Illinois, county records

Cook County, Illinois Public Records

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Find the right office in Cook County. Court cases, deeds and parcels, sheriff and jail records, vital records and county filings, each linked to the office that keeps them.

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Most requested Cook County records

Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.

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Showing 12 official sources

Official

Police & jail

Cook County Sheriff's Office

The Cook County Sheriff's Office is the county's law enforcement agency and holds its arrest records, incident and accident reports and the roster of people held in the county jail.

cookcountysheriffil.gov
Open official site Cook County Sheriff's Office
Official

Vital records

Cook County Clerk's Office, Death Certificates

The Cook County Clerk's Office, 118 N. Clark Street, Chicago, phone (312) 603-7790, keeps death records for Chicago and suburban Cook County and issues copies to relatives or those with a financial interest.

cookcountyclerkil.gov
Open official site Cook County Clerk's Office, Death Certificates
Official

City records

Cook County Economic Development Division

The Cook County Department of Planning and Development's Economic Development Division runs business programs such as property tax incentives and C-PACE, at 69 W Washington, Chicago, phone (312) 603-1000.

cookcountyil.gov
Open official site Cook County Economic Development Division
Official

Police & jail

Cook County Most Wanted

The Cook County Sheriff's Office publishes the people it is looking for and the warrants out for them, with the charge and the date each warrant was issued.

cookcountysheriffil.gov
Open official site Cook County Most Wanted
Official

City records

Chicago Public Library

Chicago Public Library is a public library in Cook County, open to the public with its catalogue, its online databases and the local collections it holds.

chipublib.org
Open official site Chicago Public Library

Everything else, organized

More official Cook County record sources

15 more Cook County sources not listed above.

More county sources

Local record guide

About public records in Cook County

County profile

Cook County at a glance

State
Illinois
County seat
Chicago
Population
5,275,541
Area
1,635 sq mi
Founded
1831
Cities and towns
83

Cook County offices and records

Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Cook County Sheriff's Office is responsible for law enforcement in unincorporated areas of Cook County and operates Cook County Jail. The office also has specialized divisions, including the Court Services Department and the Department of Corrections, making sure of full law enforcement and correctional services.

Police Departments. Cook County is served by several law enforcement agencies, including Cook County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments such as the Chicago Police Department, Evanston Police Department, and Cicero Police Department. Each department has jurisdiction over its respective city or area, while the Sheriff's Office handles unincorporated regions.

Law Enforcement & Arrests. Cook County Sheriff's Office, located at 50 West Washington Street, Chicago, IL 60602, is the primary law enforcement agency for Cook County's unincorporated areas and operates one of the largest jail systems in the nation. Cook County Department of Corrections operates Cook County Jail, located at 2700 South California Avenue, Chicago, IL 60608, housing pre-trial detainees and sentenced misdemeanor offenders. Municipal police departments operate throughout Cook County's 134 municipalities, including the Chicago Police Department (the second-largest municipal police force in the United States), Evanston Police Department, Oak Park Police Department, Schaumburg Police Department, Skokie Police Department, Des Plaines Police Department, Palatine Police Department, Arlington Heights Police Department, and dozens of other local departments serving their respective communities. Requests can be submitted to individual police departments or the Sheriff's Office, though some records may be exempt if they interfere with ongoing investigations or contain information protected under Illinois law. The Chicago Police Department operates a separate records request system through their FOIA office at 3510 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60653, and many suburban departments maintain their own records request procedures.

Criminal Records. Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court maintains these records, while the Illinois State Police provide statewide criminal history background checks.

Arrest Records. Arrest records in Cook County are maintained by Cook County Sheriff's Office and various municipal police departments.

Jail & Inmate Records. Inmate lookup is available through Cook County Sheriff's website, allowing the public to search for detainees.

Mugshots & Booking Photos. Mugshots in Cook County are taken and retained by Cook County Sheriff's Office during the booking process. These booking photos are accessible through the Sheriff's website, where the public can search for mugshots of individuals currently or previously detained.

Abandoned mine records

Old mine workings in Cook County

Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.

