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Illinois County
Clinton County, Illinois
Carlyle Lake and Illinois's German Catholic heartland - from Carlyle Lake (the largest man-made lake in Illinois at 26,000 acres - the Army Corps of Engineers' Kaskaskia River impoundment provides sailing, fishing, and waterfowl hunting that have made it one of Illinois's premier recreation destinations, particularly for sailboats that take advantage of the lake's consistent south winds) to Clinton County's dense German Catholic parish network (German Catholic immigrants settled the county in the 1840s-1860s, establishing parishes and parochial schools in virtually every community - the church steeples that punctuate every small town reflect an investment in religious community comparable to Missouri's Putnam County).
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Office: Clinton County Sheriff’s Office – Jail: 810 Franklin Street, Carlyle, IL 62231 (53 beds). Located approximately 50 miles east of St. Louis, serving roughly 38,000 residents across 506 square miles. Includes a 911 Dispatch Center.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-50 and SR-127 serve Carlyle, the county seat, four blocks east of Route 127. The major territorial road from Shawneetown to Kaskaskia, constructed in 1808, spurred early settlement in the area.
Notes: Clinton County was created in 1824, carved from Washington, Bond, and Fayette counties. Unlike many Illinois counties, Clinton has never experienced a county seat war – Carlyle has been the seat continuously since the county’s establishment, after Charles Slade donated 20 acres of land for that purpose. Carlyle itself was founded in 1818 by Charles W. Slade, whose son was the notorious Wild West figure Joseph “Jack” Slade; the elder Slade named the town after his own grandmother.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Clinton County Courthouse – Carlyle, IL (built 1999, the county’s third courthouse, replacing a structure used since the 1840s).
Notes: Carlyle came remarkably close to becoming the capital of Illinois in 1820, when the state decided to move its capital from Kaskaskia – Carlyle lost the vote to Vandalia by a single vote. Carlyle’s founding predates the War of 1812, beginning as a blockhouse fort to protect local settlers. Herman J.C. Beckemeyer, born in Clinton County in 1878, practiced law in Carlyle and served in the Illinois House of Representatives (1907-1911).
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Clinton County Veterans Assistance – confirm current contact via clintonco.illinois.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Carlyle Public Library (Carlyle) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Carlyle Lake (a major regional reservoir), the Clinton County Courthouse, and historic downtown Carlyle are the county’s premier heritage and recreational attractions.
Notes: The genuine, one-vote-margin near-miss of Carlyle becoming Illinois’s state capital is among the standout local historical facts covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Clinton County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via clintonco.illinois.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via clintonco.illinois.gov; Clinton County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Clinton County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via clintonco.illinois.gov.
NOTES: Clinton County is the fourteenth county completed in Illinois’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, one-vote-margin near-miss of Carlyle becoming Illinois’s state capital is among the standout local historical facts covered in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Clinton County
Clinton County is south-central Illinois’s German Catholic heritage and Carlyle Lake county – a community whose immigrant religious traditions and massive reservoir define its character.
Carlyle Lake – 26,000 acres on the Kaskaskia River – is Illinois’s largest man-made lake. The lake’s open water and reliable winds make it one of the Midwest’s premier sailing destinations, and it hosts major regattas annually. Fishing, waterfowl hunting, and camping round out the recreation economy.
Carlyle (the county seat, population ~3,200) and Breese (population ~4,500) serve the county’s governmental and commercial needs amid the German Catholic parish network that gives the county its distinctive cultural character.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Clinton County Assessor at 850 Fairfax Street, Suite 125, Carlyle, IL 62231, phone 618-594-2464. IL residential assessed at 33.33% of market value. Appeal to Board of Review.
Courts & Legal
Clinton County Circuit Court at 850 Fairfax Street, Carlyle, IL 62231, phone 618-594-2415, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Vital Records, Elections)
850 Franklin St., Carlyle, IL 62231
(618) 594-2464
CIRCUIT CLERK (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
850 Franklin St., Carlyle, IL 62231
(618) 594-2415
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
850 Franklin St., Carlyle, IL 62231
(618) 594-2464
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Clinton County Circuit Clerk (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Clinton County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Clinton County Circuit Clerk (Fourth Judicial Circuit) 850 Fairfax Street, Carlyle, IL 62231 (618) 594-6600 / (618) 594-6615
Clinton County’s seat, Carlyle, is home to Illinois’ largest man-made lake, Carlyle Lake, and sits about 50 miles east of St. Louis, Missouri. The Fourth Judicial Circuit also includes Christian, Clay, Effingham, Fayette, Jasper, Marion, Montgomery, and Shelby Counties.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Illinois has NOT adopted the Uniform Probate Code and is not a community property state – it follows common law property principles. Illinois probate is governed by the Probate Act of 1975 (755 ILCS 5/). Two main paths:
Small Estate Affidavit – for estates where personal property (excluding real estate) is valued at $150,000 or less (raised from $100,000 effective August 15, 2025), with no unresolved debts or claims and no real estate involved. No formal court probate is required.
Formal Probate (Independent or Supervised Administration) – required when the estate doesn’t qualify for the small estate affidavit. Most Illinois probate cases proceed under Independent Administration, letting the estate representative act without prior court approval for most routine actions.
Step 2: filing for formal probate
File the decedent’s original will (if one exists) with the Clinton County Circuit Clerk, where the decedent resided at death.
Petition the court to open the estate and appoint an executor (if there’s a will) or an administrator (if intestate).
The court issues Letters of Office (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration) appointing the representative.
Publish notice to creditors and unknown heirs as required by Illinois law.
Under Independent Administration, the representative marshals assets, pays valid debts and taxes, and distributes the remaining estate without needing court approval for each step.
File a final accounting or closing documents to formally close the estate.
What it costs
Illinois imposes its own state estate tax on estates valued above $4 million, with rates up to 16%. There is no Illinois inheritance tax.
Filing fees vary by county – confirm current amounts with the Clinton County Circuit Clerk.
Most uncontested probate proceedings in Illinois can be completed within about a year.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
820 Franklin St., Carlyle, IL 62231
(618) 594-4555
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Vital Records, Elections)
850 Franklin St., Carlyle, IL 62231
(618) 594-2464
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
850 Franklin St., Carlyle, IL 62231
(618) 594-2464
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Clinton County Health Dept
(618) 594-2723
IL DCFS — Breese
(618) 526-4546
IL Medicaid
(800) 843-6154
HSHS St. Joseph's Hospital (Breese)
hshs.org/st-josephs-breese
Anderson Hospital (Maryville)
andersonhospital.org
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Clinton County Health Department – confirm current contact via clintonco.illinois.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Carlyle
Population: 37,000
Area: 474 sq mi
Established: 1824
Tier: 3
Public Records
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