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Cook County (Chicago), IL: motivated seller leads, with the reason on every owner

LeadCounty reads 5 official record sources for all 1,864,270 properties here, refreshed weekly. The biggest seller lists are tired landlord (124,165), open code violation (91,332) and tax delinquent (70,914).

National files go to anyone who pays. We cap this county at 10 investors, so the owners you find here are not on a stack of other desks. Stack the lists below and mail the top of the pile.

2.7×in Cook County, the top-scored tenth sold this many times as often as average

In a test on real sales, 5.1% of the top-scored tenth sold within 12 months, against 1.9% of all properties.

Read the Cook County test →
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The badge links to the Cook County page. It shows the result of the test on real sales.

Cook County tax delinquent list: 70,914Tax delinquentOwner has not paid the property taxCook County absentee owner list: 432,894Absentee ownerOwner lives at a different addressCook County out-of-state owner list: 62,993Out-of-state ownerOwner lives in another state318,489Owned 15+ yearsSame owner for 15 years or more
See all 16 seller lists in Cook County
45,891Owes $1,000+ in taxOwes $1,000 or more in unpaid taxCook County in foreclosure list: 2,226In foreclosureLender has started foreclosureCook County inherited list: 231Estate / heirs ownerOwned by an estate or heirsCook County tired landlords list: 124,165Tired landlordLandlord who owns rentals and may be ready to stopCook County code violations list: 91,332Open code violationCity has told the owner to fix somethingCook County vacant list: 8,190Vacant structure (city)City lists the building as vacant26,051Likely vacant (model)Our model thinks nobody lives thereCook County high equity list: 115,363High equity (est.)Likely owes little on the house283,123Portfolio owner (5+)Owner holds five or more properties141,534LLC / corporate ownerOwned by a company, not a person81,486Vacant landEmpty lot with no building1,004,899SoldRecent sales, for pricing34,323 in 12 months

Certified delinquent is the same list as Tax delinquent in Cook County (the county publishes one delinquency list).

70,914 owners are behind on tax here today. See who, and why.

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Before you start

What's in Cook County, and what isn't

In Cook County we hold tax delinquent, in foreclosure, estate / heirs owner, absentee owner, out-of-state owner and tired landlord. Every owner you do see has the reason next to the name.

Cook County this week

New records against the usual week

This week's Cook County counts compared with the average of the previous four data weeks.
ListThis week4-week averageChange
Tax delinquent70,91471,244 about the same flat
Owes $1,000+ in tax45,89146,481 about the same flat
In foreclosure2,226667 +234% up
Tax lien70,91471,244 about the same flat
Open code violation91,33291,767 about the same flat
Vacant structure (city)8,1908,274 about the same flat
Likely vacant (model)26,05191,016 -71% down
Absentee owner432,894433,638 about the same flat
Out-of-state owner62,99363,321 about the same flat
Tired landlord124,165122,921 about the same flat
High equity (est.)115,363117,815 about the same flat
Estate / heirs owner2311,542 -85% down
Where they are

Top ZIP codes in Cook County

Most tax-delinquent properties

  1. 60426 Harvey7,003 delinquent
  2. 60411 Chicago Heights4,846 delinquent
  3. 60628 Chicago4,000 delinquent
  4. 60636 Chicago3,533 delinquent
  5. 60472 Robbins3,283 delinquent
Good first stacks

Owners with more than one reason to sell

A stack is an owner who matches several reasons at once. These are the stacks investors start with in Cook County, with live counts.

  • 8,620owners nowTax delinquent + absentee owner + owned 15+ yearsOwners behind on tax who do not live in the house and have held it a long time: usually equity and little attachment.
  • 44,829owners nowPortfolio owner (5+) + owned 15+ yearsLong-time landlords with several properties: one conversation can cover more than one house.
  • 261owners nowIn foreclosure or sheriff sale + high equityOwners with a deadline who still have equity to protect by selling on their own terms.
  • 17,928owners nowLikely vacant + absentee ownerProbably empty houses whose owner lives somewhere else: every month costs them tax and upkeep.
Open these stacks in the free trial
Perfect Storm stacks

Named stacks of signals in Cook County

A stack is an owner who matches several reasons at once, all true for the same property. The number is how many properties in Cook County match every one today.

70,164First Miss. Properties whose tax is late for the first year in our records (the records start in 2006), with the earlier years on file paid on time. New ones are listed every week in the app.
7,754Landlord radar. Owners of three or more properties in Cook County where at least two show a problem today: tax late, an open city code case or an eviction. One alert for the owner, all their houses together.

