Cook County’s Annual Tax Sale to be Postponed for Seven Months
Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas plans to postpone the Annual Tax Sale for seven months, during which time she hopes to work with legislators on comprehensive property tax foreclosure reform measures.
At Pappas’s urging, the Illinois General Assembly last week passed legislation that allows the Treasurer to postpone the Annual Tax Sale previously set to be held this August.
The legislation also provides that during the delay, no additional interest will be charged on delinquent bills subject to the sale.
Once the legislation officially becomes law, she will be allowed to delay the sale until March 2026.
“I commend the members of the General Assembly for giving me the flexibility to postpone the tax sale, and for minimizing the amount of interest that late-paying property owners will face after the postponement,” Pappas said.
“The delay gives me the time to collaborate with housing advocates and other partners on comprehensive property tax foreclosure reform legislation that’s good for Cook County, the state of Illinois, and property owners. The time for stopgap reform measures has passed. Now is the time for significant and enduring reform.”
Cook County’s Annual Tax Sale is required by state law and typically must be held no more than 13 months after the second installment due date. During the sale, tax buyers pay delinquent property taxes in exchange for a lien on the property. If property owners don’t pay off that lien, with interest, the tax buyer can take title to the property.
Pappas’s postponement request came in the wake of a 2023 decision by the United States Supreme Court that called into question the way property tax collection enforcement has been conducted in Illinois and many other states.
“That decision presented my office with an opportunity to push for changes I’ve wanted for a long time,” Pappas said. “I look forward to working with lawmakers in Springfield on reforms that will make the system more equitable for Cook County residents and all Illinoisans.”
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