About $115 million in unpaid Cook County property taxes on 52,000 parcels of real estate will be offered at auction when the Annual Tax Sale is held from Monday (March 10) to April 4.

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, whose office conducts the Tax Sale by state law, said the auction of unpaid taxes will be held at 69 W. Washington, Chicago, Room B, lower level.

Offered at the sale will be unpaid Cook County property taxes from tax year 2001, which were to have been collected in 2002.

Pappas said property owners with unpaid taxes are given notices by mail and certified mail and their names are published in local newspapers before their taxes are placed on the Tax Sale list. Those who are redeeming - paying the back taxes - have until the Tax Sale begins on Monday (March 10) to avoid having their taxes offered for sale to tax buyers.

All payments, whether in person or by mail, with penalties and publication costs, must be made by certified check, cashier's check, money order or cash. In-person payments are made only at the Treasurer's Office, 118 N. Clark St., Room 112, Chicago. Mailed payments (cash should not be mailed) must be postmarked before the taxes are offered at the Tax Sale.

Tax buyers compete in an auction for unpaid taxes. The winning buyer pays the unpaid bill to the county. To redeem, the property owner then must pay the County Clerk, and that money is used to repay the buyer with interest and penalties. If a property owner does not redeem, the buyer eventually can go to court and ask for the deed to the property.

The schedule by which the unpaid taxes are sold, by township with PINs:

March 10 - Barrington (67), Berwyn (197), Bloom (2,976).
March 11 - Bloom, Bremen (2,719).
March 12 - Bremen, Calumet (382), Cicero (437), Elk Grove (197), Evanston (265).
March 13 - Hanover (404), Lemont (150), Leyden (391), Lyons (580), Maine (407), New Trier (173), Niles (364).
March 14 - Northfield (266), Norwood Park (36), Oak Park (151), Orland (385), Palatine (374), Palos (228), Proviso (1,316).
March 17 - Rich (933), River Forest (42), Riverside (37), Schaumburg (391), Stickney (201), Thornton (7,628).
March 18 - Thornton.
March 19 - Thornton.
March 20 - Wheeling (387), Worth (991), Hyde Park (6,762).
March 21 - Hyde Park.
March 24 - Hyde Park.
March 25 - Jefferson (1,708), Lake (11,582).
March 26 - Lake.
March 27 - Lake.
March 28 - Lake.
March 31 - Lake.
April 1 - Lake View (1,075), North Chicago (943), Rogers Park (248), South Chicago (737).
April 2 - South Chicago, West Chicago (6,010).
April 3 - West Chicago.
April 4 - West Chicago.