- Official section
- National II.A.1: Government right to impose special assessments
- Broker weight
- Part of 5% of the national broker portion
- Expected scored items
- The current PSI outline assigns Land Use Controls about 5 of the 100 scored national broker items
Real estate glossary and exam guide
Special assessment: a specific improvement, a special benefit
A special assessment is easiest to recognize by following the money. Government plans a particular local improvement, identifies property that receives a special benefit, allocates an authorized share of cost, and uses a formal process to collect it. That is different from sending every parcel a general property-tax bill. On the exam, look for the improvement, the benefited parcel, the allocation method, and any unpaid lien or installment before reaching for a calculator.
Last updated: August 1, 2026
What does this exam area cover?
Short answer: A special assessment is a governmental charge against property that receives a special benefit from a specific local improvement. It is not simply another name for ordinary property tax. In Illinois, municipal local-improvement law provides procedures for the ordinance, assessment roll, court review, installments, collection, and lien. For a calculation, use only the allocation formula and figures given in the question.
This guide follows the PSI Illinois Candidate Information Booklet effective June 24, 2026 and current Illinois statutes checked through August 1, 2026. Illinois has multiple statutes, municipal procedures, home-rule powers, project ordinances, court orders, special service area taxes, and private association assessments that may look similar on a bill or title report. This page teaches the tested distinction. It cannot determine a real parcel's liability, payoff, lien priority, objection deadline, or closing allocation without current local records and professional review.
What is on the official outline?
- Topic
- Government assessment power
- What to know
- Public authority, local improvement, ordinance, statutory power, municipality, public purpose, benefited property, cost allocation, hearing, court, collection, and lien
- Best exam move
- Choose special assessment when government charges identified property for a particular improvement that specially benefits it.
- Topic
- Specific local improvement
- What to know
- Street, alley, sidewalk, sewer, water main, storm drain, lighting, landscaping, signage, parking, bicycle path, access improvement, construction, reconstruction, and acquisition
- Best exam move
- Find the concrete project. A named improvement is the first clue that the question is not about general property-tax revenue.
- Topic
- Special benefit
- What to know
- Parcel advantage, enhanced use, access, utility service, local infrastructure, benefit estimate, amount assessed, improvement effect, property-specific analysis, and ceiling
- Best exam move
- Connect the charge to the benefit received by the parcel, not merely to a benefit enjoyed by the public at large.
- Topic
- Benefit limitation
- What to know
- 65 ILCS 5/9-2-41, special tax, special benefit, amount, assessment roll, objection, court review, evidence, confirmation, reduction, and parcel
- Best exam move
- Reject an answer saying the special charge may exceed the property's special benefit without limit.
- Topic
- Ordinance and improvement plan
- What to know
- Nature, character, locality, description, plans, specifications, estimate, cost, public and private benefit, district, parcels, method, adoption, and public record
- Best exam move
- Treat the local ordinance and assessment proceeding as essential evidence, not as background paperwork.
- Topic
- Assessment roll
- What to know
- Lots, blocks, tracts, parcels, legal description, owner, benefit, amount, public benefit, individual assessment, total cost, filing, notice, correction, and confirmation
- Best exam move
- Use the assessment roll to identify the charged parcel and amount rather than guessing from neighborhood boundaries.
- Topic
- Allocation methods
- What to know
- Special benefit, frontage, area, unit, parcel share, cost, rate, formula, improvement district, corner parcel, irregular lot, cap, rounding, and stated facts
- Best exam move
- Apply the formula supplied by the question. Do not substitute market value or square footage just because it is available.
- Topic
- Front-foot calculation
- What to know
- Assessable frontage, rate per foot, parcel width, corner treatment, exclusions, multiple sides, improvement length, multiplication, and total assessment
- Best exam move
- Multiply the assessable frontage by the stated rate per front foot, after checking which boundary counts.
- Topic
- Area or unit calculation
- What to know
- Square feet, acres, units, equivalent units, rate, benefited area, parcel count, allocation percentage, numerator, denominator, and proportional share
- Best exam move
- Match the denominator to the method. A rate per square foot is not a rate per front foot or per parcel.
- Topic
- Public and private benefit
- What to know
- Municipal share, public benefit, parcel benefit, project cost, general funds, special assessment, special taxation, combined funding, and cost balance
- Best exam move
- Do not assume benefited owners must pay every dollar of a project when the facts allocate a public-benefit share to the municipality.
