Cook County, Illinois public records

In Cook County, deeds are recorded by the Cook County Clerk - Recordings Division; property values come from the Cook County Assessor; court files are kept by the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Last checked against official sources on November 4, 2026.

On this page

Where to get each record
Deeds and land records
Property values, owners and tax bills
Court records: which clerk keeps which case
Marriage records
Divorce records
Birth certificates
Death certificates
Probate records and wills
Business names (DBA)
Voter records
Historical records
Good to know about Cook County records
Office addresses, phones and hours
Records that are not online: public records requests
Questions people ask
Official copies vs look-alike sites
Sources

Where to get each record

Record	Office	Search online	Fee
Deeds and land records	Cook County Clerk - Recordings Division⁴	Search deeds²³Fee charged	Non-certified copy: paper $27.50; electronic download $5³
Property values and owners	Cook County Assessor's Office⁵	Property search⁶	—
Property tax bills	Cook County Treasurer's Office⁷	Tax bill search⁸	—
Court cases	Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County⁹	Circuit Court of Cook County¹⁰	First page $2.00; next 19 pages $0.50; remaining $0.25¹¹
Marriage records	Cook County Clerk - Bureau of Vital Records⁴	—	$15 first certified copy, $4 each additional¹²
Divorce records	Clerk of the Circuit Court - Domestic Relations Division¹³	—	—
Birth certificates	Cook County Clerk - Bureau of Vital Records⁴	—	$15 first copy, $4 each additional copy of the same record¹⁴
Death certificates	Cook County Clerk - Bureau of Vital Records⁴	—	$17 first copy, $6 each additional (effective July 1, 2012 per PA 97-0679)¹⁵
Probate and wills	Clerk of the Circuit Court - Probate Division¹⁶	—	—
Business names (DBA)	Cook County Clerk⁴	—	$50 registration fee¹⁷

Deeds and land records

Deeds, mortgages and other land documents for property in Cook County are recorded by the Cook County Clerk - Recordings Division.⁴

Online search: crs.cookcountyclerkil.gov/Search²Fee charged
Cost: Search online; non-certified electronic copy $5³
Years online: Documents recorded after 1985 can be purchased online; earlier ones in person at 118 N. Clark St, Room 120¹⁸

Copy fee: Non-certified copy: paper $27.50; electronic download $5³
Certified copy fee: Certified copy, paper $55; certified digital PDF file $65³
How to order: Buy online (post-1985; download only, not mailed) or in person at 118 N. Clark St, Room 120¹⁸
Recording fee note: Fee schedule in effect as of April 1, 2024 (7 document classes)³

How deeds work in Illinois

Property values, owners and tax bills

The Cook County Assessor's Office sets property values⁵; the Cook County Treasurer's Office bills and collects the tax⁷.

Property search: cookcountypropertyinfo.com (Cook County Property Tax Portal: PIN or address search)⁶
Tax bill search: Treasurer: tax bill copies and 20-year tax bill history at cookcountytreasurer.com⁸
Parcel map (GIS): County Clerk maintains real estate (tax) maps; Clerk 'Map Room'⁴
Appealing a value: First with the Assessor (township filing windows), then the Cook County Board of Review (online at appeals.cookcountyboardofreview.com), then the state Property Tax Appeal Board¹⁹
Tax redemption: Delinquent tax redemption handled by the County Clerk⁴

Full Cook County deeds and property guide: searches, appeals and state rules

How property tax works in Illinois

Court records: which clerk keeps which case

Court	Cases	Records kept by	Case search
Circuit Court of Cook County	All case types: traffic, civil, criminal (felony and misdemeanor), domestic relations, probate, juvenile; Chicago and suburban municipal districts	Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County	cccportal.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/… Online docket; not the official record¹⁰

Fees: Archives: search $6.00 per index year; certified copy $6.00 per document plus copies ($2.00 first page, $0.50 next 19 pages, $0.25 thereafter)¹¹
Certified copy fee: $6.00 per certified document plus photocopy and mailing charges¹¹
Copy fee: First page $2.00; next 19 pages $0.50; remaining $0.25¹¹
Not official: Online docket is not the official court record¹⁰

Criminal records and background checks

Dispositions: Certified dispositions from the Criminal Department cover Chicago cases only; suburban cases go to the suburban district²⁰
File review: Case files from the past four years are on-site at Room 1006 (photo ID required)²⁰

