The Cook County Recorder of Deeds has been closed since December 7, 2020. It was the county office that filed and kept deeds, mortgages and liens. A deed is the signed document that moves ownership of a home to someone new.
The office is gone, but its name lives on. Its old website, cookrecorder.com, now forwards to the Cook County Clerk (we tested it on October 25, 2026). The Cook County Assessor's website still sends people to the Recorder by name, with its old web link5,6.
What happened to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds?
Its work moved to the Cook County Clerk's Office. Voters approved the merger on November 8, 2016, and the Clerk took over every Recorder job on December 7, 20201,2.
A new Recordings Division inside the Clerk's Office now records and indexes every document that affects title, your legal right to own a home in the county2.
Sources: Civic Federation, November 9, 2016, and Practical Law (Westlaw), December 10, 20201,2.
Where did each Recorder of Deeds service go?
Every Recorder service moved to the Clerk, but not always to the same place. The biggest change is where you record a deed in person: the Recorder also used three suburban court buildings, and the Clerk lists recordings only downtown3,4.
| Service | Recorder of Deeds (2019) | Cook County Clerk (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Website | cookrecorder.com | cookcountyclerkil.gov/recordings. The old address forwards there |
| Record a deed in person | Downtown, plus the Bridgeview, Rolling Meadows and Markham court buildings | Downtown only: 118 North Clark Street, Room 120, Chicago |
| Downtown hours | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. Last customer at 4:45 p.m. |
| Phone | 312-603-5050 | 312-603-5050, now the Clerk's Recordings line |
| Deed search | Search pages on the Recorder's website | crs.cookcountyclerkil.gov, best searched by PIN |
| Fraud unit | The Recorder's Fraud Unit | The Clerk's Property Fraud Unit, clerk.RecordsFraud@cookcountyil.gov |
Sources: the Recorder's Locations page, Internet Archive copy of December 15, 2019, and the Clerk's location, search and fraud unit pages, checked October 25, 20263,4,7,12.
How do I search Cook County deeds online now?
Go to the Clerk's Recordings System and search by your PIN. The Clerk says that "for best search results, please retrieve recordings by PIN"7.
Your PIN, or Property Index Number, is the 14-digit number Cook County gives each piece of land. Searching is free. You pay only if you buy a copy.
- Find your PIN. If you don't have it, look it up by street address on the Cook County Assessor's website8.
- Type the PIN into the search box on the Clerk's page. Dashes are optional; the Clerk's own example shows the number both ways7.
- Click Address/PIN Search. You get a list of every document recorded on that PIN.
- Read each row. It shows the document number, the date it was recorded, the document type, the first grantor and the first grantee7.
- Check the newest deed. The grantor signs the home away and the grantee receives it. The Clerk says the grantee on the latest deed "should be the current property owner(s)"9.
Check the date at the top of the page. On October 25, 2026, it said documents were indexed through October 8, 20267. A deed filed in the last few weeks may not show yet.
Don't trust the address field. The Clerk's notice says the address "is only for informational purposes and should not be relied upon." Records are indexed by PIN, name, document number and legal description, the formal lot wording in a deed7.
Use Advanced Search for a name or a document number. It also searches by document type, trust number, subdivision and legal description7.
Older records stay downtown. Documents recorded before 1985 are in tract books, which list land by subdivision. You can only see them at the downtown office, and the Clerk's staff won't do the research for you9.
For a guide that works in any county, see how to find the deed to your house.
How much does a copy of a Cook County deed cost?
A plain copy you download costs $5, and a certified paper copy costs $55. A certified copy is an official copy that the Clerk's office certifies as true. Online orders add a 2.10% card fee10.
A downloaded copy of your deed costs $5; a certified paper copy costs $55
Cook County Clerk copy fees, per document, October 2026
Show the numbers
| Plain copy, download | $5 |
|---|---|
| Plain copy, paper | $27.50 |
| Certified copy, paper | $55 |
| Certified digital PDF | $65 |
Source: Cook County Clerk, Recording Fees, fee schedule in effect since April 1, 2024, checked October 25, 2026.
You download and print online orders yourself. The Clerk does not mail copies bought online9.
You don't need a certified copy to prove you own your home. The Clerk says a certified copy isn't required "so long as it is recorded with a County Clerk." It adds that you likely got a copy at closing11.
Recording a new deed costs $107. That total includes a $55 county recording fee and a $23 GIS (mapping) fee. The rest is a $10 storage fee, an $18 state Rental Housing Support fee and a $1 fee for filers who aren't a government10.
- By mail: add $5 per document to get it mailed back. Mail it to the Recording Division, 118 North Clark Street, Room 120, Chicago, IL 606029,10.
- Transfer on death instrument: $59. This form names who gets your home when you die10.
- No quotes by phone: the fee can change once staff look at your document10.
