About Public Records in Illinois

• General Jurisdiction / Upper Courts


• Circuit Courts -
• The Circuit courts are the only trial courts in Illinois. All case types are included.



 

Illinois real and personal property tax records are kept by the Chief County Assessment Officer in each county.
 

Illinois deeds and general document recording are handled by the County Clerk in each county. Larger offices have separate divisions for recording. Records kept include deeds, mortgage documents, easements, powers of attorney, marriage licenses, and liens.
 

The Illinois Department of Public Health preserves the state's records on births, deaths, marriages and divorces. More than 400,000 are registered annually. Since birth and death records first began to be collected by the Department in 1916, 27 million have been placed on file, including some delayed records dating back to the mid 1800s.