Monroe County tax bills and the January sale in Waterloo
Owner-occupied homes in Monroe County pay a median of $4,588 a year in real estate taxes, per Census survey data. Against the county's $282,100 median home value, that works out to roughly 1.6 percent a year. Rates depend on where you live. For tax year 2025, the main Waterloo tax code carries a total rate of about 5.85 percent of equalized assessed value, and the main Columbia code about 5.57 percent. Homes on the Mississippi bottomland can also owe levee and drainage district taxes, such as the Columbia Levee and Harrisonville Levee districts. The general homestead exemption can take up to $6,000 off an owner-occupant's equalized assessed value, and owners 65 or older can get up to $5,000 more through the senior exemption. The senior assessment freeze is open to owners 65 or older with household income at or below $75,000 for 2026.
The 2025 bills are paid in two installments, due September 18 and November 6, 2026. Taxes still unpaid go to the Treasurer's delinquent tax sale, set for 9:00 AM on January 14, 2027, at the Monroe County Courthouse. At that sale the county sells the unpaid taxes, not your house. You generally have up to 3 years from the sale date to redeem a home by paying the taxes, interest and penalties to the County Clerk's Office. Monroe County reassesses every four years. Under state law for a commission county like this one, 2022 was the last general reassessment year and 2026 is the current one.
Foreclosure cases at 100 South Main
Every Illinois mortgage foreclosure goes through court. Monroe County belongs to the 24th Judicial Circuit, along with Randolph, Washington and Perry counties. Cases here are filed with the Circuit Clerk at 100 South Main Street, Room 115, in Waterloo, the county seat.
You can reinstate the loan by catching up on missed payments and costs within 90 days after you're served. Your right to redeem by paying the full amount runs until the later of 7 months from service or 3 months from the judgment, and it ends before the sale. After the sale, the court holds a hearing to confirm it, and the buyer can take possession 30 days after that order. The Illinois foreclosure timeline and the deadline calculator walk through each step.
Columbia, Waterloo and the bluffs above the river
About 34,840 people live in Monroe County, per the 2025 Census estimate. The Mississippi River forms its western border. There are no townships here. The county has two cities, Waterloo and Columbia, plus four villages: Valmeyer, Hecker, Maeystown and Fults. About 84.7 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied, well above the statewide rate of about 67.6 percent.
Values climb as you head north toward St. Louis. Census estimates put the median home value at $293,000 in Columbia, $249,500 in Waterloo, $223,200 in Valmeyer, $166,800 in Hecker and $159,700 in Maeystown, though the small villages have wide error margins. The housing is fairly new. Half of the county's homes were built in 1990 or later, though about 9.8 percent date to 1939 or earlier. If your home was built before 1978, federal rules require lead disclosures, including a 10-day window for a lead inspection.
What a $307,450 Monroe County sale leaves you
Redfin put the Monroe County median sale price at $307,450 in May 2026, on 36 sales, up about 6 percent from a year earlier. Homes sold in a median 38 days at about 96.8 percent of list price, with roughly 2.3 months of supply. Because only 10 to 50 homes sell in a month, the monthly median swings, from $278,000 to $393,000 between January and May 2026. Here's a rough look at what comes out of $307,450 on a traditional listing:
- Agent commission at about 4.9 percent (Clever's Illinois average, updated September 2026): roughly $15,100
- Closing costs at about 1.2 percent: roughly $3,700
- State transfer tax at $0.50 per $500: about $310
- Monroe County transfer tax at $0.25 per $500: about $155
That's roughly $19,200 before your mortgage payoff, repairs or holding costs. By custom the seller usually pays transfer tax, but it's negotiable. If the property is a fit, a cash buyer may make an offer and you pick the closing date. Listing with an agent is also a fine choice in a market this tight, especially for a newer home. If a deadline is pushing you, the pages on selling before a foreclosure sale and selling an inherited house lay out the options.
Monroe County's Metro East neighbors
Monroe County doesn't have its own town pages yet, so these nearby guides cover the rest of the St. Louis Metro East.
- St. Clair County: now the only county in the 20th Judicial Circuit
- Madison County: February tax sale in Edwardsville and free foreclosure mediation
- Clinton County: December tax sale in Carlyle and undermined ground near several towns
- Jersey County: an October tax sale in 2025 and the Pearl Street courthouse in Jerseyville
- Macoupin County: mine subsidence zones and a November tax sale
- Bond County: Greenville courthouse, and it shares Madison's free foreclosure mediation program
- Calhoun County: a river peninsula county with its circuit court in Hardin
- Belleville: a city occupancy inspection, best requested as soon as you decide to sell
- East St. Louis: a city occupancy permit required before the sale
- All Illinois pages: the statewide directory of county and city pages
Sources: Census Reporter, Monroe County profile; Census Reporter, Monroe County places median home value; U.S. Census Bureau, county population estimates 2020-2025; Monroe County Clerk, 2025 Tax Codes and Districts Catalog; Monroe County Treasurer; Illinois Property Tax Code, 35 ILCS 200; 24th Judicial Circuit, Monroe County; Illinois Code of Civil Procedure, 735 ILCS 5; Clever, Illinois transfer taxes; EPA lead real estate disclosure; Redfin Data Center; Clever commission survey
