Our office maintains records of ownership, tax bill mailing address, property (site) address, legal description, sales data, and assessment values (as reported to us by the local township assessors) for all the parcels of land in Sangamon County. We also assist property owners with various application forms for exemptions and special assessments, as well as explaining the technical details of the property tax laws as they apply to assessing in Illinois and assisting with assessment complaint documents.
The Supervisor of Assessments also serves as the clerk to the Board of Review and chairman of the Farmland Assessment Review Committee.
Deeds recorded in the Office of the Recorder are transmitted electronically to our department. The average length of time between the recording of the deed and the change of the ownership record in our office is 4 - 6 weeks. During the closing of the real estate transfer, the deed is signed by the seller authorizing the transfer of their interest in the real estate. The deed contains a section that instructs our office to whom and where to mail future tax bills. By state law, recorded and approved surveys changing boundaries or establishing new parcels, subdivisions or lots are acted upon in the year following the year of recording.
It is the property owner's responsibility to notify our office of the new mailing address for assessment change notification and tax bills when refinancing or a release of mortgage is recorded.
Procedures for requesting a change of mailing address for assessment change notices and tax bills are as follows: Requests made by telephone are not accepted. Written, faxed or in person requests are required from the property owner or their authorized agent. In the case of an authorized agent conducting business on behalf of the owner, legal written documentation such as a Power of Attorney, Letter of Guardianship or Testamentary, or a Will is required as evidence of authorization.
Any request for change of name must be made in writing, or in person, and accompanied by substantiating documentation such as a court order, marriage license, will and inventory, or other legal document. A request to remove a name from the tax record must be accompanied by a copy of the death certificate and a recorded document.
Our office also maintains digital parcel line records of the entire county, which may be viewed online on the Sangamon County GIS. We have public use computer terminals in our office with inquiry access to the Property Tax System and the GIS. Printed or digital copies of the aerial view or line only parcel maps are available. Digital map page copies are saved as a .pdf image and are available by e-mail or copied to your flash drive.