Winnebago County, Illinois public records

In Winnebago County, deeds are recorded by the Winnebago County Recorder; property values come from the Supervisor of Assessments; court files are kept by the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Winnebago County.

Last checked against official sources on November 8, 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)
Historical records
Good to know about Winnebago 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	Winnebago County Recorder's Office⁵	Search deeds²³Free search, fee for copies	$0.50 per page (max $35.00 per document)⁴
Property values and owners	Supervisor of Assessments⁶	—	—
Property tax bills	Winnebago County Treasurer⁷	Tax bill search⁷	—
Court cases	Clerk of the Circuit Court, Winnebago County⁸	Circuit Court, 17th Judicial Circuit⁹	—
Marriage records	County Clerk (marriages and civil unions officiated in Winnebago County)¹⁰	—	$17 first certified copy; $5 each additional¹⁰
Divorce records	Clerk of the Circuit Court (dissolution cases)⁸	—	—
Birth certificates	County Clerk (Winnebago County births) and Health Department (births after 1916)¹⁰	—	$17 first certified copy; $5 each additional (County Clerk and Health Department); Health Department adds $3 handling for mail/E-Pay¹⁰
Death certificates	County Clerk (deaths in Winnebago County) and Health Department (after 1916)¹⁰	—	$21 first certified copy; $9 each additional; Health Department non-certified (20+ years) $10¹⁰
Probate and wills	Clerk of the Circuit Court⁸	—	—
Business names (DBA)	County Clerk files Assumed Name (DBA) certificates for sole proprietors and partnerships¹⁰	—	—

Deeds and land records

Deeds, mortgages and other land documents for property in Winnebago County are recorded by the Winnebago County Recorder's Office.⁵

Online search: ilwinnebago.fidlar.com/…²³Free search, fee for copies
Cost: Free index (Direct Search); images fee-based (Tapestry pay-per-search or Laredo subscription)²
Who runs it: Fidlar Technologies (Direct Search, Tapestry, Laredo), linked from the Recorder's Records Search page²

Copy fee: $0.50 per page (max $35.00 per document)⁴
Certified copy fee: $35.00 per document⁴
Search fee: $10.00 for documents under 20 years old; $29.00 over 20 years; plat search $10.00 + $4.00 per page; limit 5 per request; no phone searches²
How to order: In person at the front desk or public stations; by mail or email (office replies with a fee total and card-payment link; allow up to 2 business days)²
Recording fee: Standard document $54.00; non-standard $66.00; plats $112.00; federal liens $12.25; UCC $38.00⁴
Payment: Cash, check, credit card; no bills larger than $50⁴
Earliest: Land records from the hand-written books of the 1830s⁵
Electronic recording: E-recording through the county's partner submitters EPN, CSC, Indecomm Global Services, Simplifile and Hopdox; last review 2:30 p.m. daily¹¹

How deeds work in Illinois

Property values, owners and tax bills

The Supervisor of Assessments (township assessors set assessments; Board of Review hears complaints) sets property values⁶; the Winnebago County Treasurer bills and collects the tax⁷.

Property search: WinGIS (wingis.org) Property Search, linked from the county home page and Supervisor of Assessments²
Tax bill search: taxes.wincoil.gov (View or Pay Bill), linked from the home page; card fee 2.25%, checks free⁷
Parcel map (GIS): WinGIS, wingis.org²
Appealing a value: Township assessor (informal), then the county Board of Review within 30 days of publication, then the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board¹²
Tax calendar: 2025 taxes (bills mailed May 2026): installments due June 12 and September 11, 2026; last day to pay before tax sale Friday, December 4⁷
Delinquent: Prior-year/back taxes are redeemed through the County Clerk (815-319-4253), not online⁷
Sales data: County sales list 2023 through 03/31/2026 (PDF/Excel) on the Supervisor of Assessments page⁶

How property tax works in Illinois

Court records: which clerk keeps which case

Court	Cases	Records kept by	Case search
Circuit Court, 17th Judicial Circuit (Winnebago County)	All case types: civil, criminal, traffic, family/dissolution, probate, juvenile	Clerk of the Circuit Court, Winnebago County (17th Judicial Circuit)	fce.wincoil.gov Justice Systems Full Court Enterprise (FCE) public access,, linked from the Circuit Clerk; public computers in Records Division room 101⁹