- Topic
- Notice and objection
- What to know
- Property owner, hearing, publication, mail, petition, assessment roll, objection, evidence, benefit amount, procedural deadline, appearance, and due process
- Best exam move
- A challenge follows the governing notice, hearing, and court process. A verbal complaint to a broker does not change the assessment.
- Topic
- Circuit-court confirmation
- What to know
- Petition, municipality, court, assessment roll, hearing, objections, benefit, judgment, parcel, confirmation, correction, appeal, and finality
- Best exam move
- Recognize that the Illinois municipal process can involve a court judgment, not merely an invoice mailed by a contractor.
- Topic
- Installment treatment
- What to know
- Ordinance, aggregate amount, individual assessment, annual installment, interest, schedule, due date, remaining balance, prepayment, payoff, and exceptions
- Best exam move
- If installments are authorized, separate the current installment from the unpaid principal balance and read exactly what the question asks.
- Topic
- Special-assessment lien
- What to know
- Court judgment, certified copy, assessment roll, recording, 60 days, county recorder, assessed property, municipal lien, general-tax force, release, foreclosure, and title
- Best exam move
- An unpaid and validly perfected assessment can be a title lien. Verify the record and payoff instead of assuming it disappears at sale.
- Topic
- Collection and delinquency
- What to know
- Municipal collector, county collector, installment, interest, penalty, delinquency, judgment, sale, foreclosure, redemption, assignment, payment, release, and receipt
- Best exam move
- Treat nonpayment as a legal and title problem, not as an optional delay in paying for a public project.
- Topic
- Closing and contract allocation
- What to know
- Seller, buyer, purchase contract, title commitment, exception, current installment, future installment, payoff, assumption, proration, credit, debit, escrow, and disclosure
- Best exam move
- Let the contract and closing evidence decide who bears the charge. There is no universal seller-pays rule for every special assessment.
- Topic
- Municipal vs. HOA assessment
- What to know
- Government power, statute, ordinance, declaration, bylaws, board, common expenses, reserve shortfall, private covenant, association lien, public improvement, and authority
- Best exam move
- Identify who imposed the charge. Government and an owners' association act under different sources of authority.
- Topic
- Special service area tax
- What to know
- Contiguous area, additional governmental services, municipality, county, property tax, boundaries, public hearing, levy, years, rate, service provider, and district
- Best exam move
- Do not rename an Illinois special service area tax as a parcel-specific special assessment. Check the statute and billing label.
- Topic
- Disclosure and verification
- What to know
- Seller knowledge, property disclosure, municipal search, title search, tax bill, association statement, planned project, pending assessment, levied amount, unconfirmed proposal, and material facts
- Best exam move
- Separate a proposed project from an adopted, confirmed, billed, or delinquent charge, and disclose known material facts as current law requires.
- Topic
- Exam math discipline
- What to know
- Known facts, allocation base, rate, parcel measurement, public share, total benefit, installments, interest, closing date, proration convention, units, and rounding
- Best exam move
- Write the units beside every number. Front feet, square feet, parcels, percentages, and years are not interchangeable.
Which distinctions produce the most mistakes?
- Terms
- Property tax vs. special assessment
- Difference
- Property tax generally supports local public services according to taxable value. A special assessment funds a particular improvement through charges to specially benefited property.
- Question cue
- General revenue versus specific improvement.
- Terms
- General public benefit vs. special benefit
- Difference
- A public benefit is broadly enjoyed by the community. A special benefit is a distinct advantage the improvement gives the assessed parcel.
- Question cue
- Community-wide advantage versus parcel-linked advantage.
- Terms
- Special assessment vs. special tax
- Difference
- Illinois municipal law recognizes both methods for local improvements. Their allocation and procedure come from the applicable statute, ordinance, roll, and judgment, so the terms should not be casually substituted.
- Question cue
- Read the method actually named in the facts.
- Terms
- Municipal assessment vs. HOA assessment
- Difference
- A municipal charge arises from governmental authority and public procedure. An HOA assessment arises from private community documents and association law.
- Question cue
- City hall versus association board.
- Terms
- Special assessment vs. special service area tax
- Difference
- A special assessment is tied to a local improvement and special benefit. An SSA tax pays for additional governmental services or improvements within a defined area under the Special Service Area Tax Law.
- Question cue
- Benefit roll versus defined taxing area.
