About Illinois Public Records

Illinois public records are governed by the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140), which requires public bodies to make records available unless covered by Section 7 or 7.5 exemptions. County clerks and recorders maintain property, deed, and vital records; the Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification holds statewide criminal history; and the Illinois Courts Re:SearchIL portal exposes appellate and many circuit dockets.

Illinois Public Records

Court Records

Criminal Records

Contaminated Fishing Areas
Official Free
Browse the Illinois Department of Public Healths listing/map of contaminated fishing area advisories to view information including fish type, area, sizes, safe levels and contaminant.
🌐 idph.state.il.us
Criminal Histories (info)
Official Free
The Illinois State Police provide this information on how to order criminal history searches under the provisions of the Uniform Conviction Information Act.
🌐 illinois.gov
Unsolved Crimes
Official Free
Browse the Illinois State Police records for unsolved crimes.
🌐

Property Records

Foreclosures
Official Free
Click on Foreclosure List to browse this McHenry County list of foreclosure sales. Information is provide in Adobe Acrobat pdf format.
🌐 co.mchenry.il.us
Public Land Sales
Official Free
Search this Illinois State Archives database for Illinois Public Domain Land Tract sales by name of purchaser or legal description.
🌐 ilsos.gov
Bills & Resolutions
Official Free
Browse this Illinois General Assembly site for Illinois Senate or House Bills and Resolutions, or search by bill number or keyword.
🌐 ilga.gov
Statutes
Official Free
Search the Illinois General Assembly for Illinois Compiled Statutes by keyword.
🌐 ilga.gov
Mortgage Banking Disciplinary Actions
Official Free
Click on "Mortgage Banking Disciplinary Actions" to browse this list from the Illinois Office of Banks and Real Estate for Mortgage Banking fines, suspensions, and license revocations in Adobe Acrobat pdf format.
🌐 idfpr.com

Vital Records

Death Records 1916-1950
Official Free
Search Illinois death certificates by name or county. Gives gender, race, date of death, certificate number, city & county of death, and filing date. Site also includes information on ordering co...
🌐 ilsos.gov
Death Records before 1916
Official Free
Search the Illinois State Archives for Illinois death certificates filed before 1916. Gives gender, race, date of death, certificate number, city & county of death, and filing date. Site also inc...
🌐 ilsos.gov
Genealogy Global Search
Official Free
Use this Illinois State Archives global search feature to search all available Illinois State Archives indexes. Includes the 1916-1950 death index, War of 1812 Veterans, Civil War Veterans, marria...
🌐 ilsos.gov
Marriages 1763-1900
Official Free
Search the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index for the period 1763-1900. Search by groom name and/or bride name statewide or by county.
🌐 ilsos.gov
Will Index 1838-1940
Official Free
Use Illinois Secretary of State service to search by name to determine if a Will was recorded in McLean County between 1838 and 1940.
🌐 ilsos.gov
State Vital Records - Archives
Official Free
Search the IL State Archives, a depository of public records of IL state and local governmental agencies which possess permanent administrative, legal or historical research values.
🌐 ilsos.gov

Licenses

Professional Regulation
Official Free
Illinois Department of Professional Regulation information on profession rules, license applications, certifications and verification for professions that require licensing.
🌐 idfpr.illinois.gov
Veterans - State Archives
Official Free
Search the Illinois State Archives for the names, *locations, and burial places of soldiers, sailors, marines, and army nurses who served in any of the wars of the United States and are buried in Illinois.* Includes Civil War, Spanish-American War, War of 1812, Winnebago War and Black Hawk War databases.
🌐 ilsos.gov

Business

Campaign Finance
Official Free
Illinois campaign disclosure database for committees, candidates, contributions, expenditures, propositions, committee totals.
🌐 elections.il.gov
Drivers Facilities
Official Free
Search for Secretary of State facilities where you can receive motorist services. Results give you address, phone numbers and hours of service.
🌐 ilsos.gov
Uniform Commercial Code
Official Free
Do a non-certified Illinois Secretary of State (SOS) Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) financing statement search by debtor name or file number. To do a certified search you have to submit a UCC-11 fo...
🌐 ilsos.gov
Montgomery County | GIS
Official Free
Montgomery County property database, comparable sales, and GIS mapping. Search property by name, address, or Parcel ID. Interactive map has a large number of optional layers such as tax parcels, or...
🌐 beacon.schneidercorp.com
Trademarks
Official Free
Illinois Secretary of State service mark and trademark search.
🌐 ilsos.gov

