The Cook County Board of Review is urging homeowners across the county to file prefiling property tax appeals after a summer of severe weather that produced confirmed tornadoes, widespread flooding, and structural damage in dozens of municipalities. Board officials announced at an August 20 press conference that residents who document storm damage now can reduce their 2027 property tax bills, with the first group of township filing deadlines arriving September 1.
Key Takeaways
- The Cook County Board of Review has opened prefiling appeals for 2026 property tax assessments, which will determine 2027 tax bills.
- Homeowners in Evanston, New Trier, Norwood Park, Oak Park, River Forest, Riverside, and Rogers Park townships must file by September 1, with evidence due by September 11.
- Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle issued three separate disaster proclamations this summer following confirmed tornadoes on July 14-15, July 27, and August 11.
- Governor Pritzker issued a state disaster proclamation on August 18, noting Illinois leads the nation with approximately 204 verified tornadoes in 2026.
- The deadline to file for exemptions on the first installment of 2026 tax bills also closes September 1; second-installment 2025 bills are expected in mailboxes by the same date.
Three Disaster Proclamations in Two Months Define the Scope of Damage
Cook County has faced an unusually concentrated stretch of severe weather events since late June. The National Weather Service confirmed EF-1 tornadoes on July 14 and 15 across multiple south suburban municipalities, prompting the first of three disaster proclamations from Board President Toni Preckwinkle. A second round of severe thunderstorms struck on July 27, producing EF-1 tornadoes in Country Club Hills, Glenwood, and Lynwood, with additional damage reported in Harvey, Markham, Homewood, and Lansing. EF-0 tornadoes also touched down in Orland Park and Hazel Crest during that event.
The third disaster proclamation followed storms on August 11, when three additional EF-1 tornadoes and destructive straight-line winds hit Tinley Park, Orland Park, Country Club Hills, Homewood, Flossmoor, Glenwood, Lansing, and other south suburban communities. Each proclamation allowed the county to pursue state and federal resources for recovery, and the cumulative toll across all three events left thousands of residents dealing with downed trees, structural damage, power outages, and localized flooding.
Governor JB Pritzker reinforced the scope of the damage by issuing a state disaster proclamation on August 18, unlocking additional resources including Community Development Block Grant Disaster Response funding through the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Eligible communities can apply for up to $250,000 to cover cleanup, debris removal, and repairs to public infrastructure. Pritzker’s proclamation noted that Illinois leads the nation with approximately 204 tornadoes verified by the National Weather Service in 2026, a figure that underscores how exceptional this storm season has been statewide.
The Appeal Process Targets 2027 Tax Bills, Not Current Ones
Board of Review Commissioner Larry Rogers clarified at the August 20 press conference that storm damage relief cannot be applied retroactively to property tax bills residents have already received or are about to receive. The appeals filed now are prefiling appeals tied to 2026 assessments, which will determine the tax bills arriving in 2027. Rogers urged homeowners to act early despite the time lag between filing and relief.
Homeowners qualify for a catastrophic event exemption under Cook County’s appeal framework if their property sustained severe damage from storms, flooding, wind, or other qualifying events. Filing requires a completed Residential Assessed Valuation Appeal form accompanied by a written description of the damages, the dates when the damage occurred, an estimated date for completing repairs, and supporting documentation including photographs, insurance reports, building permits, and occupancy certificates. The entire process can be completed online through the Board of Review’s website when the property’s township is open for appeals.
Rogers noted that even damage that did not render a home uninhabitable, such as damage to garages, fencing, or outbuildings, can be factored into an appeal on a case-by-case basis. Board Chair George Cardenas echoed that message, encouraging property owners to follow through on the process to ensure their assessed values accurately reflect the condition of their properties after this summer’s storms.
September 1 Brings Three Overlapping Deadlines for Cook County Property Owners
The September 1 date carries weight beyond the appeal window. The second installment of 2025 property tax bills is expected to arrive in mailboxes on or before that date, meaning many Cook County homeowners will be processing a current tax payment at the same time they are deciding whether to appeal their future assessment. The deadline for filing for exemptions on the first installment of 2026 tax bills also closes September 1.
Cardenas warned that some property owners may have lost exemptions without realizing it. Seniors can fall off the senior freeze list if their renewal paperwork lapses, and homeowners who recently purchased a property may need to file for new exemptions that did not transfer automatically from the previous owner. Both situations can inflate a tax bill by hundreds or thousands of dollars, and the September 1 deadline leaves little room for delay.
The convergence of deadlines arrives in a county already navigating elevated property tax tensions. In 2025, median homeowner bills rose by a record 16.7%, driven by reassessment increases and shifts in the distribution of the tax burden across residential, commercial, and industrial properties. Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi’s office has faced scrutiny over inaccuracies in property records, including miscalculated square footage and misclassified properties, errors that can add thousands of dollars to individual bills. The Board of Review’s appeal process exists as the primary mechanism for property owners to challenge those valuations, and the storm damage dimension adds a new layer of urgency this cycle.
South Suburbs Bear the Heaviest Concentration of Storm Damage
While storm damage was reported across Cook County, the south suburbs absorbed a disproportionate share of the impact. Country Club Hills, Glenwood, Lansing, Homewood, Tinley Park, and Orland Park appeared in multiple disaster proclamations, reflecting a geographic pattern in which the same communities were hit by successive storm systems weeks apart. Many of these municipalities sit in areas where infrastructure is already under strain, and the compounding damage from repeated events has intensified the recovery burden for both local governments and individual homeowners.
The Cook County Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security has been coordinating damage assessments at the municipal level and working with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and FEMA to determine eligibility for individual assistance programs. Those assessments will inform whether federal disaster declarations follow the state and county proclamations, potentially unlocking direct financial assistance for residents beyond the property tax relief available through the Board of Review.
FAQs
When Is the Deadline to File a Property Tax Appeal for Storm Damage?
The first group of townships, including Evanston, New Trier, Norwood Park, Oak Park, River Forest, Riverside, and Rogers Park, must file by September 1, 2026, with evidence due by September 11. Other Cook County townships will have designated filing periods that open on a rolling basis through the Board of Review’s website at cookcountyboardofreview.com.
Will the Appeal Reduce the Tax Bill Homeowners Are About to Receive?
No. Prefiling appeals submitted now will affect 2027 tax bills based on 2026 assessments. The 2025 second-installment bills arriving in September cannot be changed through this process. However, homeowners should also check their exemptions before the September 1 deadline, as missing exemptions on the current bill can be corrected for future installments.
What Documentation Is Needed for a Storm Damage Appeal?
The Board of Review requires a written description of damages, the dates the damage occurred, an estimated completion date for repairs, and supporting records such as dated photographs (interior and exterior), insurance reports, building permits, and occupancy certificates. All materials can be submitted online when the property’s township filing window is open.
