Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
Illinois · Northeastern Illinois · #2 Most Populous County in the US
Cook County, Illinois
Government offices, property tax appeals, public records, courts, senior services, and local resources for Chicago and suburban Cook County residents
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Cook County's assessment ratio means effective tax rates are low — but incorrect appraisals still cost money. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
How does the Cook County property tax appeal process work?
Cook County has a two-stage appeal process. First, you can appeal to the Cook County Assessor's Office. You have approximately 30 days from receiving your assessment notice, and the deadline is printed on the notice. Second, you can appeal to the Cook County Board of Review, which operates independently and tends to grant larger reductions. You do not have to file with the Assessor first. Both stages are open annually by township on a rolling schedule. A successful appeal in a triennial reassessment year can reduce your assessed value for up to three years. Ownwell can manage both stages on your behalf.
What is the Senior Freeze and how do I qualify?
The Senior Citizen Assessment Freeze Exemption freezes the Equalized Assessed Value of your property so that future reassessment increases do not raise your tax bill. To qualify you must be 65 or older, own and occupy the property as your primary residence, and have total household income of $65,000 or less. Apply through the Cook County Assessor's Office. This is the most valuable property tax benefit available to qualifying Cook County seniors.
What is the difference between the Cook County Assessor and the Board of Review?
The Cook County Assessor is an elected official whose office determines the assessed value of all 1.8 million properties in the county. The Board of Review is a separate three-member quasi-judicial agency that hears appeals of those assessments. They are independent of each other. If you missed the Assessor's deadline, you can file directly with the Board of Review when your township is open. The Board of Review has historically granted larger reductions for residential properties than the Assessor's Office.
How do I find my Cook County courthouse?
Cook County has multiple courthouses organized by municipal district. Chicago cases are generally handled at the Daley Center (50 W Washington) for civil and probate matters, and at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse (2650 S California) for felony cases. Suburban residents go to the courthouse for their district: Skokie for the north suburbs, Rolling Meadows for the northwest, Maywood for the west, Bridgeview for the southwest, and Markham for the south suburbs.
Do I need to probate an estate in Cook County if there is no real estate?
Not always. If the estate consists only of accounts with named beneficiaries, life insurance with named beneficiaries, jointly held assets, or assets in a trust, those pass outside of probate entirely. Any real estate titled in the decedent's name alone will require a probate filing in Cook County regardless of value.
Office: Cook County Sheriff’s Office – Administration/Headquarters (312) 603-6444; Sheriff’s Police non-emergency (unincorporated Cook County) (847) 635-1188; Jail inquiries (773) 674-2100. Mailing: Cook County Sheriff’s Office, 3026 S. California Avenue, Chicago, IL 60608. The Sheriff directs over 6,700 officers, deputies, and civilian staff, operating the Cook County Department of Corrections (one of the largest single-site jails in the United States), providing court security, executing warrants, and policing unincorporated areas (the Chicago Police Department is a separate, independent agency).
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Cook County is the second most populous county in the United States (roughly 5.2 million residents) and covers 946 square miles, including Chicago and dozens of independently governed suburban municipalities (Oak Park, Evanston, Skokie, Cicero, and many more).
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-90/94 (Kennedy Expressway), I-290 (Eisenhower Expressway), I-55 (Stevenson Expressway), I-57, and I-88 (Illinois Tollway) serve the county.
Transit: Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) rail (“the L,” 8 lines, 145 stations) and bus system; Metra commuter rail (11 lines, 242 stations); Pace suburban bus service.
Airport: O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Midway International Airport (MDW).
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Cook County Building and Zoning – confirm current contact via cookcountyil.gov. Chicago’s own Department of Buildings handles permitting within city limits separately from county jurisdiction.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Cook County Veterans Assistance Commission – confirm current contact via cookcountyil.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Chicago Public Library (main branch: Harold Washington Library Center) serves city residents; numerous independent suburban library districts (Evanston, Oak Park, and others) serve the rest of the county – confirm current contact for your specific municipality.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Chicago Lakefront Trail along Lake Michigan, Millennium Park, Grant Park, Lincoln Park (home to the free Lincoln Park Zoo), and the Forest Preserves of Cook County (one of the largest local preserved-land systems in the country) are the county’s major public recreational assets.
Notes: Cook County’s cultural institutions include the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium, together forming Chicago’s Museum Campus.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Cook County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via cookcountyassessor.com. Cook County uses a distinct property assessment structure with the Assessor, County Clerk, Treasurer, and Board of Review as separate elected offices.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Cook County Animal and Rabies Control – confirm current contact via cookcountyil.gov.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Cook County Department of Environment and Sustainability – confirm current contact via cookcountyil.gov. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago manages regional wastewater treatment and flood control, including the Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (“Deep Tunnel”) system.
