SB2021 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB102 14779 AWJ 20132 b

102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
SB2021

Introduced 2/26/2021, by Sen. Antonio Muņoz

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

55 ILCS 5/4-12002	from Ch. 34, par. 4-12002
55 ILCS 5/4-12002.1

Amends the Counties Code. In provisions relating to specified recorder fees in counties of the third class, provides that the fees apply to certified copies of records that are maintained in any format, or portions thereof, including microfilm, paper, electronic, database, or index. Provides that the recorder in counties that adopted a predictable recording fee schedule may, after the effective date of the amendatory Act, charge a standard fee for non-standard documents, except for specified documents, and charge a penalty for any non-conforming documents and a standard document copy fee as provided under a county's predictable fee schedule for all copies; and provides that the copying fees shall be applicable to any format, or portions thereof, that the record is maintained, including paper, microfilm, electronic format, or database.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning local government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Counties Code is amended by changing Sections 4-12002 and 4-12002.1 as follows:

(55 ILCS 5/4-12002) (from Ch. 34, par. 4-12002)

Sec. 4-12002. Fees of recorder in third class counties. Except as provided for in Section 4-12002.1, the fees of the recorder in counties of the third class for recording deeds or other instruments in writing and maps of plats of additions, subdivisions or otherwise, and for certifying copies of records, shall be paid in advance and shall be as follows:

For recording deeds or other instruments $20 for the first 2 pages thereof, plus $2 for each additional page thereof. The aggregate minimum fee for recording any one instrument shall not be less than $20.

For recording deeds or other instruments wherein the premises affected thereby are referred to by document number and not by legal description the recorder shall charge a fee of $4 in addition to that hereinabove referred to for each document number therein noted.

For recording deeds or other instruments wherein more than one tract, parcel or lot is described and such additional tract, or tracts, parcel or parcels, lot or lots is or are described therein as falling in a separate or different addition or subdivision the recorder shall charge as an additional fee, to that herein provided, the sum of $2 for each additional addition or subdivision referred to in such deed or instrument.

For recording any document that affects an interest in real property other than documents which solely affect or relate to an easement for water, sewer, electricity, gas, telephone or other public service, the recorder shall charge a fee of $1 per document to all filers of documents not filed by any State agency, any unit of local government, or any school district. Fifty cents of the $1 fee hereby established shall be deposited into the County General Revenue Fund. The remaining $0.50 shall be deposited into the County Recorder Document Storage System Fund and may not be appropriated or expended for any other purpose. The additional amounts available to the recorder for expenditure from the County Recorder Document Storage System Fund shall not offset or reduce any other county appropriations or funding for the office of the recorder.

For recording maps or plats of additions, subdivisions or otherwise (including the spreading of the same of record in well bound books) $100 plus $2 for each tract, parcel or lot contained therein.

For certified copies of records the same fees as for recording, but in no case shall the fee for a certified copy of a map or plat of an addition, subdivision or otherwise exceed $200. These fees, as provided under this Code and a county's ordinance, apply to certified copies of records that are maintained in any format, or portions thereof, including microfilm, paper, electronic, database, or index.

For non-certified copies of records, an amount not to exceed one half of the amount provided herein for certified copies, according to a standard scale of fees, established by county ordinance and made public. These fees, as provided under this Code and a county's ordinance, apply to non-certified copies of records that are maintained in any format, or portions thereof, including microfilm, paper, electronic, database, or index.

For filing of each release of any chattel mortgage or trust deed which has been filed but not recorded and for indexing the same in the book to be kept for that purpose $10.

For processing the sworn or affirmed statement required for filing a deed or assignment of a beneficial interest in a land trust in accordance with Section 3-5020 of this Code, $2.

The recorder shall charge an additional fee, in an amount equal to the fee otherwise provided by law, for recording a document (other than a document filed under the Plat Act or the Uniform Commercial Code) that does not conform to the following standards:

(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 least one-half inch on the top, the bottom, and each side. Margins may be used only 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 by 5 inches, from the upper right corner.

(5) The document shall not have any attachment stapled or otherwise affixed to any page.

A document that does not conform to these standards shall not be recorded except upon payment of the additional fee required under this paragraph. This paragraph, as amended by this amendatory Act of 1995, applies only to documents dated after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1995.

The recorder shall collect a $9 Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge for the recordation of any real estate-related document. Payment of the Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge shall be evidenced by a receipt that shall be marked upon or otherwise affixed to the real estate-related document by the recorder. The form of this receipt shall be prescribed by the Department of Revenue and the receipts shall be issued by the Department of Revenue to each county recorder.

The recorder shall not collect the Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge from any State agency, any unit of local government or any school district.

On the 15th day of each month, each county recorder shall report to the Department of Revenue, on a form prescribed by the Department, the number of real estate-related documents recorded for which the Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge was collected. Each recorder shall submit $9 of each surcharge collected in the preceding month to the Department of Revenue and the Department shall deposit these amounts in the Rental Housing Support Program Fund. Subject to appropriation, amounts in the Fund may be expended only for the purpose of funding and administering the Rental Housing Support Program.

For purposes of this Section, "real estate-related document" means that term as it is defined in Section 7 of the Rental Housing Support Program Act.

The fee requirements of this Section apply to units of local government and school districts.

Regardless of any other provision in this Section, the maximum fee that may be collected from the Department of Revenue for filing or indexing a lien, certificate of lien release or subordination, or any other type of notice or other documentation affecting or concerning a lien is $5. Regardless of any other provision in this Section, the maximum fee that may be collected from the Department of Revenue for indexing each additional name in excess of one for any lien, certificate of lien release or subordination, or any other type of notice or other documentation affecting or concerning a lien is $1.

