Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas said today that the 2013 First Installment property tax bills are due Tuesday, March 4, 2014. Pappas encouraged paying online at cookcountytreasurer.com to avoid the cold weather, and noted that Cook County offices will be closed on Monday to observe Casimir Pulaski Day.

Payments received after the March 4 due date will be charged 1.5 percent interest per month. Property owners can pay:

• Online at cookcountytreasurer.com, from a checking or savings account
• At more than 400 Chase Bank locations in Chicagoland (Chase locations will be open on Monday, Pulaski Day)
• From an account at some 200 participating community banks
• By mail with a U.S. postmark no later than March 4, 2014

"Paying online allows you to sit at a computer and avoid traveling through cold weather," Pappas said. "Your fingers do the walking, but you don't."

Partial payments are accepted. All forms of payment require taxpayers to reference their 14-digit Property Index Number (PIN) located at the top of each tax bill.

Taxpayers can call 312.443.5100 for information in English, Polish and Spanish.