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91_HB4185 LRB9109828SMdv 1 AN ACT concerning taxes. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The Property Tax Code is amended by changing 5 Sections 22-15, 22-25, 22-40, 22-50, and 22-80 as follows: 6 (35 ILCS 200/22-15) 7 Sec. 22-15. Service of notice. The purchaser or his or 8 her assignee shall give the notice required by Section 22-10 9 by causing it to be published in a newspaper as set forth in 10 Section 22-20. In addition, the notice shall be delivered to 11served bya sheriff (or if he or she is disqualified, tobya 12 coroner) of the county in which the property, or any part 13 thereof, is located for service upon owners who reside on any 14 part of the property sold by leaving a copy of the notice 15 with those owners personally. 16 In counties of 3,000,000 or more inhabitants where a 17 taxing district is a petitioner for tax deed pursuant to 18 Section 21-90, in lieu of service by the sheriff or coroner 19 the notice may be served by a special process server 20 appointed by the circuit court as provided in this Section. 21 The taxing district may move prior to filing one or more 22 petitions for tax deed for appointment of such a special 23 process server. The court, upon being satisfied that the 24 person named in the motion is at least 18 years of age and is 25 capable of serving notice as required under this Code, shall 26 enter an order appointing such person as a special process 27 server for a period of one year. The appointment may be 28 renewed for successive periods of one year each by motion and 29 order, and a copy of the original and any subsequent order 30 shall be filed in each tax deed case in which a notice is 31 served by the appointed person. Delivery of the notice to -2- LRB9109828SMdv 1 and service of the notice by the special process server shall 2 have the same force and effect as its delivery to and service 3 by the sheriff or coroner. 4 The same form of notice shall also be delivered to a 5 sheriff (or if he or she is disqualified to a coroner) of the 6 county in which the property, or any party thereof, is 7 located for serviceservedupon all other owners and parties 8 interested in the property, if upon diligent inquiry they can 9 be found in the county, and upon the occupants of the 10 property in the following manner: 11 (a) as to individuals, by (1) leaving a copy of the 12 notice with the person personally or (2) by leaving a 13 copy at his or her usual place of residence with a person 14 of the family, of the age of 13 years or more, and 15 informing that person of its contents. The person making 16 the service shall cause a copy of the notice to be sent 17 by registered or certified mail, return receipt 18 requested, to that party at his or her usual place of 19 residence; 20 (b) as to public and private corporations, 21 municipal, governmental and quasi-municipal corporations, 22 partnerships, receivers and trustees of corporations, by 23 leaving a copy of the notice with the person designated 24 by the Civil Practice Law. 25 If the property sold has more than 4 dwellings or other 26 rental units, and has a managing agent or party who collects 27 rents, that person shall be deemed the occupant and shall be 28 served with notice instead of the occupants of the individual 29 units. If the property has no dwellings or rental units, but 30 economic or recreational activities are carried on therein, 31 the person directing such activities shall be deemed the 32 occupant. Holders of rights of entry and possibilities of 33 reverter shall not be deemed parties interested in the 34 property. -3- LRB9109828SMdv 1 When a party interested in the property is a trustee, 2 notice served upon the trustee shall be deemed to have been 3 served upon any beneficiary or note holder thereunder unless 4 the holder of the note is disclosed of record. 5 When a judgment is a lien upon the property sold, the 6 holder of the lien shall be served with notice if the name of 7 the judgment debtor as shown in the transcript, certified 8 copy or memorandum of judgment filed of record is identical, 9 as to given name and surname, with the name of the party 10 interested as it appears of record. 11 If any owner or party interested, upon diligent inquiry 12 and effort, cannot be found or served with notice in the 13 county as provided in this Section, and the person in actual 14 occupancy and possession is tenant to, or in possession under 15 the owners or the parties interested in the property, then 16 service of notice upon the tenant, occupant or person in 17 possession shall be deemed service upon the owners or parties 18 interested. 19 If any owner or party interested, upon diligent inquiry 20 and effort cannot be found or served with notice in the 21 county, then the person making the service shall cause a copy 22 of the notice to be sent by registered or certified mail, 23 return receipt requested, to that party at his or her 24 residence, if ascertainable. 