From the old mine records

What is on record in Cook County

Old mine sites
42
Sites with no status in the records
5
Still producing
11
Worked underground, in the mine records
1
Main minerals
crushed stone; construction sand and gravel; Clay
Holes drawn on the old survey maps
125
Shafts and tunnels
0
What they are
gravel pit, quarry, clay pit, sand pit
Maps surveyed
1953 to 1993
Sources
USGS mineral file and USGS topographic mine features

Is an old working under a property here?

The mine records hold 58 named mine sites inside the county, 42 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 125 holes drawn inside the county, 0 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are crushed stone; construction sand and gravel; Clay.

A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area. The Illinois Mine Subsidence Insurance Fund is a not for profit created by statute, not a state agency; the cover is bought through the homeowner insurer.

Cook County: the boundary from the Census Bureau, and one dot for each old mine or hole on record inside it. The purple dots come off the old survey maps and the darkest of those are shafts and tunnels; the red, green and orange ones are mine records. Hover a dot for its name.
Illinois mine map and abandoned mine records
Named workings recorded in Cook County (62 shown, 121 unnamed on the map)

Rows taken off the old survey maps open the USGS record of what sits at that spot, because no single feature on those maps has a page of its own. Rows from the mine records open their own USGS page.

Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.

Straight answers

Cook County public-records FAQs

Open only the answer you need.

Where can I find mugshots or booking photos in Cook County, Illinois?

Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Cook County Sheriff or a city police department in Cook County. Ask that agency for its record. Under 815 ILCS 505/2QQQ, anyone who publishes criminal record information, including photographs, may not charge a fee to remove, correct or modify it. Under 5 ILCS 140/2.15(e), a law enforcement agency may not post booking photographs on its social networking site for civil, petty or business offenses or Class B and C misdemeanors, except to help find a missing person or a wanted person.

How do I get a criminal background check in Cook County, Illinois?

The Illinois criminal history record comes from the Illinois State Police, Bureau of Identification. Under the Uniform Conviction Information Act, conviction information is public: request it by name with the UCIA name based request form or by fingerprints through a Live Scan vendor.

How can I look up sex offenders in Cook County, Illinois?

Search the Illinois Sex Offender Registry (Illinois State Police), or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.

How do I register to vote in Cook County, Illinois?

Register with the county clerk, or the board of election commissioners where one exists (the local election authority) or through the Illinois State Board of Elections. You can also register online with the state online registration. Regular registration closes 27 days before Election Day and online registration 16 days before; grace period registration and voting run in person at designated sites from the 27th day before through Election Day.

How do I look up property records in Cook County, Illinois?

Deeds and other recorded land documents in Cook County are kept by the Cook County Recorder of Deeds. Property values are set by the Township Assessor in township counties, or the County Supervisor of Assessments, and tax bills come from the County Treasurer, also called the County Collector. Source: official state page.

How do I get a birth or death certificate in Cook County, Illinois?

Certified birth and death certificates for Illinois come from the Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records. You may contact the county clerk where the event occurred. By mail with a check or money order payable to IDPH to Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records, 110 W Lawrence Ave., Springfield, IL 62704-2610, or through the county clerk where the birth occurred. Fee: $10 for a certified copy (or $15 for a certified copy with the information collected at birth); $2 for each additional copy requested at the same time.

How do I find business license records in Cook County, Illinois?

Business entity filings are searched with the Illinois Secretary of State, Business Services. Sole proprietorships and general partnerships using a business name other than the owners' legal names register it with the county clerk under the Assumed Name Act; some municipalities and counties impose their own taxes.

Same county

Cities, towns and neighboring counties

Use the city page when a record was created by a municipal police department or city office; use the county page for courts, deeds, vital records and jail custody.

ChicagoCiceroSchaumburgEvanstonArlington HeightsPalatineSkokieDes PlainesOrland ParkOak LawnBerwynMount ProspectTinley ParkOak ParkHoffman EstatesGlenviewStreamwoodPark RidgeWheelingHanover ParkCalumet CityNorthbrookElk Grove VillageNilesWilmetteChicago HeightsOak ForestMelrose ParkMorton GroveElmwood ParkRolling MeadowsMaywoodBlue IslandSouth HollandDoltonPark ForestHarveyHomewoodEvergreen ParkBrookfieldMcHenry CountyKane CountyLake CountyPorter County, IndianaLake County, IndianaDuPage CountyBerrien County, MichiganWill County