Chicago Public Records

Chicago public records are held by city departments, Cook County offices, and state agencies. As the largest city in Illinois with over 2.6 million residents, Chicago keeps a wide range of records that the public can search and request. The city clerk, police department, and building department each handle different types of records. You can file a Freedom of Information Act request with any Chicago department to get records not posted online. Most searches start at the city clerk site or the Cook County court system. Chicago also runs its own data portal with open datasets for crime stats, permits, and more.

Cook County Records for Chicago

Chicago sits in Cook County. Court cases, vital records, land deeds, and property tax files all go through Cook County offices. The Cook County Clerk handles birth, death, and marriage certificates for events in Chicago. The Clerk of the Circuit Court keeps all civil and criminal case files. You can search Cook County court records online for free.

Property records are also at the county level. The Cook County Assessor handles tax valuations and exemptions. The Recordings Division stores all deeds, mortgages, and liens filed in Chicago. Since December 2020, land records moved from the former Recorder of Deeds to the Cook County Clerk. If you need court records, vital records, or land records for a Chicago address, start with Cook County.

Chicago City Clerk Office

The Chicago City Clerk is the official record keeper for the City of Chicago. This office handles city council proceedings, business licenses, vehicle stickers, and other municipal records. The clerk keeps minutes from all city council meetings and maintains the municipal code.

You can visit the Chicago City Clerk at City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St., Room 107, Chicago, IL 60602. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. The office also has a location at the Bismarck Hotel building. Call (312) 744-6861 for questions about Chicago public records held by the clerk. The clerk provides notary services, domestic partnership registration, and city sticker sales in addition to records access.

The city clerk website shows Chicago public records services including the city clerk office and related departments.

The clerk site has links to forms, fees, and contact details for each service area.

Note: The Chicago City Clerk does not handle court records or vital records, which are kept by Cook County offices instead.

Chicago FOIA Requests

The Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140) gives anyone the right to request Chicago public records. Each city department has its own FOIA officer. You must send your request to the right department. The city has to respond within 5 business days.

For police records, send your FOIA request to the Chicago Police Department. For building permits, contact the Department of Buildings. For finance records, go through the Department of Finance. Chicago gets thousands of FOIA requests each year because of its size. If you are not sure which department holds the records you need, start with the Mayor's Office of Communications. They can point you to the right FOIA officer.

Chicago also runs a city data portal at data.cityofchicago.org. This site has open datasets on crime, building violations, business licenses, and much more. Many records are available there without a formal FOIA request. The portal is free to use. It can save you time if the data you need is already published.

Chicago Police Records

The Chicago Police Department is one of the largest in the country. It handles police reports, incident records, arrest data, and crime statistics. You can get copies of police reports by filing a FOIA request with the CPD records division.

Chicago provides a public crime data portal where you can search incidents by date, type, and location. The department also publishes annual reports with detailed crime statistics. For specific police reports, you will need the case number or enough details for the department to find the record. CPD charges fees for copies in some cases. The first 50 pages of black and white copies are free under Illinois FOIA rules. After that, the cost is $0.15 per page.

Note: Some police records in Chicago are exempt from FOIA if they could interfere with an active investigation or endanger someone.

Building and Permit Records

The Chicago Department of Buildings handles all building permits, inspections, and code enforcement for the city. You can search building permits and violations online through the city data portal. Permit records go back several years in the online system. Older records may need a FOIA request or an in-person visit.

Chicago requires permits for most construction work. New buildings, additions, electrical work, plumbing, and demolition all need permits. The department tracks violations and inspection results too. Zoning records are handled by the Department of Planning and Development. If you need to check what is allowed on a specific lot in Chicago, that office can help. The city also publishes building violation data in its open data portal, so you can look up any address and see if there are active code violations.

Chicago City Resources

The Chicago city website is the main portal for all city services and public records information.

From the city homepage you can find links to each department, submit service requests, and access the open data portal for Chicago public records.

Chicago has other useful resources for finding public records. The city runs 311 for non-emergency city services and questions. You can call 311 or use the CHI 311 app to report issues and track service requests. The city council legislative information system lets you search ordinances, resolutions, and council proceedings going back many years. If you need help with a FOIA appeal, the Illinois Attorney General's Public Access Counselor at 877-299-3642 can assist.

Nearby Illinois Cities

These cities are near Chicago and may have records relevant to your search. Each city runs its own FOIA process for municipal records, but county-level records like court cases and vital records go through Cook County or the bordering county.