Illinois Property Records: How to Search Deeds, Liens, and Title Statewide
Find Owners · Deeds · Liens · Title Search · Preliminary Reports
Illinois property records are public and recorded by the County Recorder in each of the state's 102 counties, and in Cook County by the Cook County Clerk, which absorbed the county's separate recording office in 2020. This guide explains how to find deeds, mortgages, liens, owners, and title information in Illinois, in person, online, or through a professional report. For a complete title search, lien search, certified deed copy, or preliminary title report on any Illinois property, U.S. Title Records delivers an abstractor-prepared report by email, from $29, with no subscription.
How to Access Illinois Property Records
Illinois property records are public documents recorded and maintained by the County Recorder in the county where the property is located, and in Cook County by the Cook County Clerk, and there are three ways to access them: in person at the recording office, online through the county's index, or through a professional title search. Illinois has 102 counties, each recording deeds, mortgages, and liens against a Property Index Number and legal description, while value is set by the township or county assessor at one-third of market value in 101 counties, with Cook County classifying property instead, residential at 10 percent, and the Illinois Department of Revenue applying an equalization factor. Two more Illinois features shape a records search: foreclosure is judicial only, filed in the circuit court with a lis pendens on the record, and delinquent property taxes are sold to buyers at the county's annual tax sale, which can end in a tax deed if the owner never redeems.
In person: visit the County Recorder, or in Cook County the Clerk's recordings division, and search the grantor-grantee index, and check the assessor and treasurer for value and tax status. Online: most counties offer an online recording index and an assessor property search, though the depth of older records varies, and sold taxes are redeemed through the County Clerk. Professional report: for a complete picture across the recording office, the assessor and treasurer, the County Clerk's tax-redemption records, and the circuit court in one document, a title search compiles ownership, the chain of title, mortgages, liens, and tax status without an in-person visit.
U.S. Title Records performs Illinois property records research for any of the 102 counties, delivering a title search, lien search, deed copy, or preliminary title report by email, from $29, with no account or subscription. For the rest of the country, see our property records by state directory.
County Recorder and the Cook County Clerk
Each of the 102 Illinois counties records deeds and mortgages through the County Recorder, except Cook County, where recording has run through the Cook County Clerk since the separate recording office was absorbed in 2020. Documents are indexed by grantor, grantee, and Property Index Number. We cover every Illinois county at the same price.
Annual Tax Sale and Tax Deeds
When Illinois property taxes go delinquent, the county sells the taxes at its annual tax sale, and buyers bid down the penalty rate. The buyer receives a certificate of purchase, the owner can redeem through the County Clerk, and if the taxes are never redeemed the buyer can petition the court for a tax deed. Our reports flag delinquent and sold taxes. Lien search from $95.
Mortgage and Judicial Foreclosure
Illinois secures loans with a mortgage, and foreclosure is judicial only under the Illinois Mortgage Foreclosure Law: the lender files in the circuit court, a lis pendens goes on the record, the borrower's right of redemption generally runs before the judicial sale, and the court confirms the sale. Our reports flag open mortgages and foreclosure status. Title search from $29.
Land Trusts and Memoranda of Judgment
Illinois popularized the land trust, in which legal title is held in trust and the beneficiary stays off the public record, and a money judgment becomes a lien when a memorandum of judgment is recorded with the County Recorder. Both must be traced in a search. Our $29 report shows the parcel, owner of record, and tax status.
Illinois Property Records at a Glance
The key facts and figures behind an Illinois property records search, from the recording office to the statewide market and tax picture
Figures are approximate statewide medians (U.S. Census American Community Survey, household income approximately $81,000; Tax Foundation and WalletHub, an effective rate of roughly 1.9 to 2.1 percent, second highest in the nation behind New Jersey by most measures; Illinois Department of Revenue) and vary widely by county, from under 1 percent in some downstate counties to about 2.3 percent in Winnebago and Kendall counties. Illinois assesses property at one-third of market value outside Cook County, while Cook County classifies property, residential at 10 percent, and the state applies an equalization factor; foreclosure is judicial only, and delinquent taxes are sold at the annual tax sale with redemption through the County Clerk. Illinois property is identified by a Property Index Number and a legal description. For exact figures on a specific property, order a Property Detail Report ($29).
