The Recorder's Office is a repository for documents relating to land ownership. Land ownership records are open to the public. Social security numbers, phone numbers, and email addresses are redacted.
- ABOUT THE OFFICE
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The Champaign County Recorder's Office has existed since the first days of Champaign County. On July 2, 1833, Governor John Reynolds appointed T.R. Webber to be the County Recorder. Up until 1932, the County Recorder was also the Circuit Clerk. In 1932 the office was elected on its own in Champaign County. The first elected Recorder was C. Ross Mills. In 2020 the voters of Champaign County approved a measure to merge the Recorder's Office into the Clerk's Office. On January 1, 2022 it officially became the Champaign County Clerk & Recorder's Office.
The Recorders who have served.
C. Ross Mills 1932-1940 Charles Dent 1940-1948 John McElwee 1948-1960 Robert Martin 1960-1984 Naomi Jakobsson 1984-1996 Patricia Avery 1996 Barb Frasca 1996-2016 Mark Shelden 2016-2020 Mike Ingram 2020-2021 Aaron Ammons 2021-Present - WHAT DO THE FEES GO TO?
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On January 1, 2018 the recording fee for deeds, mortgages, releases, and other related documents will be be $61 and can be broken down like this.
Base Recording Fee $33 Rental Housing Support Program $10 Geographical Information Systems $15 Recorder's Automation Fund $3 The base recording fee and the Geographic Information Systems fee are set by County ordinances. State law allows counties to raise the fees to cover the expenses of running the Recorder's Office and the GIS office. On the Recorder side, County Ordinance 935 raised fees in 2013 based on a cost study. The fees were modified in 2017 in County Ordinance 993 which put the County in compliance with the 2017 predictable fee law.
The base recording fee goes into the County's General Fund. This covers the operations of the office including staff, office space, utilities, other infrastructure, and any other costs that were determined through the cost study.
The Automation fund is used to cover the costs of digitizing records, making them available on-line, and other technological purposes.
The GIS fund goes to the Champaign County GIS Consortium. This provides government bodies and the public with up to date mapping and data services related to property.
The Rental Housing Support Fee goes to the State of Illinois to provide assistance for renters.
Real Estate Transfer Tax
When property in Illinois is conveyed from one entity to another, there is a Real Estate Transfer tax assessed in the amount of 1.5% of the value of the property. Of this, 2/3 is given to the State of Illinois. 1/3 remains in the County.
- LAWS RELATED TO THE RECORDER'S OFFICE
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State Statutes
State of Illinois Real Estate Transfer Tax
County Real Estate Transfer Tax
County Ordinances and Resolutions
Ordinance Establishing County Real Estate Transfer Tax
Ordinance Establishing Transfer Tax on Beneficial Interests
- VETERAN INFORMATION
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Veterans may file their DD-214 discharge papers in our office to provide for a local place to obtain a copy. There is no cost to file your DD-214 and there is no cost to get a copy. Military discharge papers less than 62 years old are not available to the public.
If you want to file your DD-214 in our office, just bring the original discharge paper to us. We will scan the copy, create a permanent record, and return the original to you. If you want to get a certified copy that day or in the future, we just ask that you present a government issued identification. Thank you for your service to our country.
