Illinois Guide

How Illinois Property Tax Appeals Usually Work

By HomespringPublished Aug 5, 2025

Deadline

Your Appeal Window Varies by County and Township

Illinois opens appeal windows township by township. An appeal to the county Board of Review is generally due within 30 days after your township’s assessment list is published or change notices are mailed, so deadlines stagger across the year and are often in the fall. Cook County uses a two-step path: you can first appeal to the Cook County Assessor when your township opens, and then separately to the Cook County Board of Review when its window for your township opens. Confirm your township or county window before you file. If you want help preparing evidence and filing in time, the address lookup is the fastest first step.

Start With the Parcel

The township and county assessment record is where the assessed value, owner details, and property facts usually begin. Homespring uses the address step to orient the case before asking for more homeowner effort.

Evidence Matters More Than Frustration

A strong appeal usually depends on comparable sales, parcel detail accuracy, and any specific condition issues that affect value.

Local Rules Still Control

Homespring can help homeowners organize the process, but the township and county record, the board’s filing steps, and the property’s facts still drive the outcome.

How Illinois Appeals Work

  • Confirm the township and county assessment record and assessed value first.
  • File an assessment complaint with the county Board of Review within the window for your township (Form PTAX-230 in many counties; confirm your county’s form).
  • In Cook County, you can first file an informal appeal with the Assessor, then a separate appeal with the Board of Review when its township window opens.
  • If you disagree with the Board of Review’s decision, you can appeal to the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB) within 30 days of the postmark or file a tax objection complaint in circuit court.

Where to File and Where to Appeal Next

Illinois assessment complaints are filed with the county Board of Review, generally on the county’s own complaint form. In Cook County, owners can also start with an informal appeal at the Assessor’s Office before the Board of Review. If you disagree with the Board of Review’s decision, the next steps are the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB) or a tax objection complaint in circuit court. Homeowners can always appeal on their own for free; Homespring is for those who would rather have the comparable sales, evidence, and hearing handled for them.

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