Treasurer Pappas Announces the Fewest Number of Cook County Homes and other Properties Eligible for Tax Sale in Decades

For the first time since at least 1994 fewer than 10,000 properties are eligible for sale in Cook County’s annual tax sale according to Treasurer’s Office records.

As of today 9,481 properties are eligible to go up for sale at the Dec. 15, 2026, tax sale following reforms that gave property owners more time to pay.

“The roughly 9,500 Cook County Homes and other properties on the block in the Annual Tax Sale are the lowest number in more than three decades,” Treasurer Maria Pappas said today.

“And it’s not just the county. The 5,092 PINs in the city and 4,389 in the suburbs also are also among the lowest numbers ever.”

Pappas noted that 2,737 properties eligible for the state-mandated Annual Tax Sale involve owners who owe less than $1,000 in delinquent property taxes.

The historically low numbers reflect reforms by the Treasurer’s Office that removed chronically delinquent properties that had been offered for sale but remained unsold year after year. In addition, the office successfully lobbied the Illinois General Assembly to delay the 2023 tax sale twice, giving property owners additional time to pay their delinquent taxes

To find out if your property is on the Annual Tax Sale list:

Go to cookcountytreasurer.com
Use the purple box on the home page labeled “Your Property Tax Overview” and search using an address or Property Index Number (PIN)
A banner with an urgent warning will appear if your property is on the Annual Tax Sale list

The four-day Annual Tax Sale covers Tax Year 2023 property taxes that were due in 2024. State law requires the sale to take place within 13 months of the Second Installment due date. It was initially scheduled for September 2025 but following the delays to give property owners more time to pay, is now set to begin Dec. 15, 2026. Interest was frozen during those delays to prevent additional costs from accruing.

“Thanks to reforms by our office and two legislative delays that gave homeowners more time to pay, Cook County is offering fewer properties at the Annual Tax Sale than in any year since at least the nineties,” Pappas said. “The low number is encouraging, but thousands of property owners still face the risk of having their delinquent taxes sold. I urge anyone with overdue taxes to check their status and pay what they owe before the sale to avoid additional costs and the risk of losing their property.”

The Treasurer’s Office sent certified letters to owners of properties on the Annual Tax Sale list earlier this month.

On November 4 and 5 the Treasurer’s Office also published lists of properties with delinquencies in local newspapers, and on its website atcookcountytreasurer.com.

Property owners who pay their late taxes before the Annual Tax Sale can avoid paying fees and additional interest charges. Payment can be made in five ways:

Online for free at cookcountytreasurer.com
In person at any Chase Bank location in Illinois
In person at any of more than 100 community banks where you have an account
By mail
In person at the Treasurer’s Office

If an owner does not pay back taxes sold at the Annual Tax Sale, a tax buyer could take possession of the property. The process takes about three years for residences and about a year for commercial properties.

By law, the Treasurer’s Office cannot give legal advice about tax sales. Property owners are strongly advised to seek an attorney’s advice relating to any sale of taxes.

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Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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