County Clerk’s Office

The Bureau County Clerk and Recorder’s office is the official record keeper for vital records (Birth, Death, Marriage), land documents, accounts payable records, county board minutes, voter registration records, and tax extensions.

We are honored to provide valuable services to the citizens of Bureau County. Our services vary from issuing birth certificates to maintaining voter registration records. We process all claims on the county through our accounts payable, record all land transactions, compute the tax extensions for tax districts, and maintain the county board minutes. We are the County Recorder, County Board secretary and we issue marriage licenses for those wishing to get married in Bureau County.

Historical Records

Historically for vital records, the earliest records we have begin in 1837 for marriage records, 1878 for both birth and death records. It was not State Law until 1916 to record birth and death events. If you are unsure of the location of the event, please email detailed information to us and we will do a preliminary search to confirm location. Email us at [email protected]

Birth & Marriage Certificate Search

The fee for a record search of birth and marriage certificates is $18.00 . A death record search is $22.00. If a record is found, a certified copy will be issued for the search fee stated above. If the record qualifies as a genealogical record and is to be used for genealogical purposes, we will issue a non-certified copy of the record. The non-certified copy is $10.00.

To qualify as a genealogy record, the marriage record date must be 75 years prior. For a birth record, the date must be 50 years prior, and for a death record, the date must be 20 years prior. If you wish to find a genealogical copy of a document, visit our website for genealogy at www.bureaucountygenealogy.com. To order a marriage, birth, or death record that is found on the website, please call 815-875-2014.

Record Submission

Our recording office accepts all different types of documents for recording. All real estate-related documents are recorded along with liens, military discharges, surveys and plats. We only record original documents or certified copies.

Our standard recording fee is $75.00 for documents (deeds, deed of trust, mortgages, amendments, assignments, and releases) that fulfill the statutory requirement. For a Non-Land Records Document (No RHSP Fee) the fee is $56.00; CONDO or PLAT Recording the fee is $109.00.  This includes any number of pages which applies to five (5) parcel numbers or less. For six (6) parcel numbers or more, the fee is $93.00.

Election Authority

Our office serves as the Election Authority for the County and all election-day preparations are handled by the County Clerk. Voter registration records and voter history are kept by our office. Individuals can register to vote in our office with two forms of identification required.

More detailed information on services provided by the County Clerk’s office can be found at the County clerk’s website –  bureaucountyclerk.com.