Types of Illinois Property Records
Illinois property records cover every recorded document that affects a parcel, and knowing the main types makes any search faster, with two features that set Illinois apart: the land trust and the annual tax sale. The records you will encounter most are deeds and mortgages, land trust documents, judgments and liens, and the assessment and tax records.
Deeds and mortgages. A deed conveys ownership, and Illinois uses the warranty deed (the grantor warrants title against all claims), the special warranty deed (warranting only against the grantor's own acts), the quitclaim deed (conveying whatever interest the grantor has, without warranty), and the executor's deed from an estate. A mortgage is different: it secures a loan and creates a lien, and because a defaulted Illinois mortgage is foreclosed only through the courts, the recorded mortgage, any assignment, and any lis pendens are central records.
Land trusts. Illinois popularized the land trust: title is conveyed into the trust by a deed in trust, legal title is held by the trust company as trustee, and the beneficiary, whose interest is treated as personal property, does not appear on the public record. The property is later conveyed out by a trustee's deed. Because the record owner of an Illinois property can be a land trust rather than a person, tracing the deed in trust and the trustee's deed is a regular part of an Illinois search.
Judgments, liens, and sold taxes. A money judgment becomes a lien on real estate when a memorandum of judgment is recorded with the County Recorder, and other involuntary liens include federal and state tax liens and a mechanics lien filed under the Illinois Mechanics Lien Act. Delinquent property taxes add an Illinois-specific layer: the county sells the delinquent taxes at its annual tax sale, the buyer holds a certificate of purchase, and redemption runs through the County Clerk.
Assessment and taxes. Outside Cook County, the assessor values property at one-third of market value, generally on a quadrennial cycle; Cook County classifies property, residential at 10 percent, reassesses on a triennial cycle, and carries a state equalization factor. With effective rates among the highest in the nation, the tax status matters to every Illinois transaction.
Illinois Title Search
An Illinois title search examines the recorded history of a property to establish who owns it and what claims are attached to it, reading the recording office, the assessor and treasurer, the County Clerk's tax-redemption records, and the circuit court together. A complete property title search reads the chain of recorded deeds in the County Recorder grantor-grantee index, or the Cook County Clerk's records in Cook County, to confirm current ownership and how title is held, traces any deed in trust or trustee's deed where a land trust holds title, identifies every open mortgage and any lis pendens, searches for recorded memoranda of judgment, checks for mechanics liens and federal and state tax liens, verifies through the County Clerk whether any taxes have been sold and remain unredeemed, and reviews the assessor and treasurer for the equalized assessed value and tax status. Because Illinois splits its records among the recording office, the County Clerk, the treasurer, and the circuit court, because the record owner may be a land trust, and because sold taxes can mature into a tax deed, a reliable title search reconciles all of these sources rather than reading the deed index alone.
U.S. Title Records performs Illinois title searches for buyers, sellers, investors, attorneys, and lenders without an in-person county visit, in Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, and every other county. A Title Search by Name ($75) locates property tied to a person or entity, while the Full Owner Lien Report ($195) and the Expanded Title Search ($375) deliver a comprehensive examination. Learn more about our real estate title search service.
What an Illinois Title Search Reveals
Current owner and the chain of conveyance, how title is held, any land trust, open mortgages and lis pendens, memoranda of judgment, federal and state tax liens, mechanics liens, sold or delinquent taxes and any outstanding certificate of purchase, and easements. The examination covers the recording office, the County Clerk, the treasurer, and the circuit court together.
Why Use a Professional Search
Records are public, but the land-trust question, the memoranda of judgment, and the sold-tax and redemption status through the County Clerk make a self-search easy to get wrong, and Illinois has 102 counties. A professional search compiles it into one report. From $29.
