Freedom of Information Act

The Cook County Clerk is committed to an open and transparent office that duly informs the public of the important work we do.  Much of the information is already available and accessible online:

Elections
Ethics
Procurement
Clerk of the Board
Recordings
Vital Records
Budget


Before entering the FOIA Request Site: Are you looking for Criminal Court Files, Civil Court Files, Traffic Court matters or court file records in general? If so, then please direct your inquiry to the Circuit Court Clerk at cookcountyclerkofcourt.org. If you are unable to locate the information you need above, click below to access our FOIA Request Site.

        Enter FOIA Request Site

There is no fee for the first 50 pages of black and white, letter or legal sized copies. The Cook County Clerk’s Office requires a fee of 15 cents per page for each page in excess of 50 pages.  The Requester must pay the fee before the Office can release the requested documents.  The Cook County Clerk’s Office reserves the right to assess other fees as provided under FOIA.

Other important information as required under FOIA:

The Cook County Clerk is the elected, constitutional officer in charge of vital records, notary public registrations, assumed name registrations, and portions of the taxing and tax redemption processes in Cook County. The Clerk serves as the Clerk of the Board of Commissioners of Cook County. The Clerk is the registration officer under the Cook County Lobbyist Registration Ordinance, and the custodian of Statements of Economic Interests filed in Cook County. It is the office that conducts voter registration and elections in that potion of Cook County outside of The City of Chicago.

A block diagram giving its functional subdivisions is as follows:                                              

VITAL RECORDS ELECTIONS PROPERTY TAXES ETHICS BOARD PROCEEDINGS
The Cook County Clerk's Office is the official record keeper for births, marriages, civil unions and deaths that occur in Chicago and suburban Cook County. The Cook County Clerk's Office is the chief election authority for more than 120 towns and villages in suburban Cook County. The Cook County Clerk's Office maintains delinquent tax records, tax maps & information regarding TIF districts. The Cook County Clerk's Ethics Filings Division accepts and records documents detailing the financial activities of public officials, candidates, certain government officials and lobbyists. The Clerk of the Board records the activity of the Cook County Board by preparing board agendas and post-meeting reports as well as maintaining County Board records.

 

  • The operating budget of the Cook County Clerk’s Office is approximately $28,000,000.
  • The County Clerk has operating facilities at ten locations.
  • The Cook County Clerk’s Office has approximately 228 full time employees. Its part-time and election day employees can number up to 10,000.
  • While the Cook County Clerk is a separately elected official, in many instances the Cook County Clerk's Office is required to report to the Cook County Board of Commissioners and follows all applicable Cook County ordinances, rules, and regulations.