Clerk & Recorder

Clerk’s Office
 
The County Clerk has five major functions: Chief Election Officer for the county; Tax Extender for computing tax rates and the redemption of delinquent taxes; keeper of the county records and land records; Registrar of Vital Records; and Clerk of the County Board. By law, the County Clerk also files assumed names for businesses and Statements of Economic Interest.
 
The County Clerk administers elections of national, state, and county officials within Jo Daviess County. There are currently 28 precincts with 16,040 registered voters under the jurisdiction of the County Clerk. They also administer all elections for schools, parks, townships, and other special districts under their jurisdiction. The County Clerk provides for the legal registration of voters and the maintenance of the voting record. They supervise and provide training for election judges and are responsible for monitoring and supervising all deputy voting registrars, including training seminars
 
The County Clerk computes the tax rates of over 100 units of government based on the amount of money requested by each unit of government and the amount of assessed value within the district. Taxes are set by dividing the levy (amount of tax money requested by district) by the assessed valuation of the district (Rate=levy/assessed value). From these rates, individual tax bills are prepared.
 
The County Clerk is the local registrar for vital records. The County Clerk’s office has over 17,000 birth certificates on file and over 19,000 death certificates of Jo Daviess County residents dating from 1877. The Clerk’s office also has issued over 36,000 marriage licenses since 1830.
 
The County Clerk is responsible for the minutes of the County Board. They also monitor all licenses and permits as provided by county ordinance, prepares all claims and reports from each county office to be approved by the County Board, pays all approved county invoices, and administers the county payroll and employee participation in health insurance, deferred compensation, and Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund.
 
The County Clerk administers all oaths of office and maintains bonds of elected and appointed officials.
 
Recorder’s Office
 
The Recorder’s office maintains the index and records of all property transactions. All real estate documents, corporation papers, both federal and state tax liens, and other miscellaneous documents, together with military veterans’ separation and discharge papers are recorded.
 
Each document is assigned an official document number at the time it is presented for recordation. Records date back to 1829.
 
The Illinois Real Estate Transfer Act is administered through the Recorder’s Office. Revenue stamps are purchased electronically at the time of recording.
 
In Jo Daviess County, the Recorder also maintains a book and digital tract index of real estate transactions which indicates the title to the property and any mortgages or liens against it. The chain of title may be traced back to the original government grant in these indexes.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
DUE TO THE COURTHOUSE RENOVATION PROJECT, THE COUNTY CLERK AND COUNTY RECORDER'S PHYSICAL ADDRESS WILL CHANGE ON FEBRUARY 1, 2024 TO 219 KELLY LANE, GALENA, ILLINOIS 61036. THE MAILING ADDRESS WILL REMAIN THE SAME. FOR QUESTIONS, PLEASE EMAIL COUNTYCLERK@JODAVIESSCOUNTYIL.GOV