Illinois Lien Search
An Illinois lien search identifies every recorded claim against a property or an owner, and in Illinois that means reading the recording office for mortgages, memoranda of judgment, and mechanics liens, and the County Clerk for sold and delinquent taxes. Liens attach to Illinois real property from many directions: a mortgage securing a loan, a memorandum of judgment recorded with the County Recorder, a federal or state tax lien, and a mechanics lien filed by a contractor or supplier under the Mechanics Lien Act. Two Illinois features matter to a lien picture. First, a money judgment becomes a lien on the debtor's real estate in a county when a memorandum of judgment is recorded there, so the recorded memoranda are a distinct part of the search. Second, delinquent property taxes do not simply sit as a charge: the county sells them at its annual tax sale, a buyer takes a certificate of purchase, penalty amounts accrue, and if the owner never redeems through the County Clerk, the buyer can petition the circuit court for a tax deed that can extinguish the old title. A complete search reads the recording office, the County Clerk, the treasurer, and the courts together.
Our lien search options scale to the need. The Lien Report ($95) covers recorded property liens, the Full Owner Lien Report ($195) adds judgments, tax, UCC, and bankruptcy against the owner, and a UCC lien search covers business filings.
Liens We Search
Mortgages and assignments, memoranda of judgment, state and federal (IRS) tax liens, mechanics liens, sold and delinquent property taxes with any outstanding certificate of purchase, and UCC financing statements.
Sold Taxes and Memoranda of Judgment
Taxes sold at the annual tax sale, or a memorandum of judgment recorded against the owner, can cloud title and survive a careless purchase, and unredeemed taxes can mature into a tax deed. Our $195 report identifies open mortgages, memoranda of judgment, and which liens are actually attached.
Illinois Deed Copies and Deed Search
A deed is the recorded instrument that conveys Illinois real property, and a deed copy from the recording office is often needed to confirm ownership, prepare a transfer, or resolve a title question. Illinois conveyances run through the warranty deed (the strongest protection, warranting against all claims), the special warranty deed (warranting only against the grantor's own acts), the quitclaim deed (conveying whatever interest the grantor has, without warranty), the executor's deed from an estate, and, where a land trust is involved, the deed in trust that conveys title into the trust and the trustee's deed that conveys it out. An Illinois deed must be signed, acknowledged before a notary, and recorded with the County Recorder, or the Cook County Clerk in Cook County, with a real estate transfer declaration and the state, county, and in some municipalities a local real estate transfer tax paid at recording, and it is indexed by grantor, grantee, and Property Index Number. A mortgage, by contrast with a deed, is not a conveyance of ownership but a lien securing a loan.
U.S. Title Records retrieves recorded Illinois deeds and supporting documents. A Deed Copy ($45) delivers the recorded vesting deed, and the Property Detail Report ($29) confirms the current owner, the parcel, and how title is held. For the full conveyance history, the Chain of Title ($275) assembles every deed in order.
Illinois Preliminary Title Reports
A preliminary title report sets out the condition of title before a transaction closes, so a buyer, lender, or investor knows the ownership, the liens, and the exceptions in advance. A preliminary report identifies the current owner and how title is held, any land trust, the open mortgages and any lis pendens, the memoranda of judgment and tax liens, the mechanics liens, any sold or delinquent taxes and outstanding certificate of purchase, the easements and restrictions, and any other matters of record that affect the title. In Illinois it is where an unreleased mortgage, a memorandum of judgment, a pending foreclosure, or taxes sold at the annual tax sale first come to light, and it is the standard due-diligence document at the front of an Illinois transaction.
U.S. Title Records prepares preliminary title search reports as a records-based examination of the recorded chain, the mortgages and liens, the memoranda of judgment, the land-trust question, the sold-tax and redemption status, and the assessment and tax data. This is a property records and title search product, not title insurance or a commitment to insure, and it gives buyers, investors, attorneys, and lenders a clear pre-closing picture at a fraction of the cost and delay of a full underwriting file. The Chain of Title ($275) and the Expanded Title Search ($375) serve this preliminary-report purpose. See the full schedule of fees.
What a Preliminary Report Shows
Current owner and how title is held, any land trust, open mortgages and lis pendens, memoranda of judgment and tax liens, mechanics liens, sold or delinquent taxes and any outstanding certificate of purchase, easements, and restrictions. It is the pre-closing due-diligence picture for an Illinois property.
