Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas urged property owners who owe back taxes to pay their tab before tax liens occur, which places the delinquent taxes on the annual tax sale list.

The annual tax sale will occur Jan. 9-12 for properties with unpaid 2021 property taxes due in 2022, Pappas said in a statement. Pappas said 22,884 property owners in Cook County owe less than $1,000 in back property taxes from 2022.

The annual tax sale takes place 13 months after the due date. Investors buy delinquent tax debt during the annual tax sale, Pappas said in the statement. The sale does not involve the sale of actual properties, she said.

Owners of 52,401 properties owe more than $236 million in taxes that were due in 2022. Nearly 30,000 owe more than $1,000 while 22,884 owe less than $1,000, including owners of 15,944 properties in Chicago and 6,940 parcels in suburban Cook County, the statement said.

To find out if your property is on the annual tax sale list, go to cookcountytreasurer.com.

Pappas’ office is mailing certified notices alerting property owners their unpaid taxes are to be offered for sale, which would put a lien against their properties. Besides the mailings, the treasurer’s office will publish lists of properties with delinquencies tax lists in local newspapers.