd, Room 107, Woodstock, IL 60098 with mail sent to 2200 N Seminary Ave, Woodstock, IL 60098.
  • The Clerk states the redemption period is a minimum of two years and a maximum of three, with the third year determined by the tax buyer. Only one additional year can be granted beyond the two years set by state law, and once an extension is given it cannot be taken back.
  • Redemption money must reach the Clerk by cashier's check, official check, money order, or exact cash. Personal, mortgage company, and business checks are refused, and title company checks hold the official receipt for 14 days. Partial payments and payment plans are not allowed.
  • Post-sale buyer duties per the Clerk: prepare and file the initial Take Notice within four and a half months after the official tax sale, following the Property Tax Code. Subsequent-year delinquent taxes are added at the Treasurer's office, then the payment receipt is brought to the Clerk to be posted.
  • Caution on third-party listings: iltaxsale.com, operated by Joseph E. Meyer & Associates, shows a separate McHenry County sale typed "Real Estate - Sealed Bid" dated September 4, 2026 behind a paid digital catalog. That is not the Treasurer's annual November certificate sale, and the page does not state who administers it, so confirm any sealed-bid sale directly with the Treasurer or County Clerk before acting on it.

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 McHenry County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?

McHenry County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.

When is the McHenry County tax certificate sale?

The Treasurer's Tax Sale page lists "Tax Sale Date: November 16, 2026 @ 9AM *We suggest you arrive no later than 8:45am*", held at the McHenry County Administration Building, Conference Rooms B & C, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock IL 60098. The County Clerk adds that "Tax Sale occurs typically every year in November." General publication of the delinquent list is set for October 22, 2026 in the Northwest Herald. The sale is held in person. Always confirm the exact date with the County Collector before the sale.

How often does McHenry County hold tax deed sales?

McHenry 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.

Where can I find the McHenry County tax sale list?

McHenry County posts its tax sale list at mchenrycountyil.gov. Lists go up ahead of each sale and keep changing until the sale date, so confirm every parcel against the county's legal advertisement before you bid.

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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