Records-Based, Not Insurance
Our preliminary title report is a comprehensive search of the public record, not a policy of title insurance or a commitment to insure. It gives buyers, lenders, and investors a fast, professional read on title before they commit. Reports from $275.
Cook County vs the Other 101 Counties
Illinois runs two property-records systems in one state, and knowing which one applies changes how the record is read
Its own recording, assessment, and sales
- Recording: the Cook County Clerk, which absorbed the county's separate recording office in 2020.
- Assessment: classification, with residential assessed at 10 percent and most commercial at 25 percent.
- Reassessment: a triennial cycle, one-third of the county at a time.
- Equalization: a large state equalization factor raises Cook assessments to the statutory level.
- Delinquent taxes: the annual tax sale, plus historically a scavenger sale for parcels with years of delinquencies.
One-third assessment and the County Recorder
- Recording: the County Recorder in each county.
- Assessment: one-third of market value, set by township or county assessors.
- Reassessment: a general reassessment, typically on a quadrennial cycle.
- Equalization: factors apply but typically run near one outside Cook.
- Delinquent taxes: the annual tax sale, with redemption through each County Clerk.
Because Cook County records, assesses, and reassesses differently from the rest of the state, an Illinois search is county-specific from the first step. Our $195 report examines the recorded chain and identifies open mortgages, memoranda of judgment, and sold or delinquent taxes in any Illinois county.
Illinois Title Search and Records Reports
One pricing schedule in every Illinois county, from a quick ownership check to a full title examination, with no subscription
Property Detail Report ($29)
Ownership, parcel, and tax data for any Illinois property.
- Current owner
- Property Index Number and legal description
- How title is held
- Equalized assessed value and tax status
- Open mortgages of record
- Most recent recorded sale
Full Owner Lien Report ($195)
Comprehensive property AND owner lien and title search.
- Everything in the $29 report
- All recorded mortgages and assignments
- Memoranda of judgment
- Mechanics liens
- Sold and delinquent taxes
- UCC financing statements and bankruptcy
Expanded Title Search ($375)
The most comprehensive Illinois examination and preliminary report.
- Everything in the $195 report
- Complete recorded chain of title
- Mortgage release and land-trust verification
- Easement and restriction research
- Preliminary title report scope
Full ladder: Property Detail $29 | Deed Copy $45 | Title Search by Name $75 | Lien Report $95 | Full Owner Lien $195 | Chain of Title $275 | Expanded $375 | Schedule of fees
Illinois Property Records by County
Professional title, lien, and deed searches in all 102 Illinois counties at the same statewide pricing, recorded by each County Recorder and the Cook County Clerk
Cook County
Chicago and the second most populous county in the nation, with Clerk recording, classification assessment, triennial reassessment, and heavy tax-sale activity. Full title, lien, and deed search.
DuPage County
Wheaton, Naperville, and the western suburbs, with some of the highest home values and property tax bills in the state. $195 recommended for due diligence. Full title, lien, and deed search.
Lake & Will
Waukegan and the North Shore (Lake) and Joliet (Will), with Lake County carrying among the highest median tax bills in Illinois. Title, lien, and deed retrieval. Same pricing statewide.
Kane & McHenry
Aurora and Elgin (Kane) and the far northwest suburbs (McHenry), collar counties with high effective rates. $375 Expanded for full chain verification. Same pricing statewide.
Winnebago, Madison & St. Clair
Rockford (Winnebago) and the Metro East across from St. Louis (Madison and St. Clair), with active residential transactions. Deed and title search with lien review. Same pricing statewide.
Sangamon, Champaign & Peoria
Springfield and the state capital (Sangamon), the University of Illinois (Champaign), and Peoria, each with its own County Recorder. Title, lien, and deed retrieval. Same pricing statewide.
McLean, Kendall & Rock Island
Bloomington (McLean), the fast-growing Kendall County, the Quad Cities (Rock Island), and the rest of the state, recorded county by county. Title, lien, and deed retrieval.
