12-401.Right of State as judgment creditor.

When land subject to a state lien is sold at a judicial or judgment sale, and the state's lien ranks behind the lien being enforced by that sale, the State still has a right to redeem the property. Section 12-401 puts a clock on that right. The State's right to redeem ends 12 months after a certified copy of the sale certificate is filed for record, in the recorder's office for unregistered land or the registrar of titles for registered land.

The section builds in a service requirement tied to that filing. The certified copy has to carry an endorsement by the State's Attorney of the county (or an assistant) showing that a copy of the certificate was served on that office; once that service happens, it is the State's Attorney or assistant, not a separate recording official, who makes the endorsement. Service can be made by registered or certified mail through the U.S. Postal Service, which spares the parties from needing personal service on a state office.

The section carves out one category of sale entirely: judgment-of-foreclosure sales handled under Article XV of this Act are outside this 12-month redemption-by-state framework, since foreclosure sales carry their own redemption rules.