House & Apartment

Illinois county recorders keep records of property ownership documents. Papers filed with the recorder's office are called recorded documents. 

These records allow people to see who has ownership or other rights to real property. Real property includes land and most buildings. The recorder’s office does not handle records about cars, personal property such as furniture, or most mobile homes.

The local county recorder's office makes recorded documents available to the public. In Cook County, the recorder is part of the Cook County Clerk's Office.

Ask the local county recorder's office. Some offices allow searching for papers online. Others may require visiting in person. For very old records, a special request may be necessary.

There are three common ways to search:

• By name,
• By street address, and
• By property identification number (PIN).

If searching by PIN, make sure to find all the PINs that matter. Property at a single street address can have more than one PIN. Parking spaces in property associations often have their own PIN.

Property deeds are filed at the county recorder's office. Deeds are legal documents that let others know who owns the property. 

Other types of papers that can be recorded include:

• Rent-to-own contracts or contracts for deed, A legal paper that transfers ownership of real estate. It is recorded in the local land records.
• Loan documents (mortgage A loan given by a bank that is used to help someone buy a home papers),
• Some leases,
• Papers claiming a right to be repaid for goods or services (liens),
• Other property owners’ access to a property (easements),
• Limits and requirements for how owners can use the property (restrictive covenants),
• Condo documents (declarations), and
• Notices of pending lawsuits regarding the property (called lis pendens).

Recording documents protects property owners and the community. Papers that are not recorded promptly may not give people the same rights as those that are recorded.

Buying and selling a property involves people being able to find out:

• Who has claims to a particular property, and
• Their relationship to the property.

Unresolved claims can reduce the sale price and prolong transactions. Lenders may refuse to provide financing when claims are unclear or disputed.

Ask the county recorder’s office where the property is located about signing up for property fraud alerts. These tell a property owner when a document has been recorded. 

Learn more in How property owners can protect against fraud. 

The county recorder only files documents. They do not examine the legal meaning of the papers that are recorded.

Sometimes people present fake or incorrect papers for recording. This can happen due to:

• Mistakes,
• Real estate fraud (learn more in Real estate fraud basics), and
• Disputes over bills or legal issues.

Do not confront a possible fraudster. For more information, read Real estate fraud common questions. Talk to an attorney right away about suspicious documents: 

• Use Get Legal Help to find free and low-cost legal resources, and
• Ask non-urgent questions at Illinois Free Legal Answers.

When a document is recorded matters. Talk to a lawyer Someone who represents clients in courts or who gives legal advice to find out the legal meaning of old documents:

• Use Get Legal Help to find free and low-cost legal resources, and
• Ask non-urgent questions at Illinois Free Legal Answers.

The Marketable Title Act sets rules for what evidence Anything used to show that something is true of property ownership can be used in court. People usually cannot use documents more than 75 years old as evidence of ownership. In some situations, the time limit is 85 years.

The county recorder's office charges for recording most papers. Modifications to unlawful restrictive covenants filed after January 1, 2026, are free.

For other documents, ask the local recorder’s office for a fee list. Fees must be predictable. The cost will be at least $31 per document.

Recording fees for individuals include:

• A minimum fee of $13 in counties with under 1 million people,
• A minimum fee of $21 in counties with over 1 million people,
• Additional county fees authorized by the county board, like automation or GIS fees, and
• The $18 Rental Housing Support Program surcharge.

The county recorder’s staff may offer blank forms. Once a form is filled out, the copy that is recorded usually has the original signatures. Many forms require notarization. There may be additional legal requirements for some documents, such as the name and address of the person who completed them.

The recorder’s office is unable to provide legal advice. They are not allowed to tell people about the legal impact of a form. For example, they cannot help someone decide whether to file a quitclaim deed A legal paper that transfers ownership of real estate. It is recorded in the local land records. or a warranty deed.

Talk to a lawyer Someone who represents clients in courts or who gives legal advice for help figuring out:

• The legal meaning of papers in the file, and
• Which documents to file to accomplish a goal.

Statewide resources include:

• Get Legal Help to find free and low-cost legal assistance, and
• For non-urgent questions, the volunteer attorneys at Illinois Free Legal Answers.

In Cook County, the Center for Disability A substantial impairment that functionally limits a person in carrying out major life activities, such as walking, lifting, seeing, or learning. and Elder Law staffs a Recordings Legal Help Desk. Contact the Help Desk:

• By email at [email protected], or
• Call (312) 603-5050 to select a day to visit the Help Desk.

Check with the local county recorder's office. For people who need to record papers themselves, the options may include:

• Visiting in person, or
• Mailing the document and payment.

Many Illinois counties also accept papers electronically from paid services for large businesses. These companies do not currently help individuals.

An easement is a legal right to use or restrict the use of someone else’s land for a specific purpose. For example, an easement might:

• Allow a neighboring property owner to cross the property, or
• Prevent a property owner from building anything that blocks a neighbor’s sunlight.

Once there is an easement on the property, it “runs with the land.” This means it usually stays in place even if the property is sold or transferred to a new owner.

Easements are not always recorded. Easements that are written down are called "express easements."

