State guides / Illinois / Cook County

Cook County property data

Where Cook County's property records live, how its tax and foreclosure sales work, and what Deedplat puts on one map, including Chicago.

129Cities and towns

Hover a town to see its name

Where the records are

The county offices an investor deals with in Cook County, and what each one puts online.

Deeds and mortgages

Cook County Clerk's Office, Recordings Division. Recorded land records can be searched on the Clerk's website by PIN, grantor, grantee and other indexed details.

Owners and values

Cook County Assessor's Office. The Assessor's website has a free address search, reassessment calendars and valuation reports for each township.

Tax sales

Cook County Treasurer's Office. Tax sale rules, registration and sale information are posted free on the Treasurer's website.

Foreclosure sales

Cook County Sheriff's Office, Civil Services. The Sheriff posts upcoming and past foreclosure property sales free on its foreclosure sale website.

Parcel maps

Cook County GIS (Cook Central and CookViewer). Cook Central offers free open GIS data and map apps, including the CookViewer parcel map.

How property is sold here

Cook County follows Illinois's rules, with its own calendar and offices. Read the Illinois guide for how the state works.

Tax sales

Illinois sells the unpaid taxes, not the property, and a buyer who is not redeemed can later ask the court for a tax deed. The Cook County Treasurer holds an Annual Tax Sale of the prior year's delinquent taxes, and expects the next one in December 2026 after a 2026 state law allowed a delay. A Scavenger Sale of taxes delinquent three or more years is now held only when the Cook County Board orders one, with a minimum bid of $250 or half the tax due if that is less than $500.

Foreclosure sales

Illinois foreclosures go through the courts, and Sheriff foreclosure sales are held Monday through Friday at 1 p.m. on the lower level of the Daley Center, 50 W. Washington, outside Room 06. Buyers pay 10% at the sale and the rest within 24 hours, a judge must approve each sale, and lists are on the Sheriff's foreclosure sale website.

Assessed values

The Assessor reassesses one third of the county each year on a three-year cycle: the City of Chicago in 2024, the north and northwest suburbs in 2025, and the south and west suburbs in 2026.

Transfer tax

Illinois charges $0.50 per $500 of value, Cook County adds its own county transfer tax, and the City of Chicago adds $3.75 per $500 paid by the buyer plus a $1.50 per $500 CTA portion paid by the seller.

Land bank

The Cook County Land Bank Authority has acquired and returned more than 2,500 vacant and abandoned properties to use since 2014, and it sells from a daily-changing inventory and runs a Tax Certificate Program.

Worth knowing

Chicago is inside Cook County, and the county's recorder of deeds is now part of the Cook County Clerk's Office at 118 N. Clark Street, Room 120.

Worth knowing

The Annual Tax Sale requires bidders to register and post collateral or a bond with the Treasurer's Office.

Worth knowing

After Board of Review appeals in the 2025 north suburban reassessment, commercial values were cut 14%, down from 20% in 2022, so homeowners' share of the tax base grew.

Every town in Cook County

The cities, towns and townships inside the county line.

Alsip village
Arlington Heights village
Barrington Hills village
Barrington village
Bartlett village
Bedford Park village
Bellwood village
Bensenville village
Berkeley village
Berwyn city
Blue Island city
Bridgeview village
Broadview village
Brookfield village
Buffalo Grove village
Burbank city
Burnham village
Burr Ridge village
Calumet City city
Calumet Park village
Chicago Heights city
Chicago Ridge village
Chicago city
Cicero town
Country Club Hills city
Countryside city
Crestwood village
Deerfield village
Des Plaines city
Dixmoor village
Dolton village
East Dundee village
East Hazel Crest village
Elgin city
Elk Grove Village village
Elmwood Park village
Evanston city
Evergreen Park village
Flossmoor village
Ford Heights village
Forest Park village
Forest View village
Franklin Park village
Glencoe village
Glenview village
Glenwood village
Golf village
Hanover Park village
Harvey city
Harwood Heights village
Hazel Crest village
Hickory Hills city
Hillside village
Hinsdale village
Hodgkins village
Hoffman Estates village
Hometown city
Homewood village
Indian Head Park village
Inverness village
Justice village
Kenilworth village
La Grange Park village
La Grange village
Lansing village
Lemont village
Lincolnwood village
Lynwood village
Lyons village
Markham city
Matteson village
Maywood village
McCook village
Melrose Park village
Merrionette Park village
Midlothian village
Morton Grove village
Mount Prospect village
Niles village
Norridge village
North Riverside village
Northbrook village
Northfield village
Northlake city
Oak Forest city
Oak Lawn village
Oak Park village
Olympia Fields village
Orland Hills village
Orland Park village
Palatine village
Palos Heights city
Palos Hills city
Palos Park village
Park Forest village
Park Ridge city
Phoenix village
Posen village
Prospect Heights city
Richton Park village
River Forest village
River Grove village
Riverdale village
Riverside village
Robbins village
Rolling Meadows city
Roselle village
Rosemont village
Sauk Village village
Schaumburg village
Schiller Park village
Skokie village
South Barrington village
South Chicago Heights village
South Holland village
Steger village
Stickney village
Stone Park village
Streamwood village
Summit village
Thornton village
Tinley Park village
Westchester village
Western Springs village
Wheeling village
Willow Springs village
Wilmette village
Winnetka village
Worth village

Questions

Where are deeds recorded in Cook County?

Deeds are recorded by the Recordings Division of the Cook County Clerk's Office at 118 N. Clark Street, Room 120, in Chicago. Documents cannot be recorded at the suburban courthouse offices.

When is the Cook County tax sale?

The Cook County Treasurer expects to hold the next Annual Tax Sale in December 2026. Scavenger Sales are held only when the Cook County Board orders one.

How do I find who owns a property in Cook County?

Look up the property's PIN and value on the Cook County Assessor's website, then search the Clerk's recorded documents by PIN for the latest deed and owner name.

Are Cook County property records online?

Yes. Recorded documents, Assessor values, Treasurer tax information, Sheriff foreclosure sale lists and GIS parcel maps are all on county websites.

Sources for this guide

Office hours, fees and sale dates change. We checked these sources in October 2026; confirm with the county before you act.

Every parcel in Cook County, on one map

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