Search Will County Clerk Records

About the Will County Clerk

The Will County Clerk is an elected county officer. Annette Parker holds the seat at this time. The office is based in Joliet and serves all Will County residents. Voters pick the County Clerk for a set term. The role is not part of the court system. It sits in county government, not the judicial branch.

People often mix up the County Clerk with the Clerk of the Circuit Court. The two offices do not share the same work. The County Clerk holds vital records, marriage licenses, voter rolls, and county tax extension files. The Clerk of the Circuit Court holds civil, criminal, traffic, and family case files. A search for a birth or marriage record starts at the County Clerk. A search for a court case starts at the Circuit Clerk. Both offices serve the public, but each one has its own task list and its own forms.

The County Clerk also runs the FOIA process for county records that are not court files. That makes the office the right point of contact for a wide range of non-court county paperwork.

Will County Clerk Duties

The County Clerk handles a set of core jobs set by state law and county practice. Most of the work falls under vital records, elections, business name filings, and tax extension records. The office also serves as the FOIA officer for county-level records that are not court case files.

• Vital records, which cover birth, death, marriage, and civil union events that take place in the county.
• Marriage license issuance for couples who plan to wed in Will County.
• Civil union licenses handled at the same counter as marriage licenses.
• Voter registration files and the running of elections held in the county.
• Assumed business name filings, often called DBAs, for sole owners and small firms.
• Tax extension records that show how local tax levies get spread across taxing bodies.
• FOIA requests for county-level records that do not sit in a court file.

Some tasks need a visit in person. Others can be done by mail, by phone, or online. Each record type has its own rule set. Vital records have the strictest access rules. Voter info and assumed business names are far more open. The full list of duties stems from state acts that govern each record type, plus county rules that fill in the gaps.

Will County Clerk Office Hours and Contact

The main office sits in downtown Joliet, near the courthouse but in a separate building. Walk-in hours match the standard county schedule. Phone help is split by topic, with a direct line for marriage licenses. FOIA requests can be sent by email or fax to the County Clerk FOIA officer.

Call ahead before a long trip. Some services may need a set appointment. Marriage licenses must be done in person at the main office or an eligible branch. Vital records may be ordered online, by phone, or by mail in many cases, but the County Clerk site should be checked for current rules.

Will County Clerk Branch Offices

Three township branch offices serve parts of the county that sit far from Joliet. Branches list their own phone lines. Service menus may not match the main office in full. Check by phone first if the need is a marriage license or a vital record copy.

Branches are a help for people on the east, north, and west ends of Will County. The Crete branch serves the south end near the Cook County line. The Bolingbrook branch serves DuPage Township near the DuPage County line. The Plainfield branch serves the growing west side. Hours and services at each branch can shift, so a quick call to confirm is wise.

Marriage Licenses in Will County

A Will County marriage license must be picked up in person. Both parties show up at the main office or an eligible branch. Each party brings valid ID. Both share statutory info such as full name, date of birth, and parent names. A fee is paid at the counter. The current official county marriage license fee is not confirmed in public research and should be verified by phone before the visit.

The license is used for the ceremony under 750 ILCS 5, the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. After the wedding, the officiant signs and returns the license to the County Clerk for recording. A certified copy can then be ordered through the County Clerk. The same office handles civil union licenses at the same counter, using the same basic steps.

Court marriages have their own track. Local rule 1.06 says judges are assigned for marriages on court days. The Chief Judge sets the schedule and the County Clerk has it. Saturday weddings may be held in Holiday Court at 9:00 a.m. The judge may allow or block recording of the brief ceremony. The court collects a $10 fee for a judicial marriage under that local rule. The license itself still comes from the County Clerk.

Divorce is a different path. Divorce case files sit with the Clerk of the Circuit Court, not the County Clerk. The County Clerk does not hold final divorce judgments. See the marriage and divorce records page for more on both sides of this split.

Vital Records (Birth, Death, Marriage, Civil Union)

The Illinois Vital Records Act, 410 ILCS 535, sets the rules for who may get a copy of a vital record. Access is restricted by the link between the requester and the person named on the record. Birth records have the tightest limits. Death records are a bit more open. Marriage and civil union records sit in their own access bucket, set by state law and county practice.

The County Clerk issues certified copies for events that took place in Will County. A birth that took place in Joliet, Bolingbrook, Plainfield, or any other Will County town is held here. A death that took place in a Will County hospital or home is held here. A marriage license issued in Will County is held here, even if the ceremony was held in a park or hall in the county.

