About Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is located in northeast Illinois. The county seat is Chicago (official site: http://www.cookcountyil.gov/).
- Population: 5,246,456
- Households: 2,170,156
- Median household income: $54,548
- Median home value: $231,200
- Below poverty line: 16.9%
- Land area: 945.3 sq mi
- Population density: 5,495.1 people / sq mi
- Public libraries indexed: 192
- NCES schools indexed: 1,295
Estate Search (Heirs)
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Cook County Treasurer's estate-search tool under Treasurer Maria Pappas, used by heirs and estate administrators to locate unclaimed property-tax funds tied to a decedent's estate. Search by decedent name or probate case file number to find refunds, overpayments, or surplus sale proceeds the Treasurer is holding for distribution to heirs. Companion to the Probate Division dockets at the Daley Center; many estate searches start here before opening a probate case.
Coroner Inquest Records 1872-1911
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Cook County Coroner Inquest index 1872-1911, hosted by the Illinois Secretary of State Archives. Search by decedent name to retrieve the date of death, date the inquest was filed, and the book/page reference in the original coroner ledgers. The inquest record itself sits at the Illinois State Archives in Springfield; the lookup page includes ordering instructions and reproduction fees. Especially valuable for historical research where standard 1878-1922 death certificates miss the cause-of-death detail.
Agencies
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Cook County government agency directory. Lists every county department, separately elected office, and special-purpose board reporting to Board President Toni Preckwinkle, including the Health and Hospitals System, the Sheriff, Clerk, Treasurer, Assessor, State's Attorney, Public Defender, Forest Preserve District, and 17-member Board of Commissioners. Cook County's unanimously approved FY2026 budget is $10.12 billion and funds approximately 22,000 employees across the listed agencies.
Cook County Home Page
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Official Cook County, Illinois government website. Population 5.28 million across 945 square miles, second-largest U.S. county by population and the most populous county outside the Sun Belt. County seat is Chicago, the largest city in Illinois and third-largest in the United States. Governed by a 17-member Board of Commissioners with Board President Toni Preckwinkle; FY2026 budget is $10.12 billion, unanimously approved.
Codes
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Cook County Code of Ordinances and Forest Preserve District Code, hosted on Municode. Covers zoning, building, public health, business licensing, environmental control, and Forest Preserve regulations adopted by the Board of Commissioners. Search by full text or browse by title and chapter. The Cook County Forest Preserve District is one of the largest forest-preserve systems in the country at nearly 70,000 acres across the county.
Court Case Dockets
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Cook County Circuit Court case-docket search portal, run by Circuit Court Clerk Mariyana Spyropoulos (sworn in December 2, 2024). Covers Civil, Law, Chancery, Domestic Relations, and Probate cases filed in the largest unified court system in the country. Search by case number, party name, or filing date; full docket entries include hearings, motions, and orders. The Circuit Court of Cook County handles the country's second-largest caseload after Los Angeles.
Court - Case Snapshots
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Cook County Circuit Court case-snapshot search, a faster summary view of Civil, Domestic Relations, and Law division cases. Search by division, case number, plaintiff or defendant name, or filing date to pull a one-screen snapshot of the case status and key parties. Operated by the Circuit Court Clerk's office under Clerk Mariyana Spyropoulos at 50 W Washington, Room 1001, Chicago, IL 60602.
Court Call Dockets
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Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court daily court-call dockets for the Civil and Law Divisions. Shows the courtroom calendar for today plus the next three business days, with hearing time, judge, courtroom, and case number for every matter on the call. Useful for attorneys confirming hearing assignments and members of the public following ongoing litigation. Updated overnight from the master court schedule.
Unclaimed Child Support Checks
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Cook County Circuit Court Clerk's database of unclaimed child support checks that the US Postal Service returned as undeliverable. Custodial parents and their representatives can search by recipient name to locate funds the Clerk's office holds until claimed. Operated under Clerk Mariyana Spyropoulos' office, which disburses child support payments collected through Cook County child support enforcement matters.
Court Black Line Trial Call Pool
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Cook County Circuit Court Black Line Pool — the rotating ready-for-trial calendar in the Law Division, used to assign cases to available trial judges as courtrooms open. Search by case number, plaintiff, defendant, or attorney code to confirm whether a case has been called for trial. Maintained by the Circuit Court Clerk under Clerk Mariyana Spyropoulos at the Daley Center, 50 W Washington St, Chicago.
Court - Probate Dockets
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Cook County Probate Division docket search, covering decedent estates, guardianships of disabled adults, minors' estates, and trust proceedings. Search by case number, decedent name, executor, or attorney. The Probate Division sits in the Richard J. Daley Center and is overseen administratively by Circuit Court Clerk Mariyana Spyropoulos. Estate filings include the petition for letters of office, inventories, and final account.
Court - Probate Wills
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Cook County Circuit Court Clerk's probate-wills search. Wills filed in Cook County are deposited with the Clerk under Probate Act §755 ILCS 5/6-1 and may be searched by decedent name once an estate has been opened. Search returns the case number, will-deposit date, and the probate-docket reference for any related estate proceedings. Operated by the Clerk's office under Mariyana Spyropoulos.
Inmates
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Cook County Sheriff Individual in Custody (IIC) information center for the Cook County Department of Corrections, the largest single-site county jail in the United States. Run under Sheriff Tom Dart, who has held the office since 2006. Search by inmate name or jail number after agreeing to the Terms and Conditions; the portal also routes to in-person visitation scheduling at dvv.ccsheriff.org and provides phone-account information for inmate calls.
Inmates — VineLink
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VINELink victim-notification service for Illinois, including Cook County Department of Corrections. Crime victims and the public can register for automatic notifications when an offender changes custody status — release, transfer, escape, court date. VINELink is operated by Appriss Insights under contract with state and county corrections agencies; registration is free and confidential. Searches return current custody location and scheduled release information.
