HB4667 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 20254 RTM 33705 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB4667

Introduced 2/3/2026, by Rep. Suzanne M. Ness

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

55 ILCS 5/3-5018.2

Amends the Counties Code. In a provision concerning recording fees in first and second class counties for specified documents, provides that the minimum recording fee for a document recorded by a unit of local government, State agency, or public utility may be increased only annually (rather than at any time).

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 Section 3-5018.2 as follows:

(55 ILCS 5/3-5018.2)

Sec. 3-5018.2. Predictable fee schedule for recordings in first and second class counties.

(a) The fees of the recorder in counties of the first and second 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 conform to this Section. The fees or surcharges shall not, unless otherwise provided in this Section, be based on the individual attributes of a document to be recorded, including, but not limited to, page count; number, length, or type of legal descriptions; number of tax identification or other parcel-identifying code numbers; units; number of common addresses; number of references contained as to other recorded documents or document numbers; or any other individual attribute of the document. The fees 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 and county surcharges.

(b) A county of the first or second class shall adopt and implement, by ordinance or resolution, a predictable fee schedule as provided in subsection (c) that eliminates surcharges or fees based on the individual attributes of a document to be recorded. If a county has previously adopted an ordinance or resolution adopting a predictable fee schedule, the county must adopt an ordinance or resolution revising that predictable fee schedule to be consistent with this Section. After a document class predictable fee is approved by a county board consistent with this Section, the county board may, by ordinance or resolution, increase the document class predictable 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.

For the purposes of the fee charged, the ordinance or resolution shall divide documents into the classifications specified in subsection (c), and shall establish a single, all-inclusive county and State-imposed aggregate predictable fee charged for each classification of document at the time of recording for that document. Each document, unless otherwise provided in this Section, shall fall within one of the document class predictable fee classifications set by subsection (c), and fees for each document class shall be charged only as allowed by this Section.

Before approval of an ordinance or resolution under this subsection that creates or modifies a predictable fee schedule, the recorder or county clerk shall post a notice in the recorder's or clerk's 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 predictable fees for each classification, and a reference to this Section and this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly. A predictable fee schedule takes effect 60 days after an ordinance or resolution is adopted, unless the fee schedule was previously created and the ordinance or resolution is a modification allowed under this Section.

Nothing in this Section precludes a county board from adjusting amounts or allocations within a given document class predictable fee when the document class predictable fee is not increased or precludes an alternate predictable fee schedule for electronic recording within each of the classifications under subsection (c).

The county board may, by ordinance or resolution, increase the fees allowed in the predictable fee schedule if the increase is justified by an acceptable cost study or internal analysis of a minimum of 3 years showing that the fees allowed by this Section are not sufficient to cover the cost of providing the service.

A statement of the cost of providing each service, program, and activity shall be prepared by the county board. All supporting documents to the statement are public records and subject to public examination and audit. All direct and indirect costs, as defined in the United States Office of Management and Budget Circular A-87, may be included in the determination of the costs of each service, program, and activity.

If the Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge is amended and the surcharge is increased or lowered, the aggregate amount of the document predictable fee attributable to the surcharge in the document may be changed accordingly. If any fee or surcharge is changed by State statute, the county may increase the document class fees by the same amount without any cost study.

(c) A predictable fee schedule ordinance or resolution adopted under this Section shall list document fees, including document class predictable fees. The document classes shall be as follows:

(1) Deeds. The aggregate fee for recording deeds shall not be less than $31 (being a minimum $13 county fee plus $18 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 $31 (being a minimum $13 county fee plus $18 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 $31 (being a minimum $13 county fee plus $18 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 $31 (being a minimum $13 county fee plus $18 for the Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge).

(5) Nonstandard documents. Any document presented that does not conform to the following standards, even if it may qualify for another document class, may be recorded under this document class (5) if the nonstandard document allows a legible reproduction of the document presented:

(A) 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.

(B) 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.

(C) 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.

(D) The first page of the document shall contain a blank space, measuring at least 3 inches by 5 inches, from the upper right corner.

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

(F) The document makes specific reference to 5 or fewer tax parcels, units, property identification numbers, or document numbers.

The aggregate fee for recording a nonstandard document shall not be less than $31 (being a minimum $13 county fee plus $18 for the Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge). A county may adopt by ordinance and publish with its fee schedule an additional fee or formula for a document that makes specific reference to more than 5 tax parcels, units, property identification numbers, or document numbers.

(6) (Blank).

(7) Miscellaneous. The aggregate fee for recording documents that do not otherwise fall within classifications under paragraphs (1) through (6) or paragraph (8) or (9) and that are not otherwise exempted documents shall not be less than $31 (being a minimum $13 county fee plus $18 for the Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge).

(8) Maps or plats of additions, subdivisions, or otherwise. For recording maps or plats of additions, subdivisions, or otherwise, the minimum fee shall be $50.

(9) Other. Documents presented that meet the following criteria shall be charged as follows, notwithstanding document classes (1) through (8):

(A) A document recorded pursuant to the Uniform Commercial Code shall be charged as provided in the Uniform Commercial Code or as otherwise by law.

(B) A State tax lien or a federal tax lien shall be charged as otherwise provided by law or ordinance, except that the minimum fee that shall be collected from the Department of Revenue for filing or indexing a tax lien, certificate of lien release or subordination, or any other type of notice or other documentation affecting or concerning a tax lien is $11, and the minimum fee that shall be collected from the Department of Revenue or Internal Revenue Service 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.

(C) A document recorded by a unit of local government, State agency, or public utility, as that term is defined in Section 3-105 of the Public