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Recorder

Welcome to the Clay County Recorder

The recorder is responsible for recording, archiving, and retrieving a variety of documents.

Our responsibility is to maintain accurate, timely indexing and maintenance of the documents filed in our office. The staff at the Recorder’s office is committed to providing you with fast and friendly assistance with your recording and searching needs.

The Recorder’s office is the official record keeper for all land records in Clay County. The office processes and maintains all documents transferring land in order to establish legal ownership and protect rights.

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Common Questions & Services

Online Land Records Search

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Clay County Recorder’s Office has launched our new web-based application that allows for remote access to documents recorded in our office.

Currently our indexes for recorded documents are available from 1999 for all data and document images are available from Sept. 25, 2001.

As always you are more than welcome to stop by our office and search our records at no charge. Our office is open to the public Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We have 2 public access workstations that are available. Copies are $1.00 per page.

Tapestry

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Get started with Tapestry
Click here for Tapestry

A charge per search designed for the occasional/infrequent user.

All you need is a web browser for 24 X 7 access to Clay County land records. Tapestry allows for both pay-as-you-go access and an open account payment plan.

When searching by name use the format LASTNAME FIRSTNAME one space and no commas. You may search by document number, NOT book/page.

Laredo

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An account based search designed for users who consistently search in Clay County.

Laredo’s innovative technology and 24-hour access to Clay County’s land records allows you to obtain information faster and more efficiently.

Currently our recorded documents are from October 28, 2025 to present.

To sign up:

Download, fill out and submit the Laredo agreement below.

Clay County Laredo Agreement

To search: 

Once you have signed up and have been issued a username and password, download the Laredo software.

https://fidlar.com/laredo.aspx

For more information: 

Contact the Clay County Recorder’s Office at (618) 665-3626 or email claycoclerk@claycounty.illinois.gov.

 

E-Recording

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Enjoy processing documents in minutes.

Electronic recording also known as eRecording allows you to streamline your business practices, improve document security and rapidly record your transactions. Title companies, financial institutions, law firms and other businesses involved in real estate transactions recognize the great benefits from electronic recording. The manual process associated with paper processing is reduced from days to just minutes.

The eRecording service requires entering into an agreement with one of Clay County’s approved eRecording partners. These approved partners provide the submitter with a secure environment to submit the documents and collect the appropriate recording fees. Clay County Recorder’s office will accept all document types for eRecording.

To take advantage of recording your documents electronically, contact an eRecorder vendor below.

 

CSC eRecording Solutions

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Simplifile

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Hopdox

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Hopdox Logo

 

eRecording Partners Network

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GoEPN

 

Clay County Fee Schedule

(Effective October 28, 2025)

Fees set by Illinois Law or by County Board Resolutions – Predictable Fee Schedule (per ILCS Statute 55 ILCS 5/3-5018.1)

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• Standard Documents shall be divided into five classifications: Deeds, Mortgages, Easement, Leases & Miscellaneous; and a single, all inclusive, County & State-imposed fee shall be established for each standard document classification, eliminating surcharges or fees based on the individual attributes of the standard document to be recorded. Standard Documents shall conform to the following (ILCS 5/3-5018 (1-5):
         1. The document shall consist of one or more individual sheets measuring 8.5 inches by 11 inches, not permanently bound and not a continuous form. Graphic displays accompanying a document to be recorded that measure up to 11 inches by 17 inches shall be recorded without charging an additional fee.
         2. The document shall be legibly printed in black ink, by hand, type, or computer. Signatures and dates may be in contrasting colors if they will reproduce clearly.
         3. The document shall be on white paper of not less than 20-pound weight and shall have a clean margin of at one-half inch on the top, the bottom, and each side. Margins may be used for non-essential notations that will not affect the validity of the document, including but not limited to form numbers, page numbers, and customer notations.
         4. The first page of the document shall contain a blank space measuring at least 3 inches tall by 5 inches wide, from the upper right corner.
         5. The document shall not have any attachment stapled or otherwise affixed to any page.

• Non-Standard Documents are those documents not included in Standard classification due to one or more of the following attributes of the document to be recorded:
     – A document that creates a division of a then active existing tax parcel identification number.
     – A document recorded pursuant to the Uniform Commercial Code.
     – A document which is non-conforming, as described above;
     – A State Lien or a Federal Lien.
     – A document making specific reference to more than 5 tax parcel identification numbers in the county in which it is presented for recording.
     – A document making specific reference to more than 5 other document numbers recorded in the county in which it is presented for recording.

• 310 ILCS 105 Rental Housing Support Program Act (RHSP) – A surcharge of $18.00 is included in the Standard Document classification for any real estate related document, described as any recorded document that affects an interest in real property excluding documents which solely affect or relate to an easement for water, sewer, electricity, gas, telephone, or other public service. Documents that may fall into the Standard (Exempt RHSP) classification, including, but not limited to the following:
     – Public Utility Easements.
     – Documents recorded by any federal, state, or local unit of government.
     – Articles of incorporation and related documents.
     – Birth, Death, and Marriage records.
     – Judgments, Memorandum of Judgments omitting a legal description.
     – Power of Attorney omitting a legal description.
     – Re-recordings of an original document.
     – Transcripts involving a Will or Death Certificate omitting a legal description.
     – Wills omitting a legal description.

