Before you consider submitting a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, please know that most of our information is available to you right away; either in person, by mail, fax or email. There is no need to go through the formality of a FOIA request. Please review the categories below. If you do not find the information you are seeking, call the Recording Division of the Lake County Clerk's Office at 847-377-2575, before preparing your FOIA request. All land records are open to the public and are accessible and available to you immediately. It is our goal to provide you the needed information without having to file a FOIA request.

If you still wish to file a FOIA request, please call the Lake County Clerk's Office Recording Division FOIA officer, Michelle McPherson at 847-377-2575.

Authority

The Lake County Clerk's Office is authorized by the Recorder section of the Counties Code as described in the Illinois Statutes. (55 ILCS 5/3).

Staff

The current staffing level is 16 full time employees. Current employees have an average of 20 years in recording experience.

Recording Volume

The office has records of over seven million documents, containing over 28.5 million pages.

Budget

The Recording Division of the Lake County Clerk's Office has budget responsibilities for three separate funds. The total of the various fund collections over the past five years have averaged over $10 million annually, of which approximately $4 million is passed along to the state each year.

Here is a summary for fiscal year 2023:

• The Recording Division budget (PDF) contains revenue and expense accounts.
• The Recorder Automation budget (PDF) contains revenue and expense accounts.
• The GIS Automation budget (PDF) reflects revenues. The Lake County Clerk's Office has no expenses in this fund.

Real Estate Transfer Tax

The county ordinance and resolution (PDF) have been recorded as document number 6587766.

Land Records

For prompt service, we recommend that you place the order by phone or email and avoid the formality of a FOIA request. This allows our staff to fill your order immediately, rather than waiting for the FOIA officer to prepare an official response. FOIA requests take up to five days while most orders enjoy same day service.

Fees

Land records are exempt from the FOIA records fee structure. Copy fees are $1.00 per page regardless of their status as orders or FOIA requests.

Military Discharges

One of the most important duties of the Lake County Clerk's Office is the recording and safekeeping of veteran's military service discharge papers. Only the veteran or their designated representative may obtain copies of these documents. For privacy protection, these documents are not available to the general public per Public Act 093-0468.