Civic

Provisional Ballot Status
Official Free
Use this site from the Illinois State Board of Elections to discover whether your provisional ballot was counted, and if it was not counted, the reason why.
🌐 elections.il.gov
Bills & Resolutions
Official Free
Browse this Illinois General Assembly site for Illinois Senate or House Bills and Resolutions, or search by bill number or keyword.
🌐 ilga.gov
Kane County
Official Free
Search for your voter registration in Kane County by last name and address to determine registration status, precinct, polling place and voting district.
🌐 kanecountyelections.org

Other

Nursing Home Violators
Official Free
Browse the Illinois Department of Public Healths quarterly alphabetical index of nursing home violators to view facility name, address, docket #, owner/licensee name and address, details and link t...
🌐 idph.state.il.us
Nursing Homes
Official Free
Illinois Department of Public Health license lookup for long term care facilities.
🌐 illinois.gov
Timeshare
Official Free
Illinois Timeshare licensee lookup, including acquisitions agents, component sites, developers, exchange companies, managing entities, plans, sales and resale agents, land sales developers, and lan...
🌐 illinois.gov
Attorneys
Official Free
Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois database index of licensed attorneys.
🌐 iardc.org
Attorneys - Bar Association
Official Free
Fill out this form and submit to locate a member of the DuPage County Bar Association suited for your particular needs.
🌐 dcba.org
Insurance
Official Free
National Association of Insurance Commissioners search for individual, business, and insurance company Illinois insurance licenses.
🌐 sbs.naic.org
Banking | Mortgage
Official Free
Illinois mortgage banking license verification for mortgage loan originators, brokers, banks, and branch offices.
🌐 illinois.gov
Crime Reports
Official Free
Search this Illinois State Police database of crime reports for crime information by year, time frame, and category (crime rates, crime numbers, arrest rates, or arrest numbers).
🌐 illinois.gov
Traffic Crashes
Official Free
Search this Illinois State Police database for fatal crash data by district, county, city, statewide, or interstate. Further research available for alcohol related and teen driver crashes.
🌐 isp.illinois.gov
Newspaper Project Database
Official Free
This database includes newspaper titles which have been inventoried and cataloged by both the Down-State Illinois Newspaper Project, located at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and the Chicago Illinois Newspaper Project.
🌐 library.illinois.edu
Work - Employer Databases
Official Free
Browse the IL Dept. of Employment Security databases for information on the state labor market. You can look for a job, explore occupations or get help with writing a resume.
🌐 illinoisworknet.com
ATMs
Official Free
Use this service of the State of Illinois Division of Banking and search for ATMs.
🌐 idfpr.com
Lobbyists
Official Free
Search by name for lobbyists or lobbyist entities in Illinois.
🌐 ilsos.gov
Servitude and Emancipation Records 1722-1863
Official Free
Search the Illinois State Archives for Servitude and Emancipation Records for the period 1722-1863. Search by county, name of servant, name of other party, sex, race, document type, and/or date.
🌐 ilsos.gov

Frequently Asked Questions

What public records are available in Illinois?

Illinois provides public access to court records, criminal histories, vital records (birth/death/marriage), property records, professional licenses, voter registration, and business filings. Each record type has its own page on SearchSystems.net.

Are Illinois public records free?

Most online lookups — court calendars, property assessor portals, license verification, voter status — are free. Certified copies and fingerprint-based criminal-history checks typically carry a state fee.

What law governs public records in Illinois?

Illinois public records are governed by the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140), which requires public bodies to make records available unless covered by Section 7 or 7.

How do I request a record not available online?

File a written records request with the state or local agency that maintains the record. Most Illinois agencies must respond within a fixed statutory window (typically 3–15 business days).