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Illinois · Central Illinois · #425
McLean County, Illinois
On the prairie at Illinois's geographic center, McLean County hosts State Farm Insurance's global headquarters, two universities, and some of the most productive farmland on earth - an unusual combination that makes Bloomington-Normal one of the most economically stable small metros in the Midwest.
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Office: McLean County Sheriff’s Office – 104 W. Front Street, Bloomington, IL 61702. Jail capacity 455 beds. Free mobile app available for custody lists, area alerts, and resource maps.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-55/39/74 and historic Route 66 serve Bloomington, the county seat, part of the Bloomington-Normal metro area; McLean County has 33 locations on the National Register of Historic Places.
Notes: Bloomington-Normal is the original headquarters home base of State Farm Insurance.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: McLean County Courthouse and Square – Bloomington, IL (current building 1903, Classical Revival, architect Reeves and Baile of Peoria; National Register of Historic Places since 1973; all four floors now house the McLean County Museum of History, with county circuit court functions moved out in 1976). The site held three earlier courthouses (1831, 1836, 1868); the 1868 Italian Renaissance building, designed by Alfred Piquenard, was heavily damaged in a catastrophic June 19, 1900 fire that destroyed four and a half downtown Bloomington blocks.
Notes: McLean County holds genuine major significance in Lincoln’s career: the 1836 Federal-style courthouse served Abraham Lincoln and fellow attorneys of the Eighth Judicial Circuit. David Davis, a prominent Bloomington judge, presided over that circuit, later managed Lincoln’s successful 1860 presidential campaign, and was appointed by Lincoln to the U.S. Supreme Court; Davis briefly served as acting President of the U.S. Senate following President James Garfield’s 1881 assassination. His preserved home, the David Davis Mansion, is open to the public today. Separately, Jesse Fell, an influential Bloomington landowner and businessman who helped found nearby Clinton and Towanda and contributed to establishing Illinois State University, was a close personal friend of Lincoln and is credited as possibly the first person to encourage Lincoln to run for president against Stephen Douglas.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: McLean County Veterans Assistance Commission – confirm current contact via mcleancountyil.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Bloomington Public Library (Bloomington) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The McLean County Museum of History (housed in the historic courthouse), the David Davis Mansion State Historic Site, and Route 66-era attractions in Bloomington-Normal are the county’s premier heritage attractions.
Notes: The genuine, deep connection between McLean County and Abraham Lincoln’s rise to the presidency – through both David Davis’s campaign management and Jesse Fell’s early encouragement – is among the most historically significant local facts covered in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: McLean County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via mcleancountyil.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via mcleancountyil.gov; McLean County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: McLean County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via mcleancountyil.gov.
NOTES: McLean County is the sixty-fourth county completed in Illinois’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, deep connection between McLean County and Abraham Lincoln’s rise to the presidency is among the most historically significant local 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 McLean County
McLean County makes a strong claim to being the most economically stable mid-sized metro in Illinois, and the reason is State Farm Insurance. The company has headquartered in Bloomington since its founding in 1922, and State Farm’s campus employment – tens of thousands of workers in insurance operations, technology, and corporate functions – anchors a local economy that barely blinked during recessions that devastated comparable Illinois cities. The company’s presence has attracted a professional workforce, strong tax base, and retail infrastructure that would be unusual for a county of McLean’s population anywhere else in the state.
Two universities add educational and cultural depth: Illinois State University in Normal, with about 20,000 students and a nationally recognized programs in education and theater, and Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, a selective liberal arts institution. The Bloomington-Normal metro’s combination of State Farm employment, university populations, and Abraham Lincoln’s early legal career in Bloomington (he delivered his famous “Lost Speech” here in 1856) gives the county a layered identity uncommon in central Illinois. McLean County is also notable for its agricultural productivity – its vast, flat prairie sits atop some of the deepest and most fertile topsoil in North America, and the county’s corn and soybean output is substantial.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Illinois assesses property at 33.33% of fair market value; McLean County conducts triennial reassessments. Property owners may appeal to the Board of Review within 30 days of the publication of assessments. The Senior Citizens Homestead Exemption reduces assessed value by $8,000; the Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze for residents 65+ with household income at or below $65,000 prevents assessment increases. Illinois has an estate tax on estates above $4 million; no Illinois inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
SENIOR SERVICES
Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging
700 Hamilton Boulevard, Peoria, IL 61603
Phone: (309) 674-2071
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, legal assistance, and long-term care options counseling for McLean County residents.
Senior Services
Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging
700 Hamilton Boulevard, Peoria, IL 61603
Phone: (309) 674-2071
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, legal assistance, and long-term care options counseling for McLean County residents.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Vital Records, Elections)
115 E. Washington St., Bloomington, IL 61701
(309) 888-5190
CIRCUIT CLERK (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
104 W. Front St., Bloomington, IL 61701
(309) 888-5301
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
115 E. Washington St., Bloomington, IL 61701
(309) 888-5190
Genealogy
County-level record sources
McLean County Circuit Clerk (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
McLean County Museum of History, Bloomington – a significant local historical and genealogical research resource.
Local societies
No dedicated McLean 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
McLean County Circuit Clerk Law & Justice Center, 104 West Front Street, Rooms 303/404, Bloomington, IL 61701 (309) 888-5301
McLean County is Illinois’ largest county by area, home to Bloomington-Normal and Illinois State University.
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 McLean 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 McLean 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
104 W. Front St., Bloomington, IL 61701
(309) 888-5200
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Vital Records, Elections)
115 E. Washington St., Bloomington, IL 61701
(309) 888-5190
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
115 E. Washington St., Bloomington, IL 61701
(309) 888-5190
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
McLean County Health Dept
(309) 888-5450
IL DCFS — Bloomington
(309) 862-6100
IL Medicaid
(800) 843-6154
OSF St. Joseph Medical Center
osfhealthcare.org/st-joseph (Bloomington — major regional hospital; Level II Trauma)
Carle BroMenn Medical Center
carle.org/bromenn (Normal)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: McLean County Health Department – confirm current contact via mcleancountyil.gov.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Bloomington
Population: 170,000
Area: 1,184 sq mi (one of Illinois' largest counties by area)
Established: 1830
Tier: 2
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in McLean County facilities via Amazon.
