Reviewed and updated October 4, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link on this page was opened and checked against the office's own website at review time.
Des Plaines is a city in Cook County, Illinois, with about 59,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its public records are split between the city and the county. The city keeps council records and its own licenses and permits; court cases, jail bookings, deeds and vital records are county or state records. This guide names the Des Plaines offices SearchSystems verified, links to each one's own website and gives the phone number and address where the office publishes them. SearchSystems verified 3 city office pages for Des Plaines, every one opened and checked.
In this guide: City or county, City Clerk, City Hall, Records requests, Other cities and Questions.
City or county record: where Des Plaines records are kept
- Kept by the City of Des Plaines: council and board meeting records, ordinances and the city's own licenses and permits.
- Kept by Cook County or the state: court cases, jail bookings, deeds and property values and birth and death certificates. These are not city records; they are in the Cook County public records guide under court records, jail lookups, property records and vital records.
Des Plaines City Clerk: council records and ordinances
The City Clerk keeps the official records of the city government: council and board agendas and minutes, ordinances and resolutions, and the city's contracts and other official documents. The office below is the one SearchSystems verified for Des Plaines.
- Website: desplainesil.gov/Your-Government/City-Clerk (page title: City Clerk | City of Des Plaines, IL)
- Phone: 847-391-5311
- Address: 1420 Miner Street Des Plaines, IL 60016
- Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Des Plaines City Hall: departments, licenses and permits
Business licenses, building permits, code enforcement cases and the city's other records are kept by the department that issued them. The city's own website below lists its departments and how to reach them.
- Website: desplainesil.gov/Departments (page title: Departments | City of Des Plaines, IL)
- Phone: 847-391-5380
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
Public records requests to Des Plaines
Illinois public records law applies to the city government of Des Plaines. The city runs one records request page for its departments; it is the page below, verified by SearchSystems. A request that names a date, an address, or a report or case number is the easiest to answer.
- Website: desplainesil.gov/Your-Government/Freedom-of-Information-FOIA-Transp... (page title: Freedom of Information (FOIA) & Transparency | City of Des Plaines, IL)
- Phone: 847-391-5504
- Address: 1420 Miner Street, Room 602 Des Plaines, IL 60016
- Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- Checked: September 25, 2026, the page answered.
A record the request page does not cover is asked for from the office that holds it: the City Clerk for council and city records and the department that issued a permit or license for its records.
Other cities and towns in Cook County
SearchSystems has a guide like this one for these other cities and towns in Cook County. The Cook County public records guide covers the records the county keeps for all of them.
- Chicago
- Evanston
- Arlington Heights
- Palatine
- Orland Park
- Oak Lawn
- Mount Prospect
- Berwyn
- Tinley Park
- Hoffman Estates
- Park Ridge
- Streamwood
- Wheeling
- Hanover Park
- Calumet City
- Northbrook
- Niles
- Burbank
- Lansing
- Wilmette
- Oak Forest
- Chicago Heights
- Morton Grove
- Elmwood Park
- Blue Island
- Park Forest
- Dolton
- Evergreen Park
- Brookfield
- Matteson
- Alsip
- Lemont
- Bellwood
- Franklin Park
- Palos Hills
- Bridgeview
- Westchester
- Country Club Hills
- Prospect Heights
- Hickory Hills
- Chicago Ridge
- Lincolnwood
- Richton Park
- Winnetka
- Northlake
- Palos Heights
- Schiller Park
- Markham
- Summit
- Barrington
- Crestwood
- Lyons
- River Grove
- Flossmoor
- Riverside
- Harwood Heights
- Glenwood
- Broadview
- North Riverside
- Stickney
The 60 largest are listed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the official Des Plaines website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records directory, online since 1997. It links to the official Des Plaines offices listed above, and the city's own website is desplainesil.gov; SearchSystems does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.
Where do I find Des Plaines city council minutes and ordinances?
From the City Clerk at desplainesil.gov/Your-Government/City-Clerk, phone 847-391-5311. The office keeps the official agendas and minutes, ordinances and resolutions.
Where do I find court records or jail bookings for Des Plaines?
Des Plaines cases are heard by the courts that serve Cook County, and people arrested in Des Plaines are usually booked into the county jail. Both are covered in the Cook County public records guide on SearchSystems.
How do I request a public record from Des Plaines?
Through the city's records request page at desplainesil.gov, phone 847-391-5504. A record it does not cover is requested from the office that holds it: the City Clerk for council and city records and the department that issued a permit or license for its records.