- Terms
- Proposed assessment vs. confirmed assessment
- Difference
- A proposed project or estimate may change or fail. A confirmed assessment has passed the applicable ordinance and adjudication steps and produces enforceable obligations under the governing record.
- Question cue
- Possible future charge versus established charge.
- Terms
- Total assessment vs. installment due
- Difference
- The total assessment is the full parcel allocation. An installment is one scheduled portion, potentially with interest or other statutory additions.
- Question cue
- Entire principal versus current payment.
- Terms
- Assessment amount vs. market-value increase
- Difference
- The assessment is the lawful cost allocation, subject to benefit limits. It does not guarantee that an appraiser or buyer will recognize an equal increase in market value.
- Question cue
- Government charge versus market reaction.
- Terms
- Lien balance vs. payoff amount
- Difference
- The recorded balance may not include every current installment, interest, penalty, collection cost, credit, or pending release. A payoff is calculated for a specific date by the proper authority.
- Question cue
- Record snapshot versus date-specific amount due.
- Terms
- Seller disclosure vs. contract payment duty
- Difference
- Disclosure communicates a known condition or charge. The contract allocates payment responsibility. Telling the buyer about an assessment does not by itself decide who pays it.
- Question cue
- Information duty versus money allocation.
- Terms
- Special assessment vs. betterment
- Difference
- A special assessment is the governmental charge. Betterment describes an improvement or benefit that may increase utility or value; it is not automatically the legal charge itself.
- Question cue
- Financing mechanism versus property improvement.
- Terms
- Frontage method vs. ad valorem method
- Difference
- A frontage method uses assessable boundary length. An ad valorem method uses property value. Apply only the method authorized or supplied.
- Question cue
- Feet versus value.
The B-E-N-E-F-I-T check for special-assessment questions
- Benefit: identify the special advantage the project gives the parcel, and separate it from the improvement's broader public benefit.
- Entity: identify who imposed the charge, such as a municipality, county, condominium board, or homeowners' association.
- Nature of project: name the street, sewer, sidewalk, utility, lighting, access, landscaping, or other improvement being financed.
- Evidence: find the ordinance, assessment roll, court judgment, title exception, tax bill, association statement, or contract term that controls.
- Formula: apply the stated frontage, area, unit, percentage, or benefit allocation with consistent units and without inventing an ad valorem step.
- Installments: separate full principal, current installment, interest, delinquency, and date-specific payoff.
- Title and transfer: check lien perfection, release, contract allocation, disclosure, credit, escrow, and closing instructions before deciding who pays.
- Charge
- Property tax
- Source of authority
- State and local tax law
- Fast exam clue
- General local revenue based on taxable value
- Charge
- Municipal special assessment
- Source of authority
- Local-improvement statute, ordinance, and roll
- Fast exam clue
- Specific project and specially benefited parcels
- Charge
- Special service area tax
- Source of authority
- 35 ILCS 200, Article 27
- Fast exam clue
- Additional service in a defined geographic area
- Charge
- HOA special assessment
- Source of authority
- Declaration, bylaws, budget, and association law
- Fast exam clue
- Private common-expense charge approved by the association
- Charge
- Condominium special assessment
- Source of authority
- Condominium instruments, board action, and statute
- Fast exam clue
- Private charge for condominium common expenses
How do the rules work in scenarios?
Sidewalk assessment by frontage
Scenario: A city assesses a sidewalk improvement at $42 per assessable front foot. A rectangular parcel has 80 assessable feet along the project. The question states that no corner adjustment applies.
- The stated allocation base is frontage, not market value or lot area.
- Multiply 80 front feet by $42 per front foot.
- The units cancel to dollars: 80 times $42 equals $3,360.
Answer: The parcel's assessment is $3,360.
Public benefit comes off the project cost
Scenario: A local improvement costs $900,000. The facts assign $180,000 to public benefit and allocate the remainder among specially benefited parcels. One parcel receives 4 percent of the private-benefit allocation.
- $900,000 minus $180,000 leaves $720,000 to allocate to specially benefited parcels.
- Four percent is 0.04.
- $720,000 times 0.04 equals $28,800.
Answer: The parcel's allocated assessment is $28,800.
Current installment is not the total balance
Scenario: A title report shows a $12,000 confirmed assessment payable in six principal installments. Two $2,000 principal installments have been paid, and the question tells you to ignore interest.
- The original assessment is $12,000.
- Paid principal is 2 times $2,000, or $4,000.