Recording Fees:

  • Standard Document – $94.00
  • Standard Document (Exempt RHSP) – $76.00
  • Non-Standard Document – $112.00
  • Surveys (11×17 maximum) – $94.00
  • — Requires 2 originals, retained by Recorder.
  • — Any additional copies will be returned to the customer.
  • — New Subdivision Plats require Plat Act Affidavits.
  • Plats of Subdivision (30×36 maximum) – $112.00
  • — Requires 2 originals, retained by Recorder.
  • — Any additional copies will be returned to the customer.
  • UCC Fixture Filings/Terminations – $76.00

Document Copies:

  • Certified Copies – $20.00
  • Certified Copy of Plats – $10.00
  • Non-Certified Copies (Microfilm) – $1.00 per page
  • Non-Certified Copies (Book/Page) – $1.00 per page

Searches:

Requests for any search of our records must be sent in writing and accompanied by the required fee.  These are non-certified searches.

  • Mortgages (Each 5-year period) – $5.00
  • Memorandum of Judgment – $5.00
  • State Lien Search – $5.00
  • Federal Lien Search – $5.00
  • UCC Searches per Name (Only UCC, Real Estate or Fixture Filings may be filed with Recorder) – $10.00
  • Copies provided for searches – $1.00 per page

 

IL Department of Revenue MyDec Program

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The Clay County Recorder’s Office participates in the Illinois Department of Revenue’s MyDec program which allows for the FREE online preparation and submission of real estate property transfer tax declarations. The MyDec program also allows users to track the status of and make corrections to electronically prepared PTAX-203 forms throughout the entire recording process.

Please register to become a MyDec user at: https://mytax.illinois.gov/MyDec.

Registered users can submit electronically prepared PTAX-203 forms to any Illinois county that participates in the MyDec program.

Benefits of using MyDec include:

  • Fewer rejections and quicker corrections.
  • Declarations can be saved and edited later before they are submitted.
  • Helpful tips are available for many of the lines where common mistakes are made. These tips can be viewed or hidden by clicking on the blue help icon next to the lines.
  • Fields that contain errors are displayed in red, providing a clear indication where changes must be made before the declaration is submitted.

A detailed set of instructions for the MyDec program can be found at https://www2.illinois.gov/rev/localgovernments/property/Pages/MyDec-Updates.aspx.

Support is also available by phone (844-445-1114, Monday thru Friday from 8:00AM – 4:30PM) or email (Rev.MyDecProject@illinois.gov).

 

New County Service Provides Property Fraud Alert

Preventing mortgage fraud and identity theft is a top priority of your Clay County Recorder’s Office. The Recorder’s Office has made a conscious effort to be on the lookout for documents that may involve deed or mortgage fraud. For your protection, consider subscribing to our FREE Property Fraud Alert website for real-time monitoring and notification of any potentially fraudulent activity.

Your security does matter!

Unfortunately, it’s all too easy for a criminal to record a fraudulent deed making it appear as if they own your home. Once they’ve done this, they can use your name as collateral on a mortgage or even attempt to sell your home to an unsuspecting buyer.

Don’t let this happen to you!!

To sign up for this free service, go to https://propertyfraudalert.com/ilclay. Complete the registration form and submit.

The service will notify you if a document is recorded with your name. After enrollment the information that has been provided will be automatically monitored.  Anytime new information is entered into our system here in the Clay County Recorder’s Office that matches the information entered during enrollment, the customer will be notified. You will be given the option to choose to be notified by either email or phone.

If you have any questions regarding this, or are having trouble signing up, please contact us at (618) 665-3626 for assistance.

 

General FAQs

Can you change the name on my deed?

No. In order to change the name on your deed, a new deed must be prepared. The Recorder of Deeds Office is unable to provide legal advice or opinions and we do not have blank forms. Additionally, paperwork must be fully completed and notarized before bringing it to our office to record.

We strongly recommend going to a title company or a real estate attorney to have a deed prepared. The document must be prepared and notarized before bringing it to our office to record. The Recorder of Deeds Office cannot assist you in completing this document.

We accept cash, check and money order. Please make check payable to Clay County Recorder.

Review the Fee Schedule above.

You can mail in an original document for recording. Be sure to include where you want the document returned to after recording, a check in the exact amount of the recording and mail these to:

Clay County Recorder
111 E. Chestnut St.
P.O. Box 160
Louisville, IL 62858

The document is reviewed for statutory requirements and appropriate fees are collected. Documents are then recorded in a timely manner. Recording consists of assigning a document number, date and time to the instrument being recorded, scanning, indexing and verifying the instrument so that it may become a permanent record.

You can request a copy from our office in person, by mail or use Tapestry.

Each time ownership of property is transferred, whether through a sale or gift, a new deed is prepared, signed, notarized and recorded in our office. If the transfer is a sale of property for $100 or more, a PTAX-203 must be completed and must accompany the deed for recording purposes of collecting transfer taxes based upon the sale price. If gifting property, the transfer is exempt from transfer taxes and the deed must contain the appropriate exemption paragraph. Deeds must qualify as being exempt from transfer taxes for various statutory reasons.

Exemption List

We can record almost anything. However, not everything should be recorded. Please keep in mind when presenting a document for recording that it will become almost immediately available for public inspection in our office and online. The only documents in our office that are not available for public inspection are vital record documents. Additionally, please keep in mind that recording a document does not make it legal or binding. If you have any questions regarding the legality of a document you need to seek the advice of an attorney.