Skip to content
Tax Sale Atlas

Randolph County, IL tax sales

Tax Sale Atlas maps the Randolph 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 state rules plus what the county publishes on Jul 30, 2026.

How tax lien and tax deed sales work in Randolph County, seat of Chester: 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
(618) 826-5000 ext. 224
Every displayed fact carries a source badge. Verified Jul 30, 2026 against official county and state pages.How we verify
On this page

How Randolph County sells delinquent taxes

Tax certificate sale (lien)

In person
Run by
Randolph County Treasurer's Office (County Collector)
Frequency
annual
Typical timing
Annually in December.
Sale list
Randolph County trustee inventory: assignable tax lien certificates and sealed-bid tax deed parcels
When it runs
Annually in December. The County Clerk's delinquent tax page states: "The tax sale in Randolph County is held annually in December (month may vary slightly)." The county site does not post an exact date for the next sale.
Registration and deposit

Register with the Treasurer's Office and pay the fee at least ten business days before the sale. The Treasurer's page states: "Per state statute, a registration fee of $250.00 must be paid to the Treasurer's Office no later than ten business days prior to the tax sale." Bidding is a penalty bid-down: "Persons offering to pay amount due on property for the least penalty percentage shall be the purchaser. No bid shall be accepted for a penalty exceeding 9 percent of the amount of the tax or special assessment." The County Clerk describes the bid range as 9% down to 0%.

Sale format and venue
Randolph County holds one annual delinquent property tax sale, run by the Treasurer's Office as County Collector, and it is conducted in person. Neither the Treasurer's page nor the County Clerk's delinquent tax page names an online auction platform or internet bidding, so no platform is confirmed for this county and bidders should verify the format with the office. Bidders pay the $250 registration fee to the Treasurer at least ten business days ahead, then attend and bid the penalty percentage down from a 9% cap. The R.A.M.S. vendor, whose software supports in-person networked bidding rather than online auctions, cites 35 ILCS 200/21-205 for the rule that all bidders must personally attend, and its site announced in 2014 that Randolph County would use R.A.M.S. for its sale; its current schedule page lists no counties, so confirm with the Treasurer whether that system is in use for the next sale. The delinquent list is not published online: the Treasurer sells a Delinquent Real Estate Tax List publication for $250 and the judgment book used at the sale for $50. Parcels that draw no bid enter the Randolph County Trustee Program run by the county's Delinquent Tax Agent, Joseph E. Meyer & Associates, at 800.248.2850 or 618.656.5744. That firm also holds a separate annual sealed-bid tax deed auction of trustee property at the Randolph County Courthouse, held 11/21/2025 with the next date listed as 11/20/2026 and a $830.00 minimum bid, and sells a $25 list of assignable tax lien certificates. Sold taxes carry a redemption period of at least two years from the sale, or two and a half years for residential property of one to six units, handled by the County Clerk.
Source: Randolph County Treasurer (County Collector) office page, including delinquent tax sale FAQs· 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

Randolph County tax sale list and auction calendar

For Randolph 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 Randolph County trustee inventory: assignable tax lien certificates and sealed-bid tax deed parcels 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 Randolph County

  1. Start with the live sale list

    Pull the current advertised parcels from Randolph County trustee inventory: assignable tax lien certificates and sealed-bid tax deed parcels. 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)

Randolph County Treasurer (County Collector)

(618) 826-5000 ext. 224

1 Taylor Street, Room 205, Chester, IL 62233

Official website

County notes

  • The county has no dedicated tax sale page. Sale logistics live in the Treasurer's FAQ section and on the County Clerk's Delinquent Taxes page.
  • Redemption of sold taxes runs through the County Clerk and Recorder at (618) 826-5000 x 191, 1 W Taylor St., Chester, IL 62233. Redemption must be one full payment in certified funds, and the Clerk issues the tax deed on court order.
  • The Treasurer is Justin Jeffers. The courthouse is at 1 W Taylor St., Chester, IL 62233, main line (618) 826-5000, open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Treasurer's Office has no fax number.

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 Randolph County, Illinois sell tax liens or tax deeds?

Randolph County follows Illinois's tax lien state system.

When is the Randolph County tax certificate sale?

Annually in December. The County Clerk's delinquent tax page states: "The tax sale in Randolph County is held annually in December (month may vary slightly)." The county site does not post an exact date for the next sale. The sale is held in person. Always confirm the exact date with the County Collector before the sale.

How often does Randolph County hold tax deed sales?

Randolph 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 Randolph County tax sale list?

Randolph County posts its tax sale list at iltaxsale.com. 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.

More Illinois counties

Browse all 102 Illinois counties

Compare sale calendars, platforms, and rules across the state, or read the guides before you bid.

Illinois tax salesDue diligence guide
Call Randolph County Treasurer