There are other types of easements. These include:

• Someone uses the property openly, continuously, and without permission for 20 years ("prescription"),
• A property owner makes a promise or gives permission, and someone relies on it ("estoppel"),
• Property is divided, and the new owner continues to use part of the property in a way that existed before the division ("prior use"), and
• Property is landlocked, and access over someone else’s land is necessary to access the road or other needs ("necessity").

Easements can be complicated. Talk to an attorney about questions and disputes involving easements:

• Use Get Legal Help to find free and low-cost legal resources, and
• Ask non-urgent questions at Illinois Free Legal Answers.

A restrictive covenant is a written promise that limits how a property owner can use their property. The restriction “runs with the land,” meaning it stays with the property after it is sold or transferred.

Restrictive covenants may control:

• What can be built,
• How the land is used, or
• Property maintenance. Money the court orders one spouse to pay the other spouse after their divorce (formerly called alimony)

Property associations commonly use restrictive covenants.

Some restrictive covenants are enforceable. This means a judge can order owners to comply with the terms. 

Generally, enforceable restrictive covenants must be:

• Lawful,
• Recorded with the county recorder’s office,
• Written in a way that gives notice to future owners, and
• Enforced in a lawsuit brought by someone who would benefit from the restriction.

Talk to an attorney about questions and disputes involving restrictive covenants:

• Use Get Legal Help to find free and low-cost legal resources, and
• Ask non-urgent questions at Illinois Free Legal Answers.

Many Illinois property documents contain terms that are discriminatory. Unlawful restrictive covenants were written to limit property rights based on a person’s:

• Race,
• Religion, or
• National origin.

The unlawful terms were intended to prevent individuals in the restricted group from buying, renting, or living in a particular property. 

These types of restrictive covenants are now illegal and void. A judge cannot require people to comply with them. However, they may still exist in recorded papers.

For information about unlawful restrictive covenants and deed A legal paper that transfers ownership of real estate. It is recorded in the local land records. restrictions in Illinois, visit:

• Chicago Covenants, and
• The Restrictive Covenants page from Lake Forest College’s Digital Chicago.

Some Illinois recorder’s offices have resources to help people find and remove discriminatory terms, including:

• Champaign County’s Restrictive Covenant Project,
• Cook County's Unlawful Restrictive Covenants page, and
• McHenry County’s Unlawful Restrictive Covenants Guide.

To file a restrictive covenant modification, a person must:

• Hold an ownership interest in the property, or
• Be a common interest community association, a condominium association, a unit owners' association, a residential housing cooperative, or a master association of a parcel of the property.

In Cook County, the Center for Disability A substantial impairment that functionally limits a person in carrying out major life activities, such as walking, lifting, seeing, or learning. and Elder Law staffs a Recordings Legal Help Desk that may be able to assist with this process. Contact the Help Desk:

• By email at [email protected], or
• Call (312) 603-5050 to select a day to visit the Help Desk.

Property association members can submit a written request to the association board to file a modification. The association board must investigate.

If the association board finds an illegal restrictive covenant, the board must file a modification within 90 days. When a board fails to file a modification against an unlawful restrictive covenant, the requesting owner can sue to compel the board to fix the problem. The association must pay the owner’s reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs if the owner wins.

Starting January 1, 2026, a county recorder cannot charge fees for:

• Filing a restrictive covenant modification to an unlawful restrictive covenant, or
• Any copies of records necessary to file the modification. 

Check with the local county recorder’s office. Generally, people need:

• A complete copy of the original document with the unlawful language stricken,
• A Petition (noun) A written request to a court (verb) To request from a court to Modify To change or adjust an Unlawful Restrictive Covenant, and
• Any forms required by the recorder’s office to modify a restrictive covenant.

The Petition must:

• Be signed by the individual property owner, or for an association, include a certification that the majority of the board agrees,
• Contain the property index number (PIN) or parcel identification code, and
• Include any other information needed by the county recorder or State’s Attorney in processing the request.

The recorder then submits the documents to the State’s Attorney. Within 30 days, the State’s Attorney must review the papers for:

• Whether the original document contains an unlawful restrictive covenant, and
• Whether the modification correctly strikes through only the unlawful term.
• The State’s Attorney then returns the papers to the recorder with a written determination.

If the State’s Attorney supports the modification, the recorder must record it. 

Property associations that file modifications must send written notice and a copy of the recorded modification to all owners or members within 21 days of receiving the approved document.

The recording process itself is usually simple. However, it can be complicated to figure out:

• The legal meaning of documents in the property file, and
• What to file to reach a particular goal.

Talk to a lawyer Someone who represents clients in courts or who gives legal advice for help with:

• Understanding and transferring property rights,
• Suspicious or fraudulent documents (learn more in Real estate fraud basics), and
• Old papers that have not been recorded.

Statewide resources include:

• Get Legal Help to find free and low-cost legal assistance, and
• For non-urgent questions, the volunteer attorneys at Illinois Free Legal Answers.

In Cook County, the Center for Disability A substantial impairment that functionally limits a person in carrying out major life activities, such as walking, lifting, seeing, or learning. and Elder Law staffs a Recordings Legal Help Desk. Contact the Help Desk:

• By email at [email protected], or
• Call (312) 603-5050 to select a day to visit the Help Desk.