Maine Township Property Taxes

While not possessing the wealth of New Trier, Maine Township is a stalwart Chicago suburb that boasts a close community and can be quite affordable. Like many of the townships around Cook County. Maine has both a suburban feel and urban amenities, making it a popular place for families to live and grow. This affordability has been challenged in recent years, as property values have steadily crept up in the past decade, pushing taxes up with them. This can be especially troubling for neighborhoods with working families. Thankfully, there are several options that homeowners and businesses can use to lower this burden.

Maine and Triennial Reassessment

One of the main reasons for the change in affordability was the 2025 reassessment. Every three years, the Cook County Assessor’s Office (CCAO) examines a third of the county. In 2025, Maine was one of the first townships to be put under the microscope. This led to significant increases in the market value of homes and businesses. The total home value surged by 25%, while commercial real estate jumped a staggering 36%. While these numbers were relatively sedate compared to how other townships fared, there were still significant troubles for families and businesses. Increases are not limited to reassessments, however, and tax rates continue to climb while the equalization factor is fluid.

Options to Reduce Taxes and Values

While property taxes cannot be lowered directly through the actions of taxpayers, the taxable property values can. These values are used to calculate tax bills by multiplying the equalized assessed value (EAV) by tax rates. The EAV itself takes the market value of a home or business and multiplies it by the assessment ratio. This makes property values incredibly important, as they are the main factor when it comes to creating a tax bill. There are a few ways to lower these values.

Real-Time Case Tracking

Exemptions:

Most exemptions, including the homeowner’s, lower the EAV before it can be multiplied by the tax rate. The homeowner’s exemption alone reduces the EAV by $10,000, the highest homestead exemption in Illinois. There are many other exemptions, including those for seniors, people with disabilities, and veterans. Every effort to reduce property taxes should start with exemptions.

Manage Your Properties

Property Tax Appeals:

These are challenges to the values placed by the CCAO. They generally dispute the value of a property due to a lack of uniformity in assessment or due to a property being overassessed. While exemptions are simply a matter of applying, property tax appeals require evidence and a significant amount of work to be successful.

Property Tax Appeals Make a Huge Difference

Since the township underwent reassessment in 2025, it saw a record number of appeals filed that year. Thanks to a series of computer errors over the last few years, tax bills and values have become unpredictable, and appeals are becoming a way to return to normalcy. Their use is encouraged by the CCAO, the Treasurer, the Cook County Clerk, and more, as values across the Chicago area have become questionable, especially during reassessment.

Unlike the rest of Illinois, Cook County uses a series of appeal deadlines. Unique to Cook County are assessor appeals. These allow the taxpayer to go directly to the CCAO in an informal process that can often lead to a correction or reduction. The second option is to appeal to the Board of Review (BOR), which is a more formal review with an impartial board that decides between the CCAO and the taxpayer based on evidence. BOR appeals are scheduled months after the assessor appeals. A taxpayer can try the CCAO first, then file with the BOR if the reduction is not satisfactory. The assessor level can also be skipped altogether if the taxpayer just wants to try their luck with the BOR.

scheduleMaine Township Deadlines

July 21, 2026: Deadline for assessor appeals

April 1, 2026: Due date for the first installment of property taxes

November 2026: Second installment due

Pending: BOR appeal deadline

O’Connor Provides the Evidence Appeals Need to Be Successful

The most important aspect of a successful appeal is the evidence. The evidence needed changes depending on what the grounds for the appeal are. If a taxpayer believes their property is overassessed and valued higher than it should be, then they must provide sales records dating back three years. For instances of unequal assessment, the taxpayer will need to provide copies of assessments from locations near their property. In either case, the evidence must be from properties in the same location, with similar sizes, ages, and room counts.

O’Connor is here to help on this difficult journey. We use data-driven techniques to analyze assessments, then consult our patented databases to gather the perfect sales records and assessments. We then package everything together in a portfolio that highlights all of the needed evidence. Once everything is assembled, we coordinate your appeal with a law firm that specializes in property tax cases. There is no charge for this analysis or evidence, and our clients only pay if they can lower their taxes.

Frequently Asked Questions About Maine Property Taxes

No, instead you file a certificate of error. This can also be used to correct missing exemptions.

Yes, as tax rates can still increase, as can the equalization factor.

The largest reasons for high taxes are school district budgets and public pensions. Both of these continue to grow at significant rates. In recent years, falling commercial values in places like the Loop have forced higher taxes on other parts of the county.

Yes, you can still take your case to the BOR if you miss the deadline for assessor appeals.