Deed in Cook County, Illinois
A deed transfers ownership of real property from the grantor to the grantee. Recording it gives public notice of the transfer, and in most states the order of recording decides who wins between competing buyers. In Cook County, deeds are recorded with the Cook County Clerk, Recordings, and a HeritageDeed title search lists them for the property.
How Cook County records it
Cook County no longer has a Recorder of Deeds. Voters approved merging the office into the County Clerk in a binding referendum on November 8, 2016, and the Recorder of Deeds ceased to exist on December 7, 2020. Deeds and mortgages are now recorded and searched through the Cook County Clerk's Recordings division.
What it means for a buyer or bidder
The last recorded deed names the owner of record and how they hold title; a title search follows the chain of deeds back from it.
Does a title search find it in Cook County?
Yes. The Cook County report covers: Deeds, mortgages, releases and liens recorded with the Cook County Clerk.
More about Cook County records
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