Copies: Photocopies, exemplified and certified copies of unsealed records in Records Division room 101 or via Document Request¹³
Fees: Civil filing fee list effective September 9, 2026 (PDF on Circuit Clerk site)¹⁴

Criminal records and background checks

Background report: Criminal background report from the Circuit Clerk (room 111 or Document Request); juvenile reports only to attorneys of record and parties¹³

How Illinois courts keep their files

Marriage records

County Clerk (marriages and civil unions officiated in Winnebago County)¹⁰

Fee: $17 first certified copy; $5 each additional¹⁰
Who may order: Certified copy of the application: the spouses/partners, their parents, or a court-appointed representative; anyone may buy a certified copy of the license¹⁰
Marriage license: $40, valid 60 days, must be bought at least one day before the marriage¹⁰
Online: Official Records Online (ORO), extra vendor fee¹⁰

Illinois marriage records, statewide

Divorce records

Clerk of the Circuit Court (dissolution cases)⁸

Illinois divorce records: decree or state record

Birth certificates

County Clerk (Winnebago County births) and Health Department (births after 1916)¹⁰

Fee: $17 first certified copy; $5 each additional (County Clerk and Health Department); Health Department adds $3 handling for mail/E-Pay¹⁰
Who may order: Parents listed on the certificate, the registrant (18+), or a court-appointed representative¹⁰
How to order: In person with ID, by mail with application and ID copy, or online via Official Records Online (extra fee)¹⁰
Pre: Health Department sends pre-1916 births and deaths to the County Clerk¹⁵

Ordering an Illinois birth certificate

Death certificates

County Clerk (deaths in Winnebago County) and Health Department (after 1916)¹⁰

Fee: $21 first certified copy; $9 each additional; Health Department non-certified (20+ years) $10¹⁰
Who may order: Family member, estate attorney or executor (County Clerk); Health Department also allows genealogical requests for records 20+ years old¹⁰

Ordering an Illinois death certificate

Probate records and wills

Clerk of the Circuit Court (Probate, Wills, Guardianship case information)⁸

Business names (DBA)

County Clerk files Assumed Name (DBA) certificates for sole proprietors and partnerships; $30 filing fee plus newspaper publication¹⁰

Historical records

Recorder: Recorder holds land records from the 1830s and military discharges (DD-214) recorded and certified free⁴

Good to know about Winnebago County records

The Recorder's index is free online (Fidlar Direct Search) but shows no images; images cost $8.75 per search on Tapestry or a Laredo subscription, or $0.50 per page at the office.²
Birth and death certificates come from two county offices: the County Clerk and the Health Department (which covers events after 1916).¹⁵
Recorder land records begin with hand-written books from the 1830s.⁵
The Recorder's Office and the County Clerk pages list the same elected official as head of both offices.⁵

Office addresses, phones and hours

Winnebago County Recorder's Office

Address: County Administration Building, 404 Elm Street, Room 405, Rockford, IL 61101⁵
Phone: (815) 319-4325⁵
Hours: Monday through Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.⁵
Website: wincoil.gov/departments/recorders-office⁵

Winnebago County Clerk

Address: County Administration Building, 404 Elm Street, Room 104, Rockford, IL 61101¹⁶
Phone: Vital records (815) 319-4250; tax extension/redemption (815) 319-4253; elections (815) 319-4252¹⁶
Hours: Monday through Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.¹⁶
Website: wincoil.gov/departments/county-clerk¹⁶

Supervisor of Assessments (township assessors set assessments; Board of Review hears complaints)

Address: 404 Elm Street, Room 301, Rockford, IL 61101⁶
Phone: (815) 319-4460⁶
Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM⁶
Website: wincoil.gov/…⁶

Winnebago County Treasurer

Address: 404 Elm Street, Room 205, Rockford, IL 61101⁷
Mail: Winnebago County Treasurer, 404 Elm Street, Rm 205, Rockford, IL 61101 (the PO box closed in 2024)⁷
Phone: (815) 319-4400; pay by phone 815-859-9650⁷
Hours: Monday through Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.⁷
Website: wincoil.gov/departments/treasurer⁷

Clerk of the Circuit Court, Winnebago County (17th Judicial Circuit)

Civil filings Room 108

Address: Winnebago County Courthouse, 400 West State Street, Rockford, IL 61101¹⁷
Mail: 400 West State St., Rockford, IL 61101¹⁷
Phone: (815) 319-4500¹⁷
Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.¹⁷
Website: circuitclerk.wincoil.gov⁸

