FAQs

Unfortunately, fraud cannot always be prevented but early detection is the key to solving issues. Grundy County provides a free Property Fraud Alert program.  Sign up to get notified when any document is recorded with the criteria you provide on the form. Contact our vendor: Fidlar at 800-728-3858 or www.propertyfraudalert.com.

To request a copy of a plat, please call our office at 815-941-3224, email recording@grundycountyil.gov or use Tapestry search program: https://tapestry.fidlar.com/Tapestry2/
The copy fee is $3.00 per page or current fee listed on our fee sheet and is subject to change.

Surveys are not typically recorded in the recorders office. Contact your lender, title company, or a survey company for this information.

The Recorder’s Office cannot assist you in completing documents to alter or transfer property ownership , nor can we advise you on what documents you need to execute. Since the exact type of recording instrument and language you should use may depend upon several factors, including the type of deed and time of death of your loved one, we recommend that you secure the advice of a licensed attorney.

Not generally. If the birth, marriage, or death took place in Grundy county, the documents are archived by the Grundy County Clerk’s Office, which is located in the Grundy County Court House, Room 12, 111 E. Washington Street in Morris, Illinois. Occasionally, individuals born outside of Grundy County (in other counties, states or even other countries) choose to record their vital records such as birth, marriage, and death certificates with the Recorder’s Office so that copies of them are readily available locally. Doing so is completely optional, and not required by any local, State, or Federal laws.

No. The Illinois Real Estate Transfer Declaration (PTAX-203 & PTAX-203A) are forms created and required by the State of Illinois. As such, these forms are not specific to any one county, and may be used in all counties throughout Illinois.

Download these forms and their instructions and/or fill out the form online with the Illinois Department of Revenue by visiting our Download Forms Information page.

No. Our office will keep your document for 1-2 weeks for processing, and then it will be returned directly to you by U.S. mail or through the title company, attorney, or lender that recorded it for you.

Generally, because of privacy concerns and other issues, we do not recommend that you record your will in our office. Keep in mind that all recorded documents, including your will, become public record, and can be viewed by anyone with the desire to see them at any time. Typically, wills are placed in the safe keeping of a trusted attorney or held in a safe deposit box or other protected place that can be accessed by family or friends after your passing. If you want to record your will in our office, we will allow you to do so at the rates outlined in our Fee Schedule.

The Recorder’s Office is established by Illinois State statute as the legal repository for land records in Grundy County. In essence, we are a government library for documents concerning the ownership of property.

When a document is recorded, our office assigns it a unique Document Recording Number, and then enters the document information into a county-wide database. Copies of the actual document are stored on digital media, and the original is returned to the owner. The Office stores copies of recorded documents dating back to Grundy County’s inception in 1841.

We can provide copies of all documents on record, per our set fee schedule.

The Grundy County Board has determined that increasing the Geographic Information System (GIS) fee from $31 to $41 is necessary to cover the cost of maintaining a Geographic Information System. This increase is justified by a pervious cost study which was performed in 2017, and the need to ensure the proper amount of revenue is available to cover expenditures for the foreseeable future.

The Grundy County GIS data, online maps, aerials, topographic data, software, and services are relied upon in several area of County business/operations such as assessments, land use, emergency management, public safety, county infrastructure, and the ongoing collaboration with state and local jurisdictions.

The Grundy County Board placed on file the approved fee increases at the October 10, 2023, County Board meeting and will approve amending the fee increase, by Ordinance, at the November 14, 2023 County Board meeting.

The fee schedule will be in effect for all eligible documents presented for recordation on or after December 1, 2023.

If you should have any questions, please contact the GIS department at (815) 941-6778, or the Recorder’s Office at (815) 941-3224.

We are located on the main floor of the Courthouse in historic downtown at 111 E Washington St, Morris IL 60450, Room 11.

The variety and complexity of these forms is so great that our office cannot provide them. Contact a title company or a licensed attorney.