FAQs

You can mail in an original document for recording. Be sure to include where you want the document returned to after recording, a check in the exact amount of the recording fee and mail these to:
Kankakee County Recorder
189 E. Court Street
Kankakee, IL 60901

Each time ownership of property is transferred, whether through a sale or gift, a new deed form must be prepared, signed, notarized and recorded in our office. If the transfer is a sale of property for $100 or more, a PTAX 203 must be completed and must accompany the deed for recording for purposes of collecting transfer taxes based upon the sale price. If gifting property, the transfer is exempt from transfer taxes and the deed must contain the appropriate exemption paragraph. Deeds may qualify as being exempt from transfer taxes for various other reasons.

A fee schedule is available by clicking here and going to the Fees page.

Kankakee County Recorder

• Standard paper size is considered 8 1/2 x 11 inches, or letter size.
• All documents must contain 3 x 5 blank space on the top right hand corner for Recorder’s use only.
• The document should be on white paper, no less than 20 pound weight with a margin of 1/2 inch on all sides.
• The typeface should be no less than 10 point.

Any document not having ANY of these requirements is considered Non-standard and charged at the increased rate and can be found on our FEES page.

Generally, because of privacy concerns and other issues, we do not recommend that you record your will in our office. Keep in mind that all recorded documents, including your will, become public record, and can be viewed by anyone with the desire to see them at any time. Typically, wills are placed in the safe keeping of a trusted attorney or held in a safe deposit box or other protected place that can be accessed by family or friends after your passing.

Not generally. If the birth, marriage, or death took place in Kankakee County, the documents are archived by the Kankakee County Clerk’s Office, which is located on the main floor of the Kankakee County Administration building at 189 East Court St in Kankakee, Illinois. Occasionally, individuals born outside of Kankakee County chose to record their vital records such as birth, marriage, and death certificates with the Recorder’s Office so that copies of them are readily available locally. Doing so is completely optional, and not required by any local, State or Federal laws.

Property ownership can be traced in the Recorder’s Office. You may visit our office and we will assist you in gathering information. All records in our office are located by searching the grantor (seller) or grantee (buyer) name index. By law, the Recorder’s office is not allowed to perform title searches and we can only provide you with information we have available. A title company could perform and guarantee a full search of the property; something we are unable to do for you.

That search will require you to visit the Recorder’s office. As a matter of policy, we do not perform historical research for the public. We suggest you acquire the services of a title researcher.

This is a legal question that we are unable to answer. We advise you to consult an attorney.

Your question may be answered by contacting an attorney. We are not attorneys and are unable to give legal advice.

Contact the Illinois Department of Revenue, State Tax Lien Unit, 217-785-5299.

If it is due to a small business/self-employment tax lien, call 1-800-913-6050. In the case of a wage/income tax lien, call 1-800-829-7640.

Go to the Illinois State website for more information on UCCs. cyberdriveillinois.com