- Paid off your mortgage? You won't get a new deed. The Clerk's Recording Division "is not your mortgage company and we do not issue you a deed after you pay off your mortgage"11.
Where is the Recorder's old fraud unit now?
It is now the Clerk's Property Fraud Unit, and you reach it by email at clerk.RecordsFraud@cookcountyil.gov. Its staff "will help research the problem and coordinate a law enforcement response where indicated"12.
The unit can't erase a fake deed for you. Once a document is recorded, the Clerk says, "it is up to the homeowner to petition the court, at their own expense," to have it removed12. Our guide on what to do if a fraudulent deed is filed walks through that path.
The Clerk also runs a free Property Fraud Alert that calls or emails you when a document is recorded on your property12. Our Cook County property fraud alert guide covers how to sign up, and our county alert map compares it with other counties.
Free legal help sits with the Clerk too. Lawyers from the Center for Disability and Elder Law staff its Legal Help Desk, with free advice on deeds and transfer on death instruments. Book a visit at recording.helpdesk@cookcountyil.gov or 312-603-505013.
The old Recorder's office saw deed problems up close. We found no public count of fake deeds filed in Cook County each year. Two documented cases from the Recorder's last years show what can go wrong:
A Recorder's clerk took $200 to backdate a deed
A clerk at the Recorder of Deeds prepared a quitclaim deed, a deed that hands over whatever share the signer has. It added a fourth "owner" to an Oak Park home and was backdated by 18 months.
She took $200 and agreed to record it, but the person paying was an undercover agent. She pleaded guilty to honest services mail fraud in January 2016.
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, January 20, 2016
A deed moved before the buyer recorded his
A man paid off his rent-to-own home in May 2015. The Recorder's fraud investigators said the seller moved the deed from his own name to his company before the buyer could record his.
The seller called it an oversight he would fix. The Recorder's office said it gave its evidence to the Cook County State's Attorney, and we found no report of charges in this matter.
Both cases point to the same habit. Record your deed right away, and look up your PIN on the Clerk's index now and then.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a copy of my deed in Cook County?
Search your PIN on the Clerk's Recordings System, then buy the deed from the results list. A plain download costs $5, and deeds recorded before 1985 can only be bought downtown.
Are Cook County property records public?
Yes. Anyone can search the Clerk's recorded documents online by PIN, name, address or document number, and copies cost $5 to $65.
How much does it cost to record a deed in Cook County?
The Clerk charges $107 to record a deed under the fee schedule in effect since April 1, 2024. Recording by mail with return adds $5 per document.
Is there a Recorder of Deeds office in Skokie or Rolling Meadows?
The Clerk has no recording counter in either town. The old Recorder took deeds at court buildings in Bridgeview, Rolling Meadows and Markham. Today the Clerk lists recordings only downtown, and its Skokie, Markham and Maywood offices list vital records, such as birth and death records.
What is the Cook County Recorder of Deeds email address?
The Recorder's office is closed, so use the Clerk's addresses. Report suspected fraud to clerk.RecordsFraud@cookcountyil.gov, send index correction forms to clerk.recordings@cookcountyil.gov, and book the Legal Help Desk at recording.helpdesk@cookcountyil.gov.
Do you need an attorney to record a deed in Cook County?
The Clerk lets you record a deed yourself, in person or by mail. Its staff can't give legal advice, so it points you to a private lawyer or the free Legal Help Desk for questions about a deed.
Phone numbers, email addresses, fees and web links on this page were checked on October 25, 2026.
Sources
- Cook County Electorate Approves Ballot Measure to Merge Recorder of Deeds and County Clerk, Civic Federation, November 9, 2016
- Illinois: Cook County Clerk's Office Assumes Real Estate Recording Responsibilities, Practical Law (Westlaw), December 10, 2020
- Locations, Cook County Recorder of Deeds, Internet Archive copy of December 15, 2019
- Hours and Locations, Cook County Clerk's Office, with its Downtown Recordings and Skokie pages, checked October 25, 2026
- Local Government Offices, Cook County Assessor's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Accessing Assessor's Office Services, Cook County Assessor's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Property Records Search and Advanced Search, Clerk's Recordings System, Cook County Clerk's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Search by Address, Cook County Assessor's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Recording FAQs, Cook County Clerk's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Recording Fees, Cook County Clerk's Office, fee schedule effective April 1, 2024, checked October 25, 2026
- Terms and Miscellaneous Recording Topics, Cook County Clerk's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Property Fraud Unit, Cook County Clerk's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Recordings Legal Help Desk, Cook County Clerk's Office, checked October 25, 2026
- Former Clerk at Cook County Recorder of Deeds Admits Accepting Cash Bribe in Exchange for Preparing Fraudulent Real Estate Deed, U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, January 20, 2016
- Deed shifting: Man convicted in real estate scheme faces new allegations, Jason Knowles, ABC7 Chicago, July 10, 2015
- Recorder, Cook County, Minnesota, checked October 25, 2026