25 Service of the notice provided for in this Section shall 26 be satisfied if the owner, occupant, or interested party is 27 served with the required notice or has actual notice of the 28 filing of the tax deed petition prior to the end of the 29 redemption period. Service upon a party as owner, occupant, 30 or interested party shall satisfy service upon that party as 31 to any other such interests held by that party in the 32 property. 33 (Source: P.A. 91-209, eff. 1-1-00; 91-554, eff. 8-14-99.) -4- LRB9109828SMdv 1 (35 ILCS 200/22-25) 2 Sec. 22-25. Mailed notice. In addition to the notice 3 required to be delivered to the sheriff (or if he or she is 4 disqualified, to the coroner)servednot less than 3 months 5 nor more than 5 months prior to the expiration of the period 6 of redemption, the purchaser or his or her assignee shall 7 prepare and deliver to the clerk of the Circuit Court of the 8 county in which the property is located, the notice provided 9 for in this Section, together with the statutory costs for 10 mailing the notice by certified mail, return receipt 11 requested. The form of notice to be mailed by the clerk 12 shall be identical in form to that provided by Section 22-10 13 for service upon owners residing upon the property sold, 14 except that it shall bear the signature of the clerk and 15 shall designate the parties to whom it is to be mailed. The 16 clerk may furnish the form. The clerk shall promptly mail 17 the notices delivered to him or her by certified mail, return 18 receipt requested. The certificate of the clerk that he or 19 she has mailed the notices, together with the return 20 receipts, shall be filed in and made a part of the court 21 record. The notices shall be mailed to the owners of the 22 property at their last known addresses, and to those persons 23 who are entitled to service of notice as occupants. 24 (Source: P.A. 86-949; 87-1189; 88-455.) 25 (35 ILCS 200/22-40) 26 Sec. 22-40. Issuance of deed; possession. 27 (a) If the redemption period expires and the property 28 has not been redeemed and all taxes and special assessments 29 which became due and payable subsequent to the sale have been 30 paid and all forfeitures and sales which occur subsequent to 31 the sale have been redeemed and the notices required by law 32 have been given and all advancements of public funds under 33 the police power made by a city, village or town under -5- LRB9109828SMdv 1 Section 22-35 have been paid and the petitioner has complied 2 with all the provisions of law entitling him or her to a 3 deed, the court shall so find and shall enter an order 4 directing the county clerk on the production of the 5 certificate of purchase and a certified copy of the order, to 6 issue to the purchaser or his or her assignee a tax deed. 7The court shall insist on strict compliance with Section822-10 through 22-25.Prior to the entry of an order 9 directing the issuance of a tax deed, the petitioner shall 10 furnish the court with a report of proceedings of the 11 evidence received on the application for tax deed and the 12 report of proceedings shall be filed and made a part of the 13 court record. The order itself is prima facie evidence of the 14 purchaser's or his or her assignee's compliance with all the 15 provisions of law entitling him or her to a deed. 16 (b) If taxes for years prior to the year sold remain 17 delinquent at the time of the tax deed hearing, those 18 delinquent taxes may be merged into the tax deed if the court 19 determines that all other requirements for receiving an order 20 directing the issuance of the tax deed are fulfilled and 21 makes a further determination under either paragraph (1) or 22 (2). 23 (1) Incomplete estimate. 24 (A) The property in question was purchased at 25 an annual sale; and 26 (B) the statement and estimate of forfeited 27 general taxes furnished by the county clerk pursuant 28 to Section 21-240 failed to include all delinquent 29 taxes as of the date of that estimate's issuance. 30 (2) Vacating order. 31 (A) The petitioner furnishes the court with a 32 certified copy of an order vacating a prior sale for 33 the subject property; 34 (B) the order vacating the sale was entered -6- LRB9109828SMdv 1 after the date of purchase for the subject taxes; 2 (C) the sale in error was granted pursuant to 3 paragraphs (1), (2), or (4) of subsection (b) of 4 Section 21-310 or Section 22-35; and 5 (D) the tax purchaser who received the sale in 6 error has no affiliation, direct or indirect, with 7 the petitioner in the present proceeding and that 8 petitioner has signed an affidavit attesting to the 9 lack of affiliation. 