How Illinois courts keep their files

Marriage records

Kept by the Cook County Clerk - Bureau of Vital Records.⁴

Fee: $15 first certified copy, $4 each additional¹²
How to order: Online (VitalChek, +$13.45), mail, in person, Currency Exchange (+$5); mail orders average 20 working days¹²
What it covers: Marriages in Chicago and suburban Cook County¹²

Illinois marriage records, statewide

Divorce records

Clerk of the Circuit Court (Domestic Relations Division), not the County Clerk¹⁸

Division: Domestic Relations Division, Room 802, Daley Center¹³

Illinois divorce records: decree or state record

Birth certificates

Kept by the Cook County Clerk - Bureau of Vital Records.⁴

Fee: $15 first copy, $4 each additional copy of the same record¹⁴
Years held: Vital records dating to 1872⁴
How to order: In person (printed on demand at downtown and three suburban courthouses), mail to P.O. Box A3390, online via VitalChek (+$13.45), or Currency Exchange (+$5)¹⁴
Free copies: Free birth record for verified homeless, domestic-violence shelter residents and formerly incarcerated persons born in Cook County¹⁴

Ordering an Illinois birth certificate

Death certificates

Kept by the Cook County Clerk - Bureau of Vital Records.⁴

Fee: $17 first copy, $6 each additional (effective July 1, 2012 per PA 97-0679)¹⁵
How to order: Same channels as birth records; mail orders average 20 working days¹⁵

Ordering an Illinois death certificate

Probate records and wills

Kept by: Probate Division, Daley Center Room 1202¹⁶

Will copy: Certified copy of a filed will: $2.00 plus copy cost ($2.00 first page, $0.50 pages 2-20, $0.25 thereafter)¹⁶

Business names (DBA)

Assumed business names registered with the Cook County Clerk (sole proprietorships, general partnerships, professional service corporations)¹⁷

Fee: $50 registration fee¹⁷

Voter records

Kept by the Cook County Clerk (suburban Cook elections).²¹

Check own: Cook County Clerk 'What Is My Registration Status' (suburban Cook)²²
Access: Electronic voter files only to political committees and government entities²³

Historical records

Court archives: Circuit Court Clerk Archives holds non-current court records back to the 1871 Chicago Fire; index searches need names and dates; case files stored off-site¹¹
Naturalization: Naturalization records held by the Clerk of the Circuit Court Archives (stored on-site)¹¹

Good to know about Cook County records

The Cook County Clerk is the recorder of deeds (Recordings Division) as well as the vital records, suburban elections and tax-extension office; divorce decrees, wills and foreclosures are at the separate Clerk of the Circuit Court²⁴
Court archives begin with the 1871 Chicago Fire¹¹
Vital records date to 1872⁴
Chicago voters are served by the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners; the County Clerk runs elections only outside the city²¹
Online land records can only be bought for documents recorded after 1985¹⁸
Cook is one of two Illinois counties where an elected county assessor (not township assessors) values property; appeals go Assessor -> Board of Review -> PTAB²⁵

Office addresses, phones and hours

Cook County Clerk - Recordings Division

Address: 118 N. Clark St., Room 120, Chicago, IL 60602²⁶
Phone: (312) 603-5656 (County Clerk main)⁴
Hours: 9 am to 5 pm; last customer accepted at 4:45 pm²⁴
Website: cookcountyclerkil.gov/recordings⁴

Cook County Clerk - Bureau of Vital Records

Address: 118 N. Clark St., Room 120, Chicago, IL 60602 (plus suburban courthouse offices in Markham, Maywood, Skokie)²⁶
Mail: Bureau of Vital Records, P.O. Box A3390, Chicago, IL 60690¹⁴
Phone: (312) 603-5656 (County Clerk main)⁴
Website: cookcountyclerkil.gov/vital-records⁴

Cook County Clerk

Address: 69 W. Washington, Chicago, IL 60602⁴
Phone: (312) 603-5656⁴
Website: cookcountyclerkil.gov⁴

Cook County Clerk (suburban Cook elections)

Website: cookcountyclerkil.gov/…²¹

Cook County Assessor's Office

Address: 118 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60602⁵
Phone: (312) 443-7550⁵
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 am-5:00 pm⁵
Website: cookcountyassessoril.gov⁵

Cook County Treasurer's Office

Address: 118 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60602 (payments: Room 112)⁸
Phone: (312) 443-5100⁷
Website: cookcountytreasurer.com⁷