Births, Deaths, Marriages - Archives
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Cook County Clerk genealogy-records archive under Clerk Monica Gordon. Search Cook County birth certificates 75 years or older, marriage licenses 50 years or older, and death certificates 20 years or older by name, year, or file number. The Clerk's vital-records division consolidated with the Recorder of Deeds in 2020, so all historical vital records and recorded land documents now live in a single search portal at cookcountyclerkil.gov.
Marriages 1763-1900
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Illinois Statewide Marriage Index hosted by the Illinois Secretary of State Archives, covering marriages recorded between 1763 and 1900. Select Cook in the county field to scope the search to Cook County, then enter a groom or bride name. Index returns date of marriage, names of both parties, and the county-court reference number for ordering a certified copy from the local clerk. Free and indexed by Illinois State Archives staff.
Birth Certificates 1878-1922
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FamilySearch digitized collection of over 1.4 million Cook County birth certificate images recorded between 1878 and 1922. Searchable by child name, parent names, date of birth, or certificate number; matching records link to a full-resolution scan of the original certificate. Free with a FamilySearch account. Source images come from the Cook County Clerk's vital-records vault, digitized in partnership with the Genealogical Society of Utah.
Births 1871-1915
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FamilySearch index of Cook County birth records spanning 1871 through 1915, indexed from county-clerk birth-register books. Search by child name, parent names, or year of birth. This index complements the 1878-1922 certificate-image collection and covers earlier register-book entries that predate the standardized printed certificate. Free with FamilySearch account; helpful for pre-1878 family research where only the handwritten register survives.
Deaths — 1878-1922
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FamilySearch collection of over 1.4 million Cook County death-certificate images recorded between 1878 and 1922. Search by decedent name, date of death, age at death, or certificate number; matches link to a full-resolution scan including cause of death, place of death, and informant. Free with a FamilySearch account. Companion to the 1878-1922 birth-certificate collection sourced from the Cook County Clerk's vital-records vault.
Marriages — 1871-1920
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FamilySearch index of Cook County marriage records filed between 1871 and 1920. Search by groom name, bride name, marriage date, or county license number. The index draws from the Cook County Clerk's marriage-license register books and gives access to a 49-year window covering the first half-century of standardized Illinois marriage registration. Free with a FamilySearch account; certified copies must still be ordered from the Cook County Clerk's office.
Voters
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Cook County Clerk voter-information portal under Clerk Monica Gordon, the election authority for suburban Cook County (the city of Chicago is administered separately by the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners). Look up seven categories of voter data: registration status, upcoming ballot, polling place, early-voting site, your elected officials, mail-ballot status, and provisional-ballot status. The Illinois primary election was held March 17, 2026.
Polling Places
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Suburban Cook County polling-place lookup operated by the Cook County Clerk Elections Department. Enter your street address to find your assigned Election Day polling place, hours, and accessibility information. The Clerk also runs early-voting sites across the county and accepts vote-by-mail applications under the Illinois Election Code. Chicago voters within the city limits use the separate Chicago Board of Election Commissioners portal.
Permits
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Cook County Building and Zoning Department permit-status portal for building, plumbing, and electrical permits in unincorporated Cook County and contracted municipalities. Search by Building Permit Number or 14-digit Property Index Number; status data refreshes daily at 8:00 AM. Online permit-fee payment by Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover through LexisNexis (convenience fee applies) since June 22, 2012.
Property — Assessor
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Cook County Assessor property-search portal under Assessor Fritz Kaegi (term ends Dec 7, 2026). Search by address or 14-digit PIN to pull residential and non-residential property records, assessed values, exemption status, and neighborhood comparables. The Assessor's office processed more than 1.5 million property tax-saving exemptions for homeowners in 2024. Filing the annual Homeowner Exemption, Senior Exemption, and Senior Freeze Exemption applications happens through this portal.
Property - Tax Information
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Cook County Treasurer property-tax lookup and payment portal under Treasurer Maria Pappas. Search by 14-digit PIN to view current and past property tax bills, payment history, exemptions applied, and any refunds owed. Pay online from a bank account (no fee), credit card, mail, in person, at Chase Bank, at local community banks, by ACH, or by wire transfer. 1.8 million First Installment Tax Year 2025 bills mailed March 2, 2026, due April 1.
Deeds, Mortgages, Recorded Documents
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Cook County Clerk recorded-document index under Clerk Monica Gordon, who absorbed the former Cook County Recorder of Deeds office in 2020. Search mortgages, deeds, releases, affidavits, liens, and miscellaneous filings by grantor/grantee name, document number, legal description, 14-digit PIN, trust number, or subdivision. The Clerk also runs a Property Fraud Alert registration service and a free Recordings Legal Help Desk for chain-of-title questions.
Property Sales
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Cook County recorded-property-sales lookup through the Cook County Clerk recordings portal under Clerk Monica Gordon. Search by address, PIN, grantor, or grantee to pull deed-of-sale records, prior conveyances, and chain of title. The Clerk's real-estate division merged with the former Recorder of Deeds office in 2020, so deeds, mortgages, releases, and sales records all live in one consolidated index at crs.cookcountyclerkil.gov.
Property - Tax Refunds
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Cook County Treasurer duplicate and overpayment refund lookup, under Treasurer Maria Pappas. Search by 14-digit PIN, taxpayer name, or email address to find refund amounts the Treasurer is holding for tax-year payments made twice, settled by mortgage company plus direct payer, or otherwise overpaid. Approved refunds are issued by check or direct deposit. Per a Pappas study, Cook County property taxes have grown at twice the rate of inflation over the past three decades.