Clerk of the Circuit Court

Criminal/traffic filings Room 111

Address: Winnebago County Courthouse, 400 West State Street, Rockford, IL 61101¹⁷
Mail: 400 West State St., Rockford, IL 61101¹⁷
Phone: (815) 319-4500¹⁷
Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.¹⁷
Website: circuitclerk.wincoil.gov/hours-location¹⁷

Clerk of the Circuit Court (probate, wills, guardianship case types)

Address: Winnebago County Courthouse, 400 West State Street, Rockford, IL 61101¹⁷
Phone: (815) 319-4500¹⁷
Website: circuitclerk.wincoil.gov⁸

County Clerk (births, deaths, marriages) and Winnebago County Health Department Vital Records (births and deaths after 1916)

Address: County Clerk: 404 Elm Street, Room 104, Rockford; Health Department: 555 North Court Street, Rockford¹⁵
Mail: Winnebago County Health Department, ATTN: Vital Records, 555 North Court Street, P. O. Box 4009, Rockford, IL 61103¹⁵
Phone: County Clerk vital records (815) 319-4250¹⁶
Email: [email protected] (Health Department; for ID copies with E-Pay orders)¹⁵
Hours: Monday through Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.¹⁶
Website: wincoil.gov/…¹⁰

County Clerk - Elections

Address: County Administration Building, 404 Elm Street, Room 104, Rockford, IL 61101¹⁶
Phone: (815) 319-4252¹⁶
Hours: Monday through Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.¹⁶
Website: wincoil.gov/…¹⁶

Records that are not online: public records requests

Request page: wincoil.gov/…¹⁸
Fees: First 50 printed pages free; additional pages $0.15 each¹⁸

How to write a public records request

Questions people ask

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

The Winnebago County Recorder's Office keeps deed records. To order copies: In person at the front desk or public stations; by mail or email (office replies with a fee total and card-payment link; allow up to 2 business days). Plain copies: $0.50 per page (max $35.00 per document). Certified copies: $35.00 per document.⁵²⁴

Can I search Winnebago County land records online for free?

Yes, searching is free; copies cost extra. Free index (Direct Search); images fee-based (Tapestry pay-per-search or Laredo subscription). The official search: ilwinnebago.fidlar.com/…²

Where do I get a divorce decree in Winnebago County?

Divorce decrees are court records; ask the Clerk of the Circuit Court (dissolution cases).⁸

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 Winnebago County office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Other counties in Illinois with a full guide: Champaign County, Cook 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. Every county in the state: Illinois county list. Looking for another Winnebago County? Winnebago County, Wisconsin.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

Government Units List 2026US Census Bureauchecked November 4, 2026
Recorder's Office - Records SearchWinnebago County, Illinoischecked November 4, 2026
Records SearchWinnebago County, Illinoischecked November 8, 2026
Recorder's Office - Filing Fees (effective January 1, 2025)Winnebago County, Illinoischecked November 4, 2026
Recorder's OfficeWinnebago County, Illinoischecked November 4, 2026
Supervisor of AssessmentsWinnebago County, Illinoischecked November 4, 2026
TreasurerWinnebago County, Illinoischecked November 4, 2026
Winnebago County Clerk of the Circuit Court - homeWinnebago County Clerk of the Circuit Courtchecked November 4, 2026
Circuit Clerk - Access Court RecordsWinnebago County Clerk of the Circuit Courtchecked November 4, 2026
County Clerk - Vitals/Licenses (birth, death, marriage, DBA)Winnebago County, Illinoischecked November 4, 2026
Recorder's Office - E-RecordingWinnebago County, Illinoischecked November 4, 2026
Supervisor of Assessments - Board of ReviewWinnebago County, Illinoischecked November 4, 2026
Circuit Clerk - FAQWinnebago County Clerk of the Circuit Courtchecked November 4, 2026
Circuit Clerk - Filing FeesWinnebago County Clerk of the Circuit Courtchecked November 4, 2026
Winnebago County Health Department - Birth and Death CertificatesWinnebago County Health Departmentchecked November 4, 2026
County ClerkWinnebago County, Illinoischecked November 4, 2026
Circuit Clerk - Hours & LocationsWinnebago County Clerk of the Circuit Courtchecked November 4, 2026
Freedom of Information Act Contacts and RequestsWinnebago County, Illinoischecked November 4, 2026
County population totals: Vintage 2025 (July 1, 2025)US Census Bureauchecked November 4, 2026