NOTES: Cook County is the sixteenth county completed in Illinois’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. Given Cook County’s exceptional scale (second most populous U.S. county, encompassing Chicago and dozens of independently governed suburbs), residents should confirm which specific municipal or county office has jurisdiction over their request – many services split between city, suburb, and county levels. 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 Cook County
Cook County is Illinois’s Chicago county – the third-largest American city that invented the skyscraper, deep dish pizza, Chicago blues, house music, and improvisational comedy on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan defines a county whose cultural, economic, and architectural contributions to American life are as significant as any metropolitan area in the country.
Chicago (the county seat, population ~2,696,000) is Cook County’s governmental and cultural hub, America’s third-largest city and the economic capital of the Midwest whose lakefront, Loop skyline, neighborhood diversity, and cultural institutions make it one of the world’s great cities.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Cook County Assessor’s Office at 118 N. Clark Street, Room 320, Chicago, IL 60602, phone 312-443-7550. IL assessed at 33.33% of market value.
Recommended
Are you overpaying Cook County property tax? Ownwell handles the Cook County appeal process, both stages if needed, and only charges a fee if you save. A winning appeal in a reassessment year can save you money for up to three consecutive years.
Public Records
Illinois’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) gives residents access to government records held by Cook County agencies. The Cook County Recorder of Deeds maintains all property records, including deeds, mortgages, liens, and easements, for the entire county including Chicago and all 134 suburbs. Records are searchable online through the recorder’s portal. The Clerk of the Circuit Court maintains all court records, searchable through the court’s case management system. Arrest records for unincorporated areas and county jails are maintained by the Sheriff. City arrest records are maintained by the Chicago Police Department.
Recommended
Search Cook County public records, including arrests, court filings, property history, and background information for residents across Chicago and all suburbs.
Search Cook County public records for Chicago and Cook County residents.
Courts & Legal
Cook County Circuit Court Probate Division at 69 W. Washington Street, Chicago, IL 60602, phone 312-603-6441, handles probate.
Courts Directory
Court
Type
Phone
Address
Richard J. Daley Center
Civil, chancery, probate, domestic relations
312-603-5030
50 W Washington St, Chicago
George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse
Felony criminal
773-869-3140
2650 S California Ave, Chicago
Domestic Violence Courthouse
Orders of protection, domestic violence
312-325-9435
555 W Harrison St, Chicago
Skokie Courthouse (2nd District)
Civil, criminal, family — north suburbs
847-470-7200
5600 Old Orchard Rd, Skokie
Rolling Meadows Courthouse (3rd District)
Civil, criminal, family — northwest suburbs
847-818-2300
2121 Euclid Ave, Rolling Meadows
Maywood Courthouse (4th District)
Civil, criminal, family — west suburbs
708-865-6040
1311 Maybrook Dr, Maywood
Bridgeview Courthouse (5th District)
Civil, criminal, family — southwest suburbs
708-974-6500
10220 S 76th Ave, Bridgeview
Markham Courthouse (6th District)
Civil, criminal, family — south suburbs
708-232-4551
16501 Kedzie Pkwy, Markham
Recommended
Need Illinois-compliant legal documents? LawDepot provides attorney-drafted wills, power of attorney, deeds, and contracts tailored to Illinois law. 365-day access, instant download.
Senior Services
Senior services in Cook County are split between city and suburban systems, which confuses many residents. If you live in the City of Chicago, the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) coordinates senior programs including congregate dining, in-home services, and caregiver support through its network of senior centers across all 50 wards. Call 312-744-5000 or visit chicago.gov/seniors.
If you live in suburban Cook County, AgeOptions is the designated Area Agency on Aging, federally funded under the Older Americans Act. AgeOptions coordinates a network of community-based providers across the suburbs offering home-delivered meals, transportation, homemaker services, caregiver respite, legal aid, and information and referral. Reach AgeOptions at 708-383-0258. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office also operates a Senior Services department that coordinates with law enforcement and community professionals to support seniors.
On the property tax side, two exemptions are specifically valuable for Cook County seniors. The Senior Exemption reduces the Equalized Assessed Value for homeowners 65 or older and the Assessor’s Office renews it automatically each year. The Senior Freeze is more powerful: for homeowners 65 or older with household income of $65,000 or less, it freezes the EAV at the current level, meaning future reassessment increases do not increase your tax bill.