- $12,000 minus $4,000 leaves $8,000 unpaid principal.
Answer: The remaining principal is $8,000, not merely the next $2,000 installment.
A city charge is not an HOA charge
Scenario: A municipality records a confirmed assessment roll for a new sanitary sewer. The subdivision association separately invoices owners for a clubhouse roof replacement.
- The sewer charge arises from the city's public local-improvement process.
- The roof charge arises from private association authority and common expenses.
- The two charges require different records, lien analysis, and closing treatment.
Answer: The sewer item is municipal; the clubhouse item is an HOA special assessment.
The contract controls the closing allocation
Scenario: A confirmed special assessment has future installments. The signed purchase contract says the seller will pay all assessments levied before closing, whether due or not.
- The assessment was levied before closing.
- The clause expressly covers amounts not yet due.
- The closing agent should obtain the authorized payoff and follow the contract, subject to title and legal review.
Answer: Under the supplied clause, the seller bears the covered assessment rather than passing future installments to the buyer.
A different contract produces a different result
Scenario: A purchase contract instead says the seller pays only installments due before closing and the buyer assumes installments due afterward. One installment is delinquent, while four are scheduled after closing.
- The delinquent installment was due before closing and falls to the seller under the clause.
- The four future installments fall to the buyer under the stated assumption language.
- Title requirements, interest, penalties, and lender rules may still require additional handling.
Answer: Allocate the delinquent installment to the seller and the four stated future installments to the buyer under the supplied facts.
A proposed project is not a current lien
Scenario: A broker hears that the village is studying a streetscape project. No ordinance, assessment roll, confirmation judgment, bill, or recorded lien appears in the records reviewed.
- A study may signal a future cost, but it does not establish a confirmed assessment amount.
- The broker should not invent a liability or tell the buyer that a lien already exists.
- The prudent response is to disclose verified known facts and direct the parties to current municipal and title records.
Answer: Describe it accurately as a proposed or studied project unless later records establish an assessment.
What are the common exam traps?
- Trap
- Calling every local charge property tax
- Correction
- Identify the authority and purpose. A local-improvement assessment is not ordinary ad valorem property tax.
- Trap
- Calling every special charge a municipal assessment
- Correction
- An SSA tax, HOA assessment, condominium assessment, utility charge, and municipal special assessment are distinct obligations.
- Trap
- Multiplying market value by the assessment rate
- Correction
- Use the stated allocation base. Many exam problems use frontage, area, units, or benefit shares instead of value.
- Trap
- Assuming the owner pays the entire project cost
- Correction
- Deduct any public-benefit or municipal share given before allocating the private-benefit portion.
- Trap
- Treating benefit as guaranteed market appreciation
- Correction
- Special benefit supports the legal allocation. It does not promise an identical increase in sale price or appraisal value.
- Trap
- Ignoring the parcel's benefit ceiling
- Correction
- Illinois section 9-2-41 makes special benefit central to the permissible charge and court review.
- Trap
- Reading one installment as the full assessment
- Correction
- Separate original principal, paid principal, current installment, interest, penalties, and payoff balance.
- Trap
- Assuming sale automatically removes the lien
- Correction
- A valid recorded lien follows the property until resolved through payment, release, sale, foreclosure, or another lawful process.
- Trap
- Assuming every judgment creates a valid recorded lien forever
- Correction
- Section 9-2-65 includes recording conditions and release rules. Examine the actual record and current law.
- Trap
- Making the seller pay by default
- Correction
- Use the purchase contract, assessment status, title evidence, local payoff, and closing instructions.
- Trap
- Making the buyer assume every future installment
- Correction
- Future due dates do not override express contract language or title and lender requirements.
- Trap
- Confusing disclosure with payment
- Correction
- Disclosure tells the buyer about known facts. The contract and law allocate the financial obligation.
- Trap
- Calling a proposal a confirmed liability
- Correction
- Verify whether the project is discussed, authorized, levied, confirmed, billed, delinquent, or recorded.
- Trap
- Dropping the units from the math
- Correction
- Write front feet, square feet, parcels, dollars, percentages, principal, and years beside the numbers.
- Trap
- Calling these official PSI questions
- Correction
- These are original questions aligned to the public PSI outline and Illinois primary sources.
Can you answer these original practice questions?
These questions are original study items aligned to the published outline. They are not copied, recalled, or predicted PSI questions.
