Home Recording Illinois recording Document Recording in Cook County, IL
Document Recording in Cook County, IL
Record a deed, mortgage, satisfaction or declaration of restriction in Cook County, Illinois. Upload the signed scan — we check it by hand and file it with the county.
Opens the recording form with Illinois selected. Upload your signed scan to continue.
Cook County recording office
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Office | Cook County Clerk's Office, Recordings |
| Address | 118 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60602 |
| Deed (document class 1) recording fee | $107 |
| Mortgage or release of mortgage (document class 3) recording fee | $107 |
| Illinois state real estate transfer tax | 50 cents for each $500 of value, or fraction of $500, stated in the transfer declaration; a mortgage remaining outstanding on the property is not included (35 ILCS 200/31-10) |
| Chicago real property transfer tax (Chicago property only) | $5.25 per $500 of the transfer price, or fraction of $500: the city portion of $3.75 is generally paid by the buyer and the CTA portion of $1.50 by the seller |
Cook County Clerk fees effective April 1, 2024 include the GIS, document storage, State Rental Housing Support Program and non-government filer fees.
Fees and taxes from the official government pages and statutes, read October 16, 2026: cookcountyclerkil.gov/recordings, cookcountyclerkil.gov/recording-fees, chicago.gov/real_property_transfertax.html, ilga.gov/003502000K31-10.htm.
Documents we record
- Deed
- Mortgage
- Satisfaction of Mortgage
- Declaration of Restriction
Who signs, in front of a notary
| Document | Who signs |
|---|---|
| Deed | Every seller (grantor) signs in front of a notary. The buyer does not sign the deed itself. State forms that go with the deed may need both buyer and seller. |
| Mortgage | Every borrower signs in front of a notary. The lender does not sign. |
| Satisfaction of mortgage | The lender signs, or an officer allowed to sign for it, in front of a notary. |
| Declaration of restriction | Every owner of the property signs in front of a notary. |
How to scan
- Scan every signed page, in order, into one PDF, right way up.
- Use a scanner, or a scanning app that saves a PDF. Photos are refused — counties reject photos of paper.
- Black and white or grayscale, at 300 dpi. The whole page, with nothing cut off.
- Every signature, the notary's stamp and the seal must be easy to read.
- Upload the PDF, up to 50 MB. We do not take Word files or pictures.
- Keep the signed original. We tell you if the county asks for it.
How it works
- Upload one PDF scan of the signed, notarized document.
- We read it and show you what we read, so you can correct it before you pay.
- Our office checks the scan by hand within one business day of payment.
- If something needs fixing, we email you what and where before anything goes to the county.
- When it is right, we file it with the county and email you the recorded copy when the county returns it.
Follow your filing with Recording Status and settle an open balance with Pay a Balance.