These count records, not people: a stack never says an owner wants to sell. How all eight stacks are defined →

Top scores this week

Three Cook County properties our score ranks highest

Three of this week's highest-scoring Cook County properties
Street and cityScore (1 to 10)Why it may sell
Plymouth DrMarkham10of 10Owes about $48,300 in tax (53.7% of the value)Taxes 17 years behind
S Union AveChicago10of 10Owes about $14,100 in tax (12.8% of the value)Taxes 16 years behind
S State StChicago10of 10Taxes 5 years behindTax lien sold on the property

Street name and city only: house numbers, owner names and mailing addresses are in the app.

What the free trial shows

The same property, in both trials. Example row, not a real person.

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9
1482 Maple AveAnytown, 43000 · single family · owned 22 yearsTax delinquentAbsentee ownerOwned 15+ years
Owner
Pat Example
Mailing address
PO Box 118, Sample City
Tax owed
$4,812

Everything, owner names and mailing addresses included. Cancel before day 7 and you pay nothing.

Free Cook County sample
Free sample

Get 20 free Cook County records

This week's top 20 properties by score: address, city, ZIP, score, reasons, owner type, years owned and tax owed. Owner names and mailing addresses are in the trial. One file per e-mail per week.

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Cook County in numbers

What the Cook County records say

Cook County has 1,864,270 properties on file. 70,914 of them (3.8%) are behind on property tax, and 45,891 owe $1,000 or more. 432,894 (23.2%) belong to an owner who gets the tax bill at another address, 62,993 of them in another state.

2,226 properties have an open foreclosure case.

Unpaid tax is most concentrated in ZIP 60426 (Harvey) with 7,003 delinquent properties, followed by 60411 (Chicago Heights) and 60628 (Chicago).

Stacking lists narrows the county to owners with more than one reason to sell. "In foreclosure or sheriff sale + high equity" gives 261 owners right now: small enough to mail every month.

Cook County on file: tax history 2006–2024, sales and transfers 1999–2026, 286 columns with data; building condition, tax liens, foreclosure filings and code cases included. The records come from Cook County Assessor's Office, Cook County Clerk, Cook County Clerk - Recordings and Cook County Treasurer, collected every week.

Sources

Where the Cook County data comes from

Collected from 5 official government offices, live and refreshed weekly.

  • Cook County Assessor's Officeowners, values and building facts, tax bills, payments and delinquency, deeds and sales, building permits
  • Cook County Clerktax bills, payments and delinquency, deeds and sales
  • Cook County Clerk - Recordingstax bills, payments and delinquency, foreclosure and sheriff-sale records
  • Cook County Treasurerdeeds and sales
  • City of Chicagocode cases and vacant buildings

Cook County on file: tax history 2006–2024, sales and transfers 1999–2026, 286 columns with data; building condition, tax liens, foreclosure filings and code cases included.

Cook County government website →

How we collect and check county records →
Illinois rules

How unpaid tax and foreclosure work in Illinois

Counties hold a yearly sale of the unpaid tax; bidders bid the penalty rate down. Cook County also holds a scavenger sale for long-delinquent parcels. For most homes the redemption period is 2½ years from the sale (it can be extended to 3); the buyer then asks the court for a tax deed.

Mortgage foreclosures: judicial. Foreclosures go through circuit court; owners have a redemption period before the judicial sale.

All Illinois rules and counties →
Next steps

Where to go from here

Open Cook County free for 7 daysCook County sale calendarBiggest ownersAll Illinois counties
More about Cook County: strong signals, nearby counties, guides

Signals strong in Cook County

Tired landlord: 124,165 in Cook CountyOpen code violation: 91,332 in Cook CountyTax delinquent: 70,914 in Cook County

More on Cook County

Cook County sale calendarCook County biggest ownersCook County ghost ownersCook County distress mapWhich seller signals each county has

Nearest counties

DuPage County, IL (18 mi)Milwaukee County, WI (81 mi)Dane County (Madison), WI (118 mi)

Guides

Cook County tax delinquent list, tax sale and foreclosure leads (Chicago, 2026)How to get a tax delinquent list in IllinoisList stacking explainedWhat is off-market real estate?

Cook County questions

How many tax-delinquent properties are in Cook County, IL?

70,914 properties on the latest county file, from the Cook County Assessor's Office's tax records; 45,891 of them owe $1,000 or more. The count is refreshed every week.

Where does the Cook County data come from?

From official public records: Cook County Assessor's Office, Cook County Clerk, Cook County Clerk - Recordings, Cook County Treasurer and City of Chicago. We collect them every week, match them to each parcel and score every property.

How many investors can use Cook County data?

At most 10 investors per county, so fewer people mail the same owners. Seats are open in Cook County today.

Is Cook County full?

Seats open. The badge on this page is the same counter that decides who can join.

Does Cook County publish foreclosure filings?

Yes: 2,226 properties have an open foreclosure case on the latest county file.

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