Illinois County Courthouse Addresses

County clerks are the official custodians of all marriage records recorded in Illinois counties. To obtain copies of marriage licenses or records found in the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, you may write the appropriate county clerk including in your letter all of the information on the marriage given in the Marriage Index. Search and copy fees will vary from one county to another.

The county clerk is also the official custodian of birth and death records in Illinois. County clerks were not required by Illinois law to maintain birth and death records until 1877. Even though county clerks were required to maintain birth and death records in 1877, they were often irregularly maintained until 1916 when the Illinois Department of Public Health, Office of Vital Records, was established to regulate the recordation of vital records. Both the county clerk’s office and the Illinois Department of Public Health maintain birth and death records after 1916.

For birth and death records before 1916, researchers should contact the county clerk's office in the county where the birth or death occurred. Search and copy fees will vary from one county to another. If the birth or death occurred after 1916, researchers may also request copies from the Illinois Department of Public Health. In compliance with current legislation, the Illinois Department of Public Health and county clerks shall furnish for genealogical purposes certified or uncertified photocopies of birth not less than 75 years old and death records not less than 20 years old at a specified fee (410 Illinois Compiled Statutes 535/25).