1. Which fact most strongly identifies a governmental special assessment?
- A municipality charges benefited parcels for a new sewer
- A county taxes all taxable parcels to fund general services
- A lender charges a loan-origination fee
- A tenant pays monthly rent
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A municipality charges benefited parcels for a new sewer
The specific public improvement and parcel-linked special benefit are the defining clues.
2. A sidewalk assessment is $36 per assessable front foot. A parcel has 75 assessable feet. What is the assessment?
- $2,100
- $2,700
- $3,600
- $27,000
Show answer and explanation
Answer: $2,700
Seventy-five front feet times $36 per front foot equals $2,700.
3. A project costs $500,000, with $100,000 assigned to public benefit. A parcel bears 3 percent of the remaining allocation. What is its share?
- $3,000
- $12,000
- $15,000
- $30,000
Show answer and explanation
Answer: $12,000
$500,000 minus $100,000 equals $400,000. Three percent of $400,000 is $12,000.
4. What limitation is central under 65 ILCS 5/9-2-41?
- The special tax cannot exceed the property's special benefit
- Every owner must receive an identical dollar charge
- Every project must be paid in cash on one date
- A broker decides the benefit without review
Show answer and explanation
Answer: The special tax cannot exceed the property's special benefit
The section also makes the benefit and amount subject to court review.
5. Which document most directly identifies individual parcels and charges in a municipal assessment proceeding?
- Assessment roll
- Broker's business card
- Tenant's utility receipt
- Appraiser's license
Show answer and explanation
Answer: Assessment roll
The roll associates the local improvement's assessment with the affected property.
6. What is the best distinction between an HOA special assessment and a municipal special assessment?
- The HOA charge is private; the municipal charge is governmental
- The HOA charge is always voluntary
- The municipal charge can never become a lien
- They are legally identical
Show answer and explanation
Answer: The HOA charge is private; the municipal charge is governmental
Their authority, procedures, records, lien rules, and remedies arise from different legal sources.
7. A confirmed $15,000 assessment is payable in five equal principal installments. Two have been paid. Ignore interest. What principal remains?
- $3,000
- $6,000
- $9,000
- $12,000
Show answer and explanation
Answer: $9,000
Each installment is $3,000. Paying two reduces principal by $6,000, leaving $9,000.
8. At closing, who must pay future special-assessment installments?
- The party assigned responsibility by the contract and controlling closing evidence
- Always the seller
- Always the buyer
- Always the listing broker
Show answer and explanation
Answer: The party assigned responsibility by the contract and controlling closing evidence
Assessment status, contract terms, title requirements, local payoff information, and closing instructions control.
9. What does 65 ILCS 5/9-2-65 require for the described judgment to become a lien?
- Timely recording of a certified judgment and assessment roll
- A broker's oral promise
- An unapproved neighborhood petition
- A private appraisal alone
Show answer and explanation
Answer: Timely recording of a certified judgment and assessment roll
The section ties the municipal lien to recording within its stated time and manner.
10. Which statement about a proposed streetscape assessment is most accurate?
- Its status must be verified before calling it a confirmed lien
- Every proposal is automatically due at closing
- A rumor fixes each parcel's final amount
- The proposal is ordinary rent
Show answer and explanation
Answer: Its status must be verified before calling it a confirmed lien
Proposal, ordinance, assessment roll, confirmation, billing, delinquency, and recording are different stages.
How should you study this area?
- Session
- Session 1
- Focus
- Classify five property charges
- Proof you are ready
- Sort 25 examples into property tax, municipal special assessment, special service area tax, HOA assessment, or condominium assessment and name each source of authority.
- Session
- Session 2
- Focus
- Build the benefit chain
- Proof you are ready
- For 12 local projects, identify the improvement, public benefit, parcel-specific benefit, assessable property, allocation base, and benefit ceiling.
- Session
- Session 3
- Focus
- Master allocation math
- Proof you are ready
- Solve 24 problems using frontage, area, units, percentages, public-benefit deductions, installment principal, and consistent labels for every unit.
- Session
- Session 4
- Focus
- Trace the Illinois procedure
- Proof you are ready
- Put ordinance, assessment roll, notice, objection, court confirmation, installment billing, recording, collection, and release in a defensible sequence.
- Session
- Session 5
- Focus
- Work the closing file
- Proof you are ready
- Analyze eight contracts with different clauses and state who pays current, delinquent, and future installments, plus what payoff or title evidence is missing.
