Illinois · Document Recording
Recording a Deed or Document in Lake County, IL
Lake County (population 719,339) records real-property documents through the Lake County Recorder of Deeds (Lake County Clerk's Office - Recording Division). Below is what it costs and how to submit. Filing a memorandum of contract? We record it with the county for $199, notary included — no trip to the courthouse.
Lake County recorder — contact
- Recording office
- Lake County Recorder of Deeds (Lake County Clerk's Office - Recording Division)
- Mailing address
- 18 N. County Street, Room 101, Waukegan, IL 60085 (satellite offices in Deerfield and Lake Zurich)
- Phone
- 847-377-2575
- Checks payable to
- Lake County Clerk
- Electronic recording
- Available via Simplifile, CSC, ePN
Lake County recording fees
- First page / base fee
- Standard document $70.00 plus $18.00 Rental Housing Support Program (RHSP) surcharge per document (unless exempt); fee may vary for non-standard size/type documents
- Additional pages
- Included in flat standard-document rate; non-standard documents billed at higher rate
- Other fees
- RHSP surcharge $18.00 per document (separate line item, unless exempt)
Counties change fees without notice. Check with the Lake County Recorder of Deeds (Lake County Clerk's Office - Recording Division) before you mail a check.
What Lake County requires
- Cover sheet
- Standard Illinois formatting expected (8.5x11, blank 3x5 top-right corner, 10-pt type, 1/2" margins)
- Submission & return
- Mail or in-person
Can you e-record in Lake County?
Yes. Lake County accepts electronic recording through Simplifile, CSC, ePN, so a properly formatted document can be recorded the same or next business day without mailing paper.
How to record a document in Lake County, Illinois
- Prepare the document so it meets Lake County's formatting rules (above): legal description, grantee address, signature block, and the blank space the recorder reserves for its stamp.
- Notarize it if the instrument requires acknowledgment. Most deeds and affidavits do.
- Submit electronically through Simplifile, CSC, ePN, or by mail to Lake County Recorder of Deeds (Lake County Clerk's Office - Recording Division).
- Pay the recording fee, payable to Lake County Clerk.
- Receive the recorded instrument back with its book/page or instrument number as proof of record.
Looking up a Lake County property
Owner names, parcel numbers and legal descriptions for Lake County property are searchable at Lake County Chief County Assessment Office / Lake County Property Tax Information portal. A deed or memorandum needs the exact legal description, so pull it from there or from the last recorded deed.
Filing with Jurably in Illinois
Illinois isn't available quite yet — it's coming soon. See the states we file in.