All 102 Illinois Counties
Every Illinois county, recorded by its County Recorder or the Cook County Clerk. Search by address or Property Index Number. BBB A+ since 2009, reports from $29, no subscription.
Illinois Counties We Cover
U.S. Title Records covers all 102 Illinois counties at the same pricing, including Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane, McHenry, Winnebago, Madison, St. Clair, Sangamon, Champaign, Peoria, McLean, Rock Island, Kendall, Tazewell, LaSalle, Kankakee, Macon, DeKalb, Vermilion, Adams, Williamson, Whiteside, and Grundy counties, along with every other county in the state. Submit any Illinois address or Property Index Number to begin.
Property Records Beyond Illinois
U.S. Title Records covers Illinois and every other state at the same statewide pricing
All 50 States
Nationwide property records, title searches, lien searches, deed copies, and preliminary title reports, one schedule of fees in every state. BBB A+ since 2009.
Indiana Property Records
Neighboring Indiana, with its County Recorder recording and judicial mortgage foreclosure. Full title and lien search across every county.
Michigan Property Records
Nearby Michigan, with its Register of Deeds recording and foreclosure by advertisement with a redemption period. Title, lien, and deed search across every county.
Start a Search
Enter any Illinois or U.S. property address and choose a report from $29 to $375. Delivered as a PDF by email, no account or subscription required.
Property Owner Search
Find the current owner of any Illinois property by address or Property Index Number, with the recorded vesting deed and how title is held. From $29.
Deed Search
Retrieve the recorded deed or the full chain for any Illinois property, with the grantor, grantee, and document reference. From $45.
Three Illinois Title Risks That Require Professional Examination
1. Delinquent Illinois taxes are sold at the annual tax sale, and unredeemed taxes can mature into a tax deed. Illinois handles delinquent property taxes differently from most states, and the system catches owners and buyers alike by surprise. Each county holds an annual tax sale at which the delinquent taxes themselves, not the property, are sold to tax buyers who bid down the penalty rate they will charge, and the winning buyer receives a certificate of purchase. The owner can still redeem, by paying the taxes plus the accrued penalties through the County Clerk, generally within about two to two and a half years depending on the property, with extensions possible. But if the taxes are never redeemed, the tax buyer can petition the circuit court for a tax deed, and a tax deed, once issued, conveys new merchantable title that can extinguish the old ownership and most prior interests. Cook County has historically also held a scavenger sale for parcels carrying years of delinquencies. For a buyer or a researcher, discovering whether any taxes have been sold and remain unredeemed is essential, because an outstanding certificate of purchase is a clock running against the title. U.S. Title Records verifies tax status and sold taxes in the $195 Full Owner Lien Report.
2. Illinois forecloses only through the courts, and the redemption period runs before the sale. An Illinois home loan is secured by a mortgage, and the state allows no shortcut: foreclosure proceeds judicially under the Illinois Mortgage Foreclosure Law, with the lender filing in the circuit court and recording a lis pendens that puts the case on the property's record. Illinois then structures redemption differently from most states: the borrower's right of redemption generally runs before the judicial sale, commonly the later of seven months after service or three months after the judgment for residential property, and once the sale is held and the court confirms it, there is generally no further redemption. The property is sold at a judicial sale conducted by the sheriff or a court-appointed selling officer, and the confirmation order ends the case. For a buyer or a researcher, a recorded lis pendens or a pending foreclosure changes everything about a transaction, and catching it before closing is essential. U.S. Title Records flags open mortgages, lis pendens, and foreclosure status in the $195 Full Owner Lien Report.
3. Cook County runs its own system, and an Illinois owner can be a land trust with the beneficiary off the record. Illinois is effectively two systems in one state. Cook County records through the Cook County Clerk, classifies property with residential assessed at 10 percent, reassesses on a triennial cycle, and carries a large state equalization factor, while the other 101 counties record through the County Recorder, assess at one-third of market value, and generally reassess on a quadrennial cycle, so reading an assessment or a recording index correctly depends on the county. Illinois also popularized the land trust: legal title can be held by a trust company as trustee under a deed in trust, with the beneficiary, whose interest is personal property, absent from the public record, so the record owner of a Chicago two-flat may be a numbered trust rather than a person, and the chain must be traced through the deed in trust and any trustee's deed. With 102 counties and effective tax rates among the highest in the nation, a thorough Illinois search is county-specific and land-trust-aware. U.S. Title Records traces land trusts and county-specific records in the $195 Full Owner Lien Report and the $375 Expanded Title Search.