Recommended
Finding senior living in Cook County. A Place for Mom connects families with assisted living, memory care, and independent living options across Chicago and suburban Cook County. Free guidance, no obligation.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Vital Records, Elections)
69 W. Washington St., Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 603-5656
CIRCUIT CLERK (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
50 W. Washington St., Chicago, IL 60602 (Richard J. Daley Center)
(312) 603-5030
Cook County Clerk
(312) 603-5656
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Circuit Court of Cook County, Probate Division (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Archives Department, Richard J. Daley Center, Room 1113, (312) 603-6601 – holds microfilmed historical court index books; older case files are stored off-site and generally retrieved on a weekly (Wednesday) schedule.
Chicago Genealogical Society – a dedicated society for Chicago and Cook County research, with resources including will books, administration records, guardian’s records, and order books from various Illinois counties, plus Chicago Death Certificates (1878-1947) and Coroner’s Death Certificates (1879-1904).
Local societies
Chicago Genealogical Society (see above) – directly serves Cook County and Chicago-area research.
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
Circuit Court of Cook County, Probate Division Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, Room 1202, Chicago, IL 60602 (312) 603-6441; Probate Division main: (312) 603-7545 / (312) 603-7546
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Cook County is Illinois’ most populous county by far, encompassing Chicago and its inner suburbs – home to the largest probate division in the state and one of the busiest in the country.
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 under Senate Bill 83, which also excludes vehicles from the calculation), there are no unresolved debts or claims, and there’s no real estate involved. No formal court probate is required – the affidavit is signed under penalty of perjury and presented directly to the institution holding the property.
Formal Probate (Independent or Supervised Administration) – required when the estate doesn’t qualify for the small estate affidavit, typically because it includes real estate, exceeds the threshold, or is otherwise complex. The vast majority of Illinois probate cases proceed under Independent Administration, authorized by the Illinois Independent Administration of Estates Act, which lets the estate representative act without prior court approval for most routine actions. Supervised Administration requires ongoing court oversight and is used for contested or complicated estates.
Step 2: filing for formal probate
File the decedent’s original will (if one exists) with the Circuit Clerk in the county where the decedent resided at death – in this case, the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court, Probate Division.
Petition the court to open the estate and appoint an executor (if there’s a will) or an administrator (if intestate). Illinois intestate succession generally favors the surviving spouse and children first, then parents or siblings if there’s neither.
All Probate Division filings in Cook County must be done electronically (e-filing) unless you qualify for an exemption for good cause; wills themselves are filed in person at the Probate Division customer service windows, not electronically.
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; creditors generally have a limited window to file claims against the estate.
Under Independent Administration, the representative marshals assets, pays valid debts and taxes, and distributes the remaining estate without needing court approval for each step – though beneficiaries can petition for supervised administration if there’s a dispute.
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, though federal estate tax may also apply to larger estates.
Filing fees vary; Cook County’s Probate Division has its own fee schedule – confirm current amounts with the Clerk’s office.
An eFiling Center with self-paced training stations is available at the Daley Center, Lower Level, Room LL-12, Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., or contact [email protected] / (312) 603-5030.
Most uncontested probate proceedings in Illinois can be completed within about a year, absent disputes or contests.
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
69 W. Washington St., Chicago, IL 60602
(773) 674-5300
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Vital Records, Elections)
69 W. Washington St., Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 603-5656
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Cook County Health (CCH)
(312) 864-8200
IL Medicaid
(800) 843-6154
IL DCFS — Multiple offices
dcfs.illinois.gov
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
nm.org (Level I Trauma — top-ranked)
Rush University Medical Center
rush.edu (Level I Trauma)
University of Chicago Medicine
uchicagomedicine.org (Level I Trauma)
Advocate Christ Medical Center
advocatehealth.com (Level I Trauma — Oak Lawn)
Loyola University Medical Center
luhs.org (Level I Trauma — Maywood)
NorthShore University HealthSystem
northshorehealth.org
AMITA Health (multiple campuses)
amitahealth.org
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Cook County Department of Public Health (serving suburban Cook County) – confirm current contact via cookcountypublichealth.org. Chicago Department of Public Health serves city residents separately.
Hospital: Major regional systems include Cook County Health (Stroger Hospital, the county’s public safety-net hospital system), Northwestern Memorial Hospital, University of Chicago Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, and Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Recommended for Illinois
Ownwell
Property tax appeal service. Contingency fee - no savings, no charge.