Standard proof items help speed a request. A valid government-issued photo ID is the core item. Proof of relationship may be needed when the record is restricted. A check or money order in the right amount, plus a self-addressed stamped envelope for mail orders, finish the basic packet. The County Clerk site lists current order channels and fees, and those should be checked before a request is mailed.

Filing FOIA Requests with the Will County Clerk

The County Clerk also serves as the FOIA officer for county records that are not court case files. A FOIA request can be sent by email, U.S. mail, fax, or in person. The County Clerk FOIA form lists the exact fields a requester should fill in. The form may be sent by email to coclrk@willcountyillinois.com or by fax to 815-740-4699.

FOIA is set by 5 ILCS 140. Most requests get a reply within five business days. Some classes of records are exempt under 5 ILCS 140/7. Court case files do not go through this FOIA process. Those go through the Clerk of the Circuit Court instead.

Will County FOIA Copy Fees

The County Clerk FOIA form sets the copy fees a requester may face. The first 50 pages of black-and-white copies are free. After that, per-page fees kick in. Color copies have their own rate per print size. Certification, CD ROM, and postage each carry a small charge.

Fees match the County Clerk FOIA form. Inspection of records on site costs nothing in copy fees, since no copies are made. A requester can ask to view files in person during regular work hours. If copies are still needed after inspection, the same per-page rates apply. The form also notes that a request made for any commercial purpose must say so on the form.

Note: Postage must be paid up front when records are mailed; large requests can carry a high total once postage and per-page fees are added.

Elections and Voter Records

The County Clerk runs voter registration and elections for Will County voters who live outside any city that runs its own election board. Voter info is the basic public record set held by the office for elections. A voter can check status, polling place, and ballot history through the County Clerk. The office also keeps lists of candidates, official ballots, and certified results from past races.

Voting rights work this way in Illinois. A person who is convicted of a felony loses voting rights only while serving a sentence of confinement. Once the sentence of confinement ends, the right to vote is back, with no extra step needed past re-registration. Probation and parole status do not block the right to vote in Illinois. People who finished a felony sentence can register and vote like any other voter. For the most current rule set, the County Clerk and the Illinois State Board of Elections are the right sources.

Voter registration is open to U.S. citizens who are 18 by the next election and live in the precinct. Some forms can be filed online, by mail, or in person. Same-day registration is offered at some sites under state law. The County Clerk site lists current registration sites, hours, and grace period rules. Election day itself is the busiest time for the County Clerk; staff also handle absentee/by-mail ballots and early voting setup.

Genealogy and Historical Records

Will County was founded in 1836. Joliet has been the county seat from the start. Non-official genealogy sources point to County Clerk marriage records that begin in the founding year of 1836. Official County Clerk content could not be fetched in research due to a script gate on the public page, so the 1836 start date should be verified with the County Clerk before it is used in a formal family tree or legal filing.

The Recorder of Deeds, a separate county office, holds land records back to 1836 as well. Early Will County paperwork is split across those two offices. A search for a 19th-century marriage starts at the County Clerk; a search for an old deed starts at the Recorder. Some old records may not be in a digital index yet. In-person review of paper or microfilm may be needed for older years.

Family historians, title researchers, and legal aid workers all rely on these old files. The County Clerk staff can point to the right index for a given year. For very old records that pre-date the modern index, the Will County Historical Society and local libraries may hold backup copies or finding aids that fill the gaps.

Cross-Reference to Clerk of the Circuit Court

The Clerk of the Circuit Court is a fully separate office from the County Clerk. Andrea Lynn Chasteen holds that seat. The Circuit Clerk maintains court case records for civil, criminal, traffic, family, probate, and small claims cases filed in Will County. Court case lookups, certified copies of judgments, and e-filed pleadings all go through the Circuit Clerk, not the County Clerk.

The split is easy to keep straight in plain terms. Birth, death, and marriage paperwork sits with the County Clerk. Court case paperwork sits with the Circuit Clerk. A divorce case file is held by the Circuit Clerk, but the marriage license that started the marriage is held by the County Clerk. A probate filing is a Circuit Court case, so it sits with the Circuit Clerk; see the probate records page for more on that side.

For broader open-records work that cuts across both offices, see the public records page. For step-by-step court file work, see the Will County Clerk of the Circuit Court page. Common questions about which office holds which file are answered on the FAQ page.