Illinois Property Records: The Essentials
Illinois property records are the deeds, mortgages, and liens recorded by the County Recorder in each of the state's 102 counties, and by the Cook County Clerk in Cook County, together with the ownership and equalized assessed value data held by the assessor, the tax and redemption records held by the treasurer and the County Clerk, and the circuit court's foreclosure records, establishing who owns a property and what claims are attached to it. Because Cook County runs its own recording and assessment system, because the record owner may be a land trust, and because delinquent taxes are sold at the annual tax sale, a complete property records search reads the recording office, the assessor and treasurer, the County Clerk, and the courts together.
The five things people search for most in Illinois are: a title search to establish ownership and encumbrances, a lien search to find claims against a property or owner, deed copies and deed records to confirm ownership, a preliminary title report for pre-closing due diligence, and the chain of title. U.S. Title Records delivers all five for every Illinois county, from $29, with no subscription.
How an Illinois Property Records Search Works
The same simple process for a title search, lien search, deed copy, or preliminary report
Enter the Address or PIN
Provide the Illinois property address or the Property Index Number through the order portal. We confirm the county, parcel, and recorded chain.
Choose Your Report
From a $29 ownership check to a $375 preliminary title examination. $195 is the recommended due-diligence report; $375 for full chain and land-trust verification.
Multi-Source Search
County Recorder or Cook County Clerk deeds and mortgages, memoranda of judgment, County Clerk sold-tax and redemption status, assessor and treasurer data, circuit court lis pendens, UCC, and bankruptcy.
Report Compiled
Ownership and chain, how title is held, any land trust, open mortgages, judgment and tax-sale status, equalized assessed value, deed copies, with references.
PDF Delivered
Report emailed. Email office@ustitlerecords.com with questions. Asset investigation through U.S. Asset Records.
No Courthouse Visit
No trip to the recording office or the assessor. Full examination without in-person access. One property, one fee, no subscription. BBB A+ since 2009.
Illinois Property Records Questions
Title searches, lien searches, deed copies, and preliminary reports
How Do I Search Illinois Property Records Online?
Start with the assessor for ownership and the Property Index Number, the County Recorder, or the Cook County Clerk in Cook County, for recorded deeds and mortgages, the treasurer and County Clerk for tax and redemption status, and the circuit court for lis pendens, in the county where the property sits. Most counties offer an online recording index and an assessor search, though the depth of older documents varies. Free tools rarely combine the recorded chain, the land trusts, the memoranda of judgment, and the sold-tax status in one place. For a complete Illinois property records search, submit the address or Property Index Number to U.S. Title Records. From $29.
Search Records →How Do I Find Out Who Owns a Property in Illinois?
The assessor shows the taxpayer of record by address and Property Index Number, and the most recent recorded deed confirms the vesting and how title is held, though in Illinois the record owner may be a land trust with the beneficiary off the public record, so the deed in trust and any trustee's deed must be traced. A Property Detail Report ($29) combines both into one report, and a Title Search by Name ($75) finds all property tied to a person or entity in Illinois.
Owner Search →How Do I Find Liens on an Illinois Property?
An Illinois lien search must cover the recording office for mortgages, memoranda of judgment, and mechanics liens, the treasurer and County Clerk for delinquent and sold taxes and any outstanding certificate of purchase, the circuit court for lis pendens, and the UCC index. Because judgments become liens through recorded memoranda and delinquent taxes are sold at the annual tax sale, the sources are spread across offices. Our Full Owner Lien Report ($195) covers all of it against the property and the owner.
Lien Search →How Do I Get a Copy of a Deed in Illinois?
