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Illinois · East-Central Illinois · #743
Vermilion County, Illinois
On the Indiana border in east-central Illinois, Danville is where Abraham Lincoln practiced law as a circuit-riding attorney in the 1840s and 1850s - riding the Eighth Judicial Circuit through the Illinois prairie in a formative period that shaped the legal mind and political instincts that would carry him to the presidency.
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Office: Vermilion County Sheriff’s Office – 2 E. South Street, Danville, IL 61832 | (217) 442-4080; Sheriff Patrick Hartshorn. 32 officers serving roughly 83,919 residents; specialized units include search and rescue and Tactical Operations/SWAT. Offers OffenderWatch community sex-offender notification.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-74 serves Danville, the county seat.
Notes: Vermilion County was created January 18, 1826. Salt Springs, established in November 1819, was the county’s first European settlement; the future site of Danville was identified as the new county seat in January 1827, with town lots going on sale that April. Danville is named for Daniel Beckwith, who died of pneumonia in 1835 following a horseback ride from Washington. In September 1838, the Potawatomi Trail of Death – a forced relocation of Native Americans similar in character to the Cherokee Trail of Tears – passed through the county, camping at Sandusky Point near what became the town of Catlin, a somber part of the region’s history.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Rita B. Garman Vermilion County Courthouse – 7 North Vermilion Street, Danville, IL (current building 1910-1913, Neoclassical, cost $281,455; fully rehabilitated 1986-1989 for $4,685,000; the fourth courthouse in county history, following log and brick structures in 1827, 1832-1833, and 1876-1877).
Notes: The current courthouse is genuinely named in honor of Rita B. Garman, who began her legal career in Danville and became the first woman from Downstate Illinois to serve as Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Vermilion County Veterans Assistance – confirm current contact via vercounty.org.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Danville Public Library (Danville) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Rita B. Garman Vermilion County Courthouse (named for a trailblazing state Chief Justice), the Vermilion County Museum (116 N. Gilbert Street, Danville), and Kickapoo State Recreation Area are the county’s premier heritage and recreational attractions.
Notes: The genuine, trailblazing legal career of Rita B. Garman, honored in the courthouse’s naming, is among the standout local facts covered in this project. The Potawatomi Trail of Death’s passage through the county is referenced with appropriate care.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Vermilion County Assessor’s Office – confirm current contact via vercounty.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via vercounty.org; Vermilion County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Vermilion County Environmental Health – confirm current contact via vercounty.org.
NOTES: Vermilion County is the eighty-third county completed in Illinois’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, trailblazing legal career of Rita B. Garman is among the standout 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 Vermilion County
Vermilion County’s Danville holds a specific Lincoln heritage that is often overlooked: during the years Lincoln rode the circuit as an attorney, Danville was one of his regular stops – he had an office in the old courthouse, tried cases before local judges, and developed the storytelling and jury-persuasion skills that made him one of the most effective lawyers in Illinois. The Lincoln connection is documented and genuine, not promotional embellishment.
The county’s industrial history – coal mining, manufacturing, and the Quaker Oats plant that operated for over a century – has largely given way to healthcare (Carle Danville) and distribution employment. Lake Vermilion provides recreation. The county has faced economic challenges common to post-industrial Illinois communities, but its Lincoln heritage and I-74 access give it tourism and logistics potential.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Illinois assesses property at 33.33% of fair market value with triennial reassessment by township. Property owners may appeal to the Township Assessor and then to the County Board of Review. Illinois offers a senior exemption of $8,000 off equalized assessed value. Illinois has an estate tax above $4 million; no Illinois inheritance tax.
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Vital Records, Elections)
6 N. Vermilion St., Danville, IL 61832
(217) 431-2525
CIRCUIT CLERK (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
7 N. Vermilion St., Danville, IL 61832
(217) 431-2524
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
6 N. Vermilion St., Danville, IL 61832
(217) 431-2525
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Vermilion County Circuit Clerk (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Vermilion 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
Vermilion County Circuit Clerk 7 North Vermilion Street, 1st Floor, Danville, IL 61832 (217) 554-7700 Vermilion County’s seat, Danville, is on the Indiana border in east-central Illinois.
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 Vermilion 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 Vermilion 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
6 N. Vermilion St., Danville, IL 61832
(217) 431-2200
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Vital Records, Elections)
6 N. Vermilion St., Danville, IL 61832
(217) 431-2525
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
6 N. Vermilion St., Danville, IL 61832
(217) 431-2525
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Vermilion County Health Dept
(217) 431-2662
IL DCFS — Danville
(217) 446-4340
IL Medicaid
(800) 843-6154
Presence United Samaritans Medical Center (Danville)
presencehealth.org/united-samaritans
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Vermilion County Health Department – confirm current contact via vercounty.org.
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Danville
Population: 77,000
Area: 900 sq mi
Established: 1826
Tier: 4
Public Records
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Search public records for Vermilion County residents.