Cook County Board of Review (assessment appeals)

Address: 118 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60602¹⁹
Phone: 312-603-5542¹⁹
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 AM - 5 PM¹⁹
Website: cookcountyboardofreview.com²⁷

Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County

Address: Richard J. Daley Center, 50 W Washington St, Room 1001, Chicago, IL 60602⁹
Phone: (312) 603-5030⁹
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.¹⁰
Website: cookcountyclerkofcourt.org⁹

Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County - Criminal Department / Criminal Division

Address: Court File Request Counter, Room 1006, Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington St.²⁰
Website: cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/…²⁰

Clerk of the Circuit Court - Domestic Relations Division

Address: Room 802, Richard J. Daley Center, 50 W. Washington St., Chicago, IL 60602¹³
Website: cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/…¹³

Clerk of the Circuit Court - Probate Division

Address: Daley Center, 50 W. Washington St., Room 1202, Chicago, IL 60602¹⁶
Mail: ATTN: Probate Division, Clerk of Circuit Court of Cook County, Daley Center, 50 W. Washington St., Room 1202, Chicago, IL 60602¹⁶
Email: [email protected]¹⁶
Website: cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/…¹⁶

Clerk of the Circuit Court - Archives Department

Address: Room 1113, Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington, Chicago, IL 60602¹¹
Phone: 312-603-6601¹¹
Website: cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/…¹¹

Cook County Sheriff's Office

Address: 50 W Washington St, Chicago, IL 60602²⁸
Website: cookcountysheriffil.gov²⁸

Records that are not online: public records requests

Request page: cookcountyclerkil.gov/…²¹
Where to send it: County Clerk FOIA Officer; court records: Circuit Court Clerk²¹
Fees: First 50 black-and-white pages free; 15 cents per page after²¹

How to write a public records request

Questions people ask

How do I get a copy of a deed in Cook County?

The Cook County Clerk - Recordings Division keeps deed records. To order copies: Buy online (post-1985; download only, not mailed) or in person at 118 N. Clark St, Room 120. Plain copies: Non-certified copy: paper $27.50; electronic download $5. Certified copies: Certified copy, paper $55; certified digital PDF file $65.⁴¹⁸³

Can I search Cook County land records online for free?

No, the official online search charges a fee. Search online; non-certified electronic copy $5. The official search: crs.cookcountyclerkil.gov/Search³²

How much is a birth certificate in Cook County?

$15 first copy, $4 each additional copy of the same record.¹⁴

Where do I get a divorce decree in Cook County?

Clerk of the Circuit Court (Domestic Relations Division), not the County Clerk.¹⁸

How do I look up who owns a property in Cook County?

Use the property search of the Cook County Assessor's Office: cookcountypropertyinfo.com⁶

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Cook County office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Other counties in Illinois with a full guide: Champaign County, DeKalb County, DuPage County, Kane County, Kankakee County, Kendall County, Lake County, LaSalle County, Macon County, Madison County, McHenry County, McLean County, Peoria County, Rock Island County, Sangamon County, St. Clair County, Tazewell County, Will County, Winnebago County. Every county in the state: Illinois county list.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 29 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
Search RecordingsCook County Clerk's Office
Recording FeesCook County Clerk's Office
County Clerk (agency page)Cook County Government
Assessor (agency page)Cook County Government
Cook County Property Tax PortalCook County (joint property tax portal)
Treasurer (agency page)Cook County Government
Cook County Treasurer's Office homeCook County Treasurer's Office
Clerk of the Circuit Court (agency page)Cook County Government
On-line Case InformationClerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County
Archives DepartmentClerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County
Marriage CertificatesCook County Clerk's Office
Domestic Relations DivisionClerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County
Birth CertificatesCook County Clerk's Office
Death CertificatesCook County Clerk's Office
Probate DivisionClerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County
Assumed Business Name RegistrationCook County Clerk's Office
Recording FAQsCook County Clerk's Office
Cook County Board of Review homeCook County Board of Review
Criminal DepartmentClerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County
Freedom of Information ActCook County Clerk's Office
Your Voter InformationCook County Clerk's Office
Registration File RequestsCook County Clerk's Office
RecordingsCook County Clerk's Office
Assessment AppealsCook County Board of Review
Hours and LocationsCook County Clerk's Office
Board of Review (agency page)Cook County Government
Sheriff (agency page)Cook County Government
County population totals: Vintage 2025 (July 1, 2025)US Census Bureau