Recorded deeds are public, held by the County Recorder, or the Cook County Clerk in Cook County. Illinois uses the warranty deed, the special warranty deed, the quitclaim deed, the executor's deed, and the deed in trust and trustee's deed for land trusts, recorded with a transfer declaration and indexed by grantor, grantee, and Property Index Number. A mortgage, by contrast, is a lien securing a loan, not a conveyance to a buyer. We retrieve a recorded deed by address or PIN. A Deed Copy is $45.
Deed Copy →What Does an Illinois Preliminary Title Report Show?
It shows the condition of title before closing: the current owner and how title is held, any land trust, the open mortgages and lis pendens, memoranda of judgment and tax liens, mechanics liens, sold or delinquent taxes and any outstanding certificate of purchase, easements, and restrictions. Our preliminary title report is a records-based examination, not title insurance, giving buyers, lenders, and investors a fast pre-closing read. The Chain of Title ($275) and Expanded ($375) serve this purpose.
Preliminary Report →How Much Does an Illinois Title Search Cost?
Property Detail $29, Deed Copy $45, Name Search $75, Lien Report $95, Full Owner Lien $195, Chain of Title $275, Expanded $375. One fee per property, no subscription. Schedule of fees.
Schedule of Fees →Illinois Property Records FAQ
Are Illinois property records public?
Yes. Illinois property records are public documents. Deeds, mortgages, and liens are recorded with and maintained by the County Recorder in the county where the property is located, and in Cook County by the Cook County Clerk, and anyone may search the grantor-grantee index or obtain a copy, in person, online through the county, or through a professional report. Ownership and equalized assessed value information is public and is held by the assessor, tax status by the treasurer, and the sold-tax redemption records by the County Clerk. The main practical points are that Cook County runs its own recording and assessment system, that the record owner may be a land trust, and that delinquent taxes are sold at the annual tax sale. U.S. Title Records compiles the public record into one report from $29.
How do I find out who owns a property in Illinois?
The fastest way to find the current owner of an Illinois property is the county assessor for the county where the property sits, which lists the taxpayer of record by address along with the Property Index Number and the equalized assessed value. To confirm legal ownership and how title is held, the most recent recorded deed in the County Recorder, or the Cook County Clerk's records in Cook County, is the controlling record, and it will show whether the property is held by an individual, a married couple, a trust, or an entity such as an LLC. One Illinois wrinkle is the land trust: legal title may be held by a trust company as trustee, with the beneficiary off the public record, so the deed in trust must be traced. A Property Detail Report ($29) combines the assessor's owner with the recorded vesting deed, and a Title Search by Name ($75) finds every property tied to a given person or entity across Illinois. Property owner search.
How do I do a title search in Illinois?
An Illinois title search reads the chain of recorded deeds in the County Recorder, or the Cook County Clerk in Cook County, to confirm ownership and how title is held, traces any deed in trust or trustee's deed where a land trust is involved, identifies open mortgages and any lis pendens, searches for recorded memoranda of judgment, checks for mechanics liens and federal and state tax liens, verifies through the County Clerk whether any taxes have been sold and remain unredeemed, and reviews the assessor and treasurer for value and tax status. Because Illinois splits its records among the recording office, the County Clerk, the treasurer, and the circuit court, and because sold taxes can mature into a tax deed, a reliable search reconciles all of these sources. You can do much of this yourself through the county offices, but the land-trust question, the memoranda of judgment, and the sold-tax status are where a professional search earns its keep. U.S. Title Records performs the full examination from $29, with the Expanded Title Search ($375) as the most comprehensive option.
How do Illinois tax sales and tax deeds work?
Illinois handles delinquent property taxes through a two-stage system that can ultimately transfer title. First, each county holds an annual tax sale at which the delinquent taxes, not the property itself, are offered to tax buyers, who bid down the penalty rate they will charge the owner; the winning buyer pays the taxes and receives a certificate of purchase. The owner keeps the property and can redeem by paying the taxes plus the accrued penalty amounts through the County Clerk, generally within about two to two and a half years depending on the type of property, and the period can be extended. Second, if the owner never redeems, the tax buyer can petition the circuit court for a tax deed, and a tax deed, once issued and recorded, conveys new merchantable title that can extinguish the former ownership and most prior interests. Cook County has historically also held a scavenger sale for parcels with several years of delinquencies. For an owner, redemption deadlines are unforgiving; for a buyer, an outstanding certificate of purchase on a property is a running clock. U.S. Title Records verifies delinquent and sold taxes and redemption status in the Full Owner Lien Report ($195).
