The Clerk is responsible for keeping an accurate record of all the
proceedings of the County Board and to maintain all its official records.
Passage of the "Consolidation of Elections Law" in 1980 provided
that the Clerk has the responsibility to prepare for and administer the
election process for local, state and national elections. This law
provides for a more uniform election process in the State of Illinois.
By law, the County Clerk also files the commissions for notary public,
files assumed names for businesses, issues marriage licenses, files
campaign disclosure statements and statements of economic interest. As a
service to the public, the County Clerk’s office processes passports and
supplies information on national, state, county and local government. The
County Clerk’s office is the depository for vital records for DeKalb
County residents. The office has on file birth and death certificates from
January, 1878. The Clerk’s office also has issued marriage licenses
since the founding of the county in 1837.
The County Clerk’s office is responsible for annually computing the
property tax rates for all parcels of land within the county and the
redemption of delinquent taxes.
The functions of the DeKalb County Recorder:
The operations of the County Recorder are specified by and required by
the Illinois Compiled Statutes. Briefly, the Recorder is required to
record all documents submitted by the public which are qualified to be
recorded; to maintain an up-to-date and accurate set of maps (or
"plats") which show the current ownership of every tract of land
in the entire county, and to perform all functions of a clerical and
technical nature to accomplish that objective.
In DeKalb County, by order of the County Board, the Recorder also
maintains a "Tract Index" of real estate transactions, which
indicates the title to property and any mortgages or liens against it. The
chain of title may be traced back to the original government grant in this
Tract Index.
The Recorder also maintains and keeps on file all Federal and State Tax
Liens; Illinois "Business and Not for Profit Corporation"
documents and all "Limited Liability Corporations" Uniform
Commercial Code documents including Agriculture Terminations and Military
Discharge papers known as DD-214 of which certified copies are provided
free of charge to the veteran.