- Session
- Session 6
- Focus
- Run the B-E-N-E-F-I-T check
- Proof you are ready
- Score at least 90 percent on mixed questions and explain every miss by benefit, entity, project, evidence, formula, installment, or title treatment.
Do not count recognition as mastery. Close the notes and explain the rule, apply it to a new fact pattern, and identify why each distractor fails.
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Questions students ask about What Is a Special Assessment? Illinois Exam Guide
What is a special assessment in real estate?
A governmental special assessment is a charge imposed on property that receives a special benefit from a particular public improvement. Think of a street, sidewalk, sewer, lighting, or similar local project. Unlike ordinary property tax, the charge is connected to the improvement and the specially benefited property.
How is a special assessment different from property tax?
Property tax is generally an ad valorem charge that supports local government and public services. A special assessment helps pay for a particular local improvement that specially benefits identified property. The exam distinction is general public revenue versus a targeted improvement and special benefit.
Must an Illinois special assessment be based on property value?
Not necessarily. The governing ordinance, assessment roll, statutory procedure, and benefit analysis control. Depending on the authorized method, allocation may consider benefit, frontage, area, or another lawful measure. Do not automatically apply an ad valorem formula unless the facts give one.
Can an Illinois special assessment exceed the benefit to the property?
Under 65 ILCS 5/9-2-41, a special tax cannot exceed the special benefit to the property, and the amount of the benefit and charge is subject to court review. For exam purposes, special benefit is a ceiling, not a promise that value will rise dollar for dollar in the market.
Can a special assessment be paid in installments?
Yes. Illinois municipal law permits local-improvement assessments and special taxes to be divided into installments when the ordinance and statutory requirements support that treatment. The exact number, interest, schedule, and payoff rules depend on the project and governing documents, so a buyer should verify rather than assume.
Does an Illinois special assessment create a lien?
It can. Section 9-2-65 provides that a court judgment for the special assessment or special tax becomes a municipal lien on the assessed property when the certified judgment and assessment roll are timely recorded as the statute requires. Once paid, the municipality must execute and record a release under that section.
Who pays a special assessment when property is sold?
There is no safe universal answer. The purchase contract, title commitment, municipal records, assessment status, installment schedule, local payoff statement, and closing instructions determine whether the seller pays, the buyer assumes, the parties prorate, or money is escrowed. The exam should provide the controlling facts.
Is an HOA special assessment the same as a municipal special assessment?
No. An HOA or condominium special assessment is a private common-interest charge authorized by declarations, bylaws, budgets, and applicable association law. A municipal special assessment is a governmental charge authorized through public law and local-improvement procedures. Both may affect a closing, but their sources of authority differ.
Is a special service area tax the same as a special assessment?
No. Illinois defines a special service area as a contiguous area receiving additional governmental services paid from taxes imposed on property within that area. A special assessment under municipal local-improvement law is tied to a particular improvement and specially benefited parcels. Read the name and legal authority instead of treating every special charge alike.
Where are special assessments tested on the Illinois broker exam?
The PSI Illinois Candidate Information Booklet effective June 24, 2026 places the government's rights to impose property taxes and special assessments in National II.A.1, Land Use Controls. Related questions can also test liens, title, closing adjustments, disclosures, and calculations.
Are the practice questions on this page official PSI questions?
No. They are original study questions based on the published outline and cited primary sources. The authorities were reviewed through August 1, 2026. A real transaction still requires current municipal, title, contract, and legal information for the specific parcel.
Primary sources
- PSI Illinois Candidate Information Booklet effective June 24, 2026
- 65 ILCS 5/9-2, Illinois Municipal Code provisions for local improvements by special assessment or special taxation
- 65 ILCS 5/9-2-9, preliminary procedure and examples of local improvements
- 65 ILCS 5/9-2-41, special-benefit limit and court review
- 65 ILCS 5/9-2-43, circuit-court petition to levy the assessment
- 65 ILCS 5/9-2-48, installment authority for local-improvement charges
- 65 ILCS 5/9-2-65, judgment, recording, municipal lien, and release
- 35 ILCS 200/27-5, Illinois Special Service Area Tax Law definitions
The current official outline controls the tested scope. Statutes, regulations, and official agency materials control when a general study rule and a jurisdiction-specific rule differ.
Editorial status
Checked against primary sources
The Pass Illinois editorial team last checked this guide on August 1, 2026. Every practice question is an original study item, and the source links above let you verify the rules that support the lesson.