10 If delinquent taxes are merged into the tax deed pursuant to 11 this subsection, a declaration to that effect shall be 12 included in the order directing issuance of the tax deed. 13 Nothing contained in this Section shall relieve any owner 14 liable for delinquent property taxes under this Code from the 15 payment of the taxes that have been merged into the title 16 upon issuance of the tax deed. 17 (c) The county clerk is entitled to a fee of $10 in 18 counties of 3,000,000 or more inhabitants and $5 in counties 19 with less than 3,000,000 inhabitants for the issuance of the 20 tax deed. The clerk may not include in a tax deed more than 21 one property as listed, assessed and sold in one 22 description, except in cases where several properties are 23 owned by one person. 24 Upon application the court shall, enter an order to place 25 the tax deed grantee in possession of the property and may 26 enter orders and grant relief as may be necessary or 27 desirable to maintain the grantee in possession. 28 (Source: P.A. 91-564, eff. 8-14-99.) 29 (35 ILCS 200/22-50) 30 Sec. 22-50. Denial of deed. If the court refuses to enter 31 an order directing the county clerk to execute and deliver 32 the tax deed, because of the failure of the purchaser to 33 fulfill any of the above provisions, and if the purchaser, or -7- LRB9109828SMdv 1 his or her assignee has made a bona fide attempt to comply 2 with the statutory requirements for the issuance of the tax 3 deed, it shall order the return of the purchase price, costs, 4 and other taxes required to be paid by the purchaser or his 5 or her assignee forthwith, as in case of sales in error, 6 except that no interest shall be paid on the purchase price. 7 (Source: P.A. 86-1158; 86-1431; 86-1475; 87-145; 87-669; 8 87-671; 87-895; 87-1189; 88-455.) 9 (35 ILCS 200/22-80) 10 Sec. 22-80. Order of court setting aside tax deed; 11 payments to holder of deed. 12 (a) Any order of court vacating an order directing the 13 county clerk to issue a tax deed based upon a finding that 14 the property was not subject to taxation or special 15 assessment, or that the taxes or special assessments had been 16 paid prior to the sale of the property, or that the tax sale 17 was otherwise void, shall declare the tax sale to be a sale 18 in error pursuant to Section 21-310 of this Act. The order 19 shall direct the party who successfully contested the order 20 to paycounty collector to refundto the tax deed grantee or 21 his or her successors and assigns (or, if a tax deed has not 22 yet issued, the holder of the certificate) the following 23 amounts: 24 (1) all taxes and special assessments purchased, 25 paid, or redeemed by the tax purchaser or his or her 26 assignee, or by the tax deed grantee or his or her 27 successors and assigns, whether before or after entry of 28 the order for tax deed, with interest at the rate of 1% 29 per month from the date each amount was paid until the 30 date of payment pursuant to this Section; 31 (2) all costs paid and posted to the judgment 32 record and not included in paragraph (1) of this 33 subsection (a);and-8- LRB9109828SMdv 1 (3) court reporter fees for the hearing on the 2 application for tax deed and transcript thereof, cost of 3 certification of tax deed order, cost of issuance of tax 4 deed, and cost of recording of tax deed; and 5 (4) amounts in satisfaction of municipal liens paid 6 by the tax purchaser or his or her assignee. 7 (b) Except in those cases described in subsection (a) of 8 this Section, and unless the court on motion of the tax deed 9 petitioner extends the redemption period to a date not later 10 than 3 years from the date of sale, any order of court 11 finding that an order directing the county clerk to issue a 12 tax deed should be vacated shall direct the party who 13 successfully contested the entry of the order to pay to the 14 tax deed grantee or his or her successors and assigns (or, if 15 a tax deed has not yet issued, the holder of the certificate) 16 within 90 days after the date of the finding: 17 (1) the amount necessary to redeem the property 18 from the sale as of the last day of the period of 19 redemption, except that, if the sale is a scavenger sale 20 pursuant to Section 21-260 of this Act, the redemption 21 amount shall not include an amount equal to all 22 delinquent taxes on such property which taxes were 23 delinquent at the time of sale; and 24 (2)amounts in satisfaction of municipal liens paid25by the tax purchaser or his or her assignee, andthe 26 amounts specified in paragraphs (1) through (4)and (3)27 of subsection (a) of this Section, to the extent the 28 amounts are not included in paragraph (1) of this 29 subsection (b). 30 If the payment is not made within the 90-day period, the 31 petition to vacate the order directing the county clerk to 32 issue a tax deed shall be denied with prejudice, and the 33 order directing the county clerk to issue a tax deed shall 34 remain in full force and effect. No final order vacating any -9- LRB9109828SMdv 1 order directing the county clerk to issue a tax deed shall be 2 entered pursuant to this subsection (b) until the payment has 3 been made. 4 (Source: P.A. 91-357, eff. 7-29-99.)