How is Cook County different, and how does Illinois foreclosure work?
Cook County runs its own version of nearly every part of the Illinois system. Recording runs through the Cook County Clerk, which absorbed the county's separate recording office in 2020, while the other 101 counties record through the County Recorder. Assessment is by classification, with residential property assessed at 10 percent of market value and most commercial at 25 percent, against one-third of market value everywhere else, and the Illinois Department of Revenue applies a large equalization factor to bring Cook assessments to the statutory level; Cook also reassesses on a triennial cycle, one-third of the county at a time. Foreclosure, by contrast, works the same statewide: Illinois is a judicial-only state under the Illinois Mortgage Foreclosure Law, so the lender files in the circuit court and records a lis pendens, the borrower's right of redemption generally runs before the sale, commonly the later of seven months after service or three months after the judgment for residential property, and the property is then sold at a judicial sale and the court confirms it, after which there is generally no further redemption. U.S. Title Records covers Cook and all 101 other counties, and flags lis pendens and foreclosure status in the Full Owner Lien Report ($195).
What is the difference between a deed and a title in Illinois?
A deed and a title are related but not the same. A deed is a physical, recorded document that transfers ownership of real property from a grantor to a grantee, and Illinois uses the warranty deed, the special warranty deed, the quitclaim deed, the executor's deed, and, for land trusts, the deed in trust and the trustee's deed, depending on the circumstances and how much the grantor warrants. Title, by contrast, is the legal concept of ownership itself, the bundle of rights to possess, use, and dispose of the property; it is not a single document but a status established by the chain of recorded deeds. You take title to a property by receiving and recording a deed, and a title search examines the full chain of deeds and other recorded instruments, and in Illinois also the memoranda of judgment, the land-trust documents, and the sold-tax status, to ensure the seller holds clear title. In short, the deed is the instrument; the title is the ownership it conveys. U.S. Title Records retrieves the deed in the Deed Copy ($45) and examines the title in a title search.
How much does an Illinois title search or report cost?
Pricing is the same in every Illinois county: Property Detail Report $29, Deed Copy $45, Title Search by Name $75, Lien Report $95, Full Owner Lien Report $195, Chain of Title $275, and Expanded Title Search $375. The $29 report is the quick ownership, parcel, and value check, the $195 report is the recommended due-diligence search that includes memoranda of judgment, mechanics liens, and sold and delinquent taxes, and the $375 Expanded is the full title examination with chain and land-trust verification. There is no account, subscription, or recurring charge, one flat fee per property, delivered as a PDF by email. See the full schedule of fees. BBB A+ since 2009.
How far back does an Illinois title search go?
A standard Illinois title search typically examines the chain of title back about 40 to 60 years, which is generally enough to establish a marketable chain and surface the mortgages, judgments, liens, and defects that matter for a current transaction. A full chain of title can go back much further, to the original federal land patent, and is assembled when a transaction or a legal matter requires it, such as a quiet-title action, an estate, a boundary or easement dispute, or a property with a complicated history. How far the records reach in practice depends on the county; Illinois recording office records can extend back well over a century, and Cook County's records survive from the era after the 1871 Chicago fire, though older documents are more likely to require retrieval from physical books. U.S. Title Records traces the full conveyance history in the Chain of Title ($275).
Search Illinois Property Records
Professional title searches, lien searches, deed copies, and preliminary title reports for any property in all 102 Illinois counties, from Cook, DuPage, Lake, and Will to every downstate county. County Recorder and Cook County Clerk records, mortgage and lis pendens analysis, judicial-foreclosure review, annual tax sale and tax deed checks, land trust tracing, memoranda of judgment, and full chain of title. Reports from $29, delivered by email, no subscription.