I’m late paying my property taxes. What do I do?
Until those taxes are bought by a tax buyer, you can still make payments at the Lake County Treasurer’s office. But once they are sold, you will have to pay them with the Lake County Clerk instead. Payment of sold taxes is called “redemption.”
The time frame when taxes can be sold will vary:
- If there are no prior years’ sold taxes still owing, the current year’s taxes will be sold at the Treasurer’s delinquent tax sale at the end of November/beginning of December.
- If there are prior years’ sold taxes owing but you have more than six months remaining to redeem them, the tax buyer has the option of buying the current year’s taxes in mid-September and adding them to the redemption total.
- If there are prior years’ sold taxes owing and the deadline to redeem is within six months, the tax buyer can start the legal process to eventually receive the deed to the property. If they have started that process, the tax buyer has the option of buying the current year’s taxes as soon as tax bills are mailed at the beginning of May!

Show All Answers

1. I’m late paying my property taxes. What do I do?
2. What is a “tax sale”? What does it mean that my taxes have been sold or that my property has been sold for delinquent taxes?
3. How long do I have to pay off sold taxes? Can the final deadline be extended?
4. How do I find out the amount I now owe?
5. Whom do I pay? Do I have to pay in person? What forms of payment do you accept?
6. Can I make partial payments or set up a payment schedule?
7. I owe on prior years’ sold taxes and the current year’s tax bill; which should I pay off first?
8. When will the quoted amount change?
9. What happens if I can’t pay by the deadline?
10. Who can I talk to about all this?