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Tax delinquent properties in Will County, Illinois: how the tax sale works

Updated October 25, 2026.

When an Illinois owner stops paying property taxes, the county doesn't take the house. It sells the unpaid tax bill. Understanding that difference is the key to using tax delinquency as a lead.

From a missed bill to the tax sale

  1. Taxes go unpaid. Will County property taxes are billed a year behind and paid in installments. Missed installments pick up penalty interest.
  2. The delinquent list is published. Before the annual tax sale, the county publishes the list of properties with unpaid taxes, as Illinois law requires.
  3. The tax sale. Tax buyers bid on the penalty rate the owner will owe if they pay later; the lowest rate wins. The buyer pays the taxes and receives a certificate, not the property.
  4. Redemption. The owner keeps the property and has a set period, measured in years, to pay back the taxes plus the penalty through the County Clerk. Most owners do.
  5. Tax deed. If the owner never redeems, the certificate holder can ask the court for a tax deed, after notices to the owner. Only then does ownership change.

Why it matters to investors

A property on the delinquent list belongs to an owner who is behind on a bill they can't ignore forever. Some are simply late. Others are in real trouble: an estate nobody is handling, a landlord who has walked away, or a foreclosure on the way. That owner may welcome an offer long before any deed is at stake.

One sign on its own is weak. Unpaid taxes together with a foreclosure case, a code violation or a vacant building, on a property whose owner lives elsewhere, is a much stronger lead. That is why Deal Finder puts properties with two or more signs at the top.

What we hold today

6,848 Will County properties currently show unpaid taxes from the county's tax sale list in records we can share, and 24 properties show two or more signs at once. See them town by town on the Will County page, or read how to find pre-foreclosures in Will County.

This guide explains the process in general terms. It isn't legal advice; the statute and the county offices set the exact dates and amounts.