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Illinois · Chicago Southern Suburbs · Midwest · #99 Most Populous County in the US
Will County, Illinois
Chicago's fastest-growing southern collar county - Joliet, Bolingbrook, Plainfield, and one of the nation's busiest logistics corridors. Illinois property tax, township Board of Review appeals, courts, probate, and senior services for Will County residents.
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Will County's assessment ratio means effective tax rates are low — but incorrect appraisals still cost money. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Office: Will County Sheriff’s Office – 16911 W. Laraway Road, Joliet, IL 60433 | (815) 727-8575 | Patrol Administration (815) 774-6258; Sheriff Mike Kelley, a 31-year veteran of the department. The second-largest sheriff’s office in Illinois, with roughly 650 sworn and civilian employees at full strength. Will County Adult Detention Facility – 95 S. Chicago Street, Joliet, IL (jail capacity 865 beds).
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-55/80/355 and historic Route 66 serve Joliet, the county’s largest city and a major regional hub on the Des Plaines River. Joliet is genuinely known as the first major city outside Chicago along U.S. Route 66.
Notes: Will County was formed in 1836. Joliet was originally settled in 1852 as a steel mill town.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Will County Courthouse – 14 W. Jefferson Street, Joliet, IL.
Notes: Will County is home to the genuinely famous Old Joliet Prison (Joliet Correctional Center), one of Illinois’s most historically significant and culturally recognizable landmarks. Construction began in 1857-1858, following a critical report on conditions at the state’s earlier Alton penitentiary; the first 53 prisoners transferred from Alton in May 1858 and were tasked with constructing the new prison around themselves, quarrying limestone from a vein running through Will County just yards from the site. The resulting “Joliet limestone,” known for its distinctive cream-gold color and durability, became a widely used regional building material. The prison, described by inmate Nathan Leopold as resembling a “castle on the Rhine,” operated for 144 years as one of Illinois’s longest-running penitentiaries and gained further fame through pop culture, most notably as the setting of the 1980 film “The Blues Brothers.” The site fell into disrepair after decommissioning but was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023, with active restoration underway on its historic Administration Building and cellhouses.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Will County Veterans Assistance Commission – confirm current contact via willcountyillinois.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Joliet Public Library (Joliet) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Old Joliet Prison (National Register of Historic Places, guided tours available), the Joliet Area Historical Museum, and Route 66-themed attractions along Joliet’s historic corridor are the county’s premier heritage and cultural attractions.
Notes: The genuine, internationally recognized cultural fame of the Old Joliet Prison – from its distinctive limestone architecture to its “Blues Brothers” film legacy – is among the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere in this project.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Will County Assessment Office – confirm current contact via willcountyillinois.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Will County Animal Control – confirm current contact via willcountyillinois.gov.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Will County Land Use Department – confirm current contact via willcountyillinois.gov.
NOTES: Will County is the ninety-first county completed in Illinois’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, internationally recognized cultural fame of the Old Joliet Prison is among the most distinctive local facts covered anywhere 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 Will County
Will County is Chicago’s fastest-growing collar county by population over the past two decades – a 1,692-square-mile county south of Cook County anchored by Joliet (the county seat and Will County’s largest city), Bolingbrook, Naperville-adjacent communities, Plainfield, Romeoville, Lockport, Shorewood, and Crest Hill. The county has a dual character: the older industrial cities of Joliet and Lockport with their working-class heritage, and the newer master-planned suburban communities spreading south and west along I-55 and I-80.
Will County’s I-55 and I-80 interchange near Joliet makes it one of the most significant logistics hubs in North America – a convergence of rail, interstate, and inland port infrastructure that supports a massive warehousing and distribution economy. Major employers include Amazon, UPS, FedEx, and hundreds of logistics, manufacturing, and food processing firms. Joliet additionally has a significant casino and entertainment sector.
County government is led by an elected County Executive and 26-member County Board, with elected offices for the County Clerk, State’s Attorney, Sheriff, Treasurer, Circuit Court Clerk, Coroner, Auditor, and Recorder. Property assessment follows Illinois’s township system – each of Will County’s townships has its own elected assessor.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Will County follows Illinois’s standard property tax mechanics: assessment at 33.3% of fair market value, state equalization factor applied, resulting EAV taxed by multiple overlapping taxing districts, and bills issued in arrears (2025 tax year bills paid in 2026). School districts dominate the tax bill – typically 60–70% of the total levy.
Will County conducts quadrennial reassessments every four years. The next full county-wide reassessment is scheduled for 2027. Between reassessments, township assessors adjust values based on market conditions and property changes. Will County’s current effective rates run significantly above the national average, consistent with Illinois collar counties generally.