(Source: P.A. 100-1034, eff. 1-1-19.)

(55 ILCS 5/4-12002.1)

Sec. 4-12002.1. Predictable fee schedule for recordings in third class counties.

(a) As used in this Section:

"Nonstandard document" means:

(1) a document that creates a division of a then active existing tax parcel identification number;

(2) a document recorded pursuant to the Uniform Commercial Code;

(3) a document which is non-conforming, as described in paragraphs (1) through (5) of Section 4-12002;

(4) a State lien or a federal lien;

(5) a document making specific reference to more than 5 tax parcel identification numbers in the county in which it is presented for recording; or

(6) a document making specific reference to more than 5 other document numbers recorded in the county in which it is presented for recording.

"Standard document" means any document other than a nonstandard document.

(b) On or before January 1, 2020, a county shall adopt and implement, by ordinance or resolution, a predictable fee schedule that eliminates surcharges or fees based on the individual attributes of a standard document to be recorded. The initial predictable fee schedule approved by a county board shall be set only as allowed under subsection (c) and any subsequent predictable fee schedule approved by a county board shall be set only as allowed under subsection (d). Except as to the recording of standard documents, the fees imposed by Section 4-12002 shall remain in effect. Under a predictable fee schedule, which only applies to standard documents, no charge shall be based on: page count; number, length, or type of legal descriptions; number of tax identification or other parcel identifying code numbers; number of common addresses; number of references contained as to other recorded documents or document numbers; or any other individual attribute of the document except as expressly provided in this Section. The fee charged under this Section shall be inclusive of all county and State fees that the county may elect or is required to impose or adjust, including, but not limited to, GIS fees, automation fees, document storage fees, and the Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge.

A predictable fee schedule ordinance or resolution adopted under this Section shall list standard document fees, including document class flat fees as required by subsection (c), and nonstandard document fees.

Before approval of an ordinance or resolution under this Section, the recorder or county clerk shall post a notice in his or her office at least 2 weeks prior, but not more than 4 weeks prior, to the public meeting at which the ordinance or resolution may be adopted. The notice shall contain the proposed ordinance or resolution number, if any, the proposed document class flat fees for each classification, and a reference to this Section or this amendatory Act of the 100th General Assembly.

A predictable fee schedule takes effect 60 days after an ordinance or resolution is adopted.

(c) Pursuant to an ordinance or resolution adopted under subsection (b), the recorder elected as provided for in this Division shall receive such fees as are or may be provided for him or her by law, in case of provision thereof: otherwise he or she shall receive the same fees as are or may be provided in this Section except when increased by county ordinance or resolution pursuant to the provisions of this Section, to be paid to the county clerk for his or her services in the office of recorder for like services. For the purposes of the fee charged, the ordinance or resolution shall divide standard documents into the following classifications and shall establish a single, all-inclusive, county and State-imposed aggregate fee charged for each such classification of document at the time of recording for that document, which is called the document class flat fee. A standard document is not subject to more than one classification at the time of recording for the purposes of imposing any fee. Each standard document shall fall within one of the following document class flat fee classifications and fees for each document class shall be charged only as allowed by this subsection (c) and subsection (d):

(1) Deeds. The aggregate fee for recording deeds shall not be less than $29 (being a minimum $20 county fee plus $9 for the Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge). Inclusion of language in the deed as to any restriction; covenant; lien; oil, gas, or other mineral interest; easement; lease; or a mortgage shall not alter the classification of a document as a deed.

(2) Leases, lease amendments, and similar transfer of interest documents. The aggregate fee for recording leases, lease amendments, and similar transfers of interest documents shall not be less than $29 (being a minimum $20 county fee plus $9 for the Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge).

(3) Mortgages. The aggregate fee for recording mortgages, including assignments, extensions, amendments, subordinations, and mortgage releases shall not be less than $29 (being a minimum $20 county fee plus $9 for the Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge).

(4) Easements not otherwise part of another classification. The aggregate fee for recording easements not otherwise part of another classification, including assignments, extensions, amendments, and easement releases not filed by a State agency, unit of local government, or school district shall not be less than $29 (being a minimum $20 county fee plus $9 for the Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge).

(5) Miscellaneous. The aggregate fee for recording documents not otherwise falling within classifications set forth in paragraphs (1) through (4) and are not nonstandard documents shall not be less than $29 (being a minimum $20 county fee plus $9 for the Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge). Nothing in this subsection shall preclude an alternate predictable fee schedule for electronic recording within each of the classifications set forth in this subsection (c). If the Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge is amended and the surcharge is increased or lowered, the aggregate amount of the document flat fee attributable to the surcharge in the document may be changed accordingly.

(d) After a document class flat fee is approved by a county board under subsection (b), the county board may, by ordinance or resolution, increase the document class flat fee and collect the increased fees if the established fees are not sufficient to cover the costs of providing the services related to the document class for which the fee is to be increased.

Nothing in this Section precludes a county board from adjusting amounts or allocations within a given document class flat fee when the document class flat fee is not increased.

(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the recorder in counties that adopted a predictable recording fee schedule pursuant to this Section may, after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly, charge a standard fee for non-standard documents, except for documents listed in paragraphs (2) and (4) of subsection (a) and plats, and charge a penalty for any non-conforming documents and a standard document copy fee as provided under a county's predictable fee schedule for all copies. The copying fees shall be applicable to any format, or portions thereof, that the record is maintained, including paper, microfilm, electronic format, or database.

(Source: P.A. 100-1034, eff. 1-1-19.)