Cook County Tax Auction Offers 9,481 Delinquent Parcels Dec. 15
Cook County's Dec. 15 tax auction lists 9,481 delinquent parcels, the first count under 10,000 since at least 1994, per the Treasurer. 5,092 are in Chicago.
- Source Briefing
- Public record
- Company announcement
Cook County’s annual tax sale will offer 9,481 delinquent properties starting Dec. 15, 2026, the first time the list has fallen below 10,000 since at least 1994, according to the Cook County Treasurer’s Nov. 6 release. An earlier projection had put the count above 14,000.
Why it matters
The annual tax sale is how the county sells the unpaid property taxes on a parcel to private buyers. For investors and developers watching Chicago distress, a shorter list means fewer parcels to screen and less of the chronic inventory that went unsold year after year.
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The Treasurer attributes the drop to two things: removing chronically delinquent properties that were offered repeatedly without a buyer, and two legislative delays of the sale, originally set for September 2025. The Real Deal reports that Illinois remains the only state without updated tax sale laws. Those are the office’s and the outlet’s explanations; we have not independently tested them.
The numbers
The release splits the 9,481 eligible parcels into 5,092 in the City of Chicago and 4,389 in the suburbs. A further 2,737 properties owe less than $1,000. The sale covers delinquent Tax Year 2023 taxes, back taxes and special assessments. The release gives no total dollar amount owed and no breakdown by property type, so the list says little yet about how many parcels are commercial or vacant land.
The release says a tax buyer who is not repaid can eventually seek possession, which takes about three years for residences and about one year for commercial properties.
What’s next
Per the Treasurer’s sale page, registration at cooktaxsale.com runs Nov. 6 through Dec. 4, with the collateral deposit due by 5 p.m. Central on Dec. 4. The sale runs 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central each day: Dec. 15 (suburban townships), Dec. 16, Dec. 17 and Dec. 18 (including Lake View, Rogers Park and South Chicago). A re-offer follows on Dec. 21. Sales are as-is and final, and final bids must be placed from the Sale Room at 118 N. Clark St.
Owners can pay before the sale to be removed, and the Treasurer posts weekly lists of removals. See more in Chicago coverage and our distress and opportunity desk.
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On the record
The Treasurer's release splits the 9,481 eligible PINs into 5,092 in the City of Chicago and 4,389 in the suburbs; 2,737 owe less than $1,000.
Public record · prnewswire.com
Primary record
Company announcement
- Cook County Treasurer (press release)Treasurer Pappas Announces the Fewest Number of Cook County Homes and other Properties Eligible for Tax Sale in Decades A company statement, not independently confirmed.