The appeal process:
Step 1: Contact your township assessor informally. Most factual errors – wrong square footage, incorrect bedroom count, property classification issues – can be corrected here without a formal appeal.
Step 2: File a formal assessment appeal with the Will County Board of Review at 302 N. Chicago Street, Joliet (815-740-4648). The deadline is 30 days from the publication of your township’s assessment roll – the specific date appears on your assessment notice. There is no single countywide deadline; timing varies by township.
Step 3: The Board of Review schedules a hearing. Present your evidence – comparable sales, a recent appraisal, or documentation of a recent arm’s-length purchase. The township assessor may contact you before the hearing with a stipulation (agreed adjustment) – if accepted, no hearing is required.
Step 4: If unsatisfied with the Board of Review decision, appeal to the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB) – a state quasi-judicial body that conducts a new hearing. PTAB decisions can apply until the next quadrennial reassessment cycle – potentially protecting your value for multiple years.
Quadrennial timing tip: A PTAB decision obtained before 2027 locks in a reduced value until the next reassessment. Filing in 2025–2026 creates an opportunity for multi-year savings before the 2027 cycle resets values.
Illinois homestead exemptions (apply through your township assessor or CCAO, deadline July 31 for next year’s bill):
– General Homestead Exemption: $6,000 EAV reduction
– Home Improvement, Disabled Veterans, Returning Veterans exemptions available
Illinois has no state estate tax and no state inheritance tax.
OWNWELL CTA: Will County’s 2027 quadrennial reassessment is approaching – a PTAB decision now can protect your value for the remaining cycle. Board of Review deadline varies by township. Ownwell manages the full process with no upfront cost.
Recommended
Will County's 2027 quadrennial reassessment is approaching - a PTAB decision now can protect your value for the remaining cycle. Board of Review deadline varies by township. Ownwell manages the full process with no upfront cost.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
The Will County Circuit Court (12th Judicial Circuit) at 14 W. Jefferson Street, Joliet (815-727-8592) handles all civil, criminal, family, and probate matters. The Will County Recorder at 302 N. Chicago Street, Joliet (815-740-4637) maintains all land records. The Will County Clerk (815-740-4615) maintains vital records and election records.
Illinois probate is governed by the Probate Act of 1975 (755 ILCS 5). Illinois has no state estate tax and no state inheritance tax. Illinois recognizes Transfer on Death instruments (TODI) for real property.
Senior Services: The Will County Center for Community Concerns – Senior Services (815-741-5100) and the South Suburban Council on Aging coordinate senior programming, home-delivered meals, transportation, SHIP Medicare counseling, and Adult Protective Services. Illinois’s Community Care Program (CCP) provides Medicaid-funded in-home care for qualifying seniors.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Vital Records, Elections)
302 N. Chicago St., Joliet, IL 60432
(815) 740-4615
CIRCUIT CLERK (Court Records, Marriage Licenses)
14 W. Jefferson St., Joliet, IL 60432
(815) 727-8592
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
302 N. Chicago St., Joliet, IL 60432
(815) 740-4615
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Will County Circuit Clerk (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The Flanders House in Plainfield (1840) is a notable local historical landmark.
Local societies
No dedicated Will 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
Will County Circuit Clerk (12th Judicial Circuit) 100 West Jefferson Street, Joliet, IL 60432 (815) 727-8592
Will County was founded January 12, 1836, named for Conrad Will, an early Illinois legislator. It is Illinois’ 4th-most-populous county (Chicago’s southwest suburbs, over 700,000 residents), and one of only 7 single-county judicial circuits in the state. Will County is home to the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.
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 Will 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 Will 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):
Will County Health Dept
(815) 727-8670
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
16 W. Washington St., Joliet, IL 60432
(815) 727-8895
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
COUNTY CLERK (Records, Vital Records, Elections)
302 N. Chicago St., Joliet, IL 60432
(815) 740-4615
ELECTIONS (County Clerk)
302 N. Chicago St., Joliet, IL 60432
(815) 740-4615
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
Will County Health Dept
(815) 727-8670
IL DCFS — Joliet
(815) 740-3750
IL Medicaid
(800) 843-6154
Advocate Christ Medical Center (Oak Lawn — Cook County)
advocatehealth.com/christ (Level I Trauma)
Silver Cross Hospital (New Lenox)
silvercross.org
AMITA Health St. Joseph (Joliet)
amitahealth.org
Morris Hospital (Morris)
morrishospital.org
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Will County Health Department – confirm current contact via willcountyillinois.gov.
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