LaSalle County Deed Records Lookup

LaSalle County deed records are held by the LaSalle County Recorder of Deeds at 119 W. Madison Street, Suite 301 in Ottawa. The office maintains the official land record for every deed, mortgage, lien, and other recorded instrument covering property in the county. To search LaSalle County deed records, call (815) 434-8200, visit the Ottawa office in person, or check the Recorder's website at lasallecountyil.gov. Records run from the early 1830s to the present, making this one of the older deed archives in downstate Illinois, with computerized filings from the early 1970s and microfilm for years prior.

LaSalle County Recorder of Deeds Office

The LaSalle County Recorder of Deeds is the official keeper of all land records in the county. The office is at 119 W. Madison Street, Suite 301, Ottawa, IL 61350. Phone is (815) 434-8200. Office hours run Monday through Friday. The office website is at lasallecountyil.gov. Under 765 ILCS 5, the Illinois Conveyances Act, every deed and other instrument affecting title to real property in Illinois must be recorded in the county where the land lies. For LaSalle County property, that is this office in Ottawa.

LaSalle County deed records go back to the early 1830s. The archive is deep. But the history has a gap: a courthouse fire in 1880 destroyed some of the county's older documents. Records from that period may be incomplete or reconstructed from secondary sources. If you are doing historical title research in LaSalle County and need records from before 1880, call the office first to ask what survived and in what form. Staff can tell you what is available and whether any reconstruction exists for the period you need.

Computerized records run from the early 1970s to the present. That covers more than 50 years of indexed deed filings. Records between the end of the fire-damage period and the start of computerization exist on microfilm. The Recorder maintains offsite microfilm backups as a safeguard. If you need records from the 1880s through the early 1970s, staff can help you find the right roll. Calling ahead is smart when you are doing historical work that spans multiple format types.

The screenshot below shows the LaSalle County Recorder of Deeds homepage, taken from the official site at lasallecountyil.gov.

The LaSalle County Recorder of Deeds site shows current recording services, contact details, and options for accessing deed records going back to the county's earliest filings in the 1830s.

How to Search LaSalle County Deed Records

For recent deed records, computerized filings from the early 1970s to the present are the easiest to search. The LaSalle County Recorder can tell you what search tools are currently available, whether a public access terminal is set up at Suite 301, and whether any remote online search options exist. Call (815) 434-8200 before you visit if you want to confirm what is available for the records you need.

In-person searches at the Ottawa office give you the most complete access. You can look up deed records by grantor or grantee name, by legal description, or by document type depending on how the office indexes its data. For microfilm records from the pre-computerization era, staff assistance is often needed to locate the right reel and document. Plan extra time for historical title work that spans multiple decades or formats.

Title professionals who frequently search LaSalle County deed records typically use subscription-based platforms that pull from the Recorder's indexed data. For a one-time property research task, visiting the Ottawa office is the most direct option and gives you access to the county's full range of land records, from digital files back through microfilm and into the 1830s archive.

LaSalle County Deed Recording Requirements

Recording a deed in LaSalle County requires a signed, notarized document with a complete legal description of the property. Illinois law requires a 3-inch by 5-inch blank space in the upper right corner of the first page for the Recorder's stamp. The parcel identification number must appear on the deed. Documents that do not meet these formatting standards can be turned away at the counter.

Most deed transfers in LaSalle County require a PTAX-203 Real Estate Transfer Declaration filed through the MyDec portal before you come to the office. The Illinois Department of Revenue runs MyDec. You enter the transfer details online and the system produces a completed declaration to accompany your deed. The PTAX-203 instructions at tax.illinois.gov list transfers that qualify for an exemption from this requirement, including certain family gifts and some trust transactions.

The Recorder's office processes documents during regular weekday hours and returns originals to you after stamping and recording. If you are mailing documents in, call first to ask about requirements for mailed submissions and how to send payment for fees and taxes.

Fees, Transfer Tax, and the RHSP Surcharge

State transfer tax under 35 ILCS 200 is $0.50 per $500 of the sale price. LaSalle County adds its own transfer tax of $0.25 per $500. On a $150,000 transaction, that works out to $150 in state tax and $75 in county tax. The Rental Housing Support Program surcharge of $18 per document is also collected at recording. Base recording fees follow the schedule in 55 ILCS 5/3-5018. Call the office to confirm the current total for your specific document type before you go in.

Veterans who need to file DD-214 military discharge documents can do so at no cost. This fee waiver applies statewide in Illinois. Bring the original DD-214 to the Recorder's office and staff will record it free of charge.

Some LaSalle County deed transfers are fully exempt from transfer taxes. Transfers by inheritance or through a will, certain trust changes, and some corporate reorganizations may not require payment of state or county transfer tax. Review the PTAX-203 exemption list before you prepare your filing to avoid overpaying or missing a required declaration.

eRecording in LaSalle County

The Illinois Electronic Recording Act at 765 ILCS 33 authorizes counties to accept deed documents electronically. Contact the LaSalle County Recorder at (815) 434-8200 to ask whether eRecording is currently available and which document types qualify. For title companies and attorneys who record frequently in LaSalle County, electronic submission through a platform like Simplifile, CSC, EPN, Hopdox, or Indecomm can be a faster alternative to paper delivery. One-time filers who are not set up with an eRecording vendor can still bring documents in person to the Ottawa office.

What the LaSalle County Recorder Files

The Recorder accepts and files all types of land documents. Deeds are the most common filing. Warranty deeds, quitclaim deeds, and trustee deeds are all recorded here. Beyond deeds, the office takes in mortgages and mortgage releases, liens, lis pendens notices, easement agreements, right-of-way documents, and subdivision plats. All filed documents become part of the county's permanent public land record.

Recording a deed makes the transfer public. Once a deed is filed and indexed in the LaSalle County record, any person can search for it and request a copy. There is no private status for recorded land documents under Illinois law. Recording also protects the new owner's title by establishing priority over later claims, which is one reason recording promptly after a sale matters.

State Resources for LaSalle County Deed Searches

Illinois Legal Aid Online has a plain-language guide to county recorder filings at illinoislegalaid.org. It explains what recording a deed accomplishes legally, how to get copies of recorded documents, and what to expect at the recorder's office. This is worth reading before your first visit to the LaSalle County Recorder, especially if the recording process is unfamiliar to you.

The PTAX-203 instructions from the Illinois Department of Revenue at tax.illinois.gov cover every field on the transfer declaration and list which transactions are exempt. Review these before using the MyDec portal to prevent errors that delay recording at the LaSalle County office.

Cities in LaSalle County

LaSalle County includes Ottawa, Streator, Peru, LaSalle, Oglesby, Mendota, and many smaller communities. All deed recordings for property anywhere in the county go through the LaSalle County Recorder of Deeds at Suite 301, 119 W. Madison Street in Ottawa. No city in LaSalle County reaches the 50,000 population threshold for a dedicated city page on this site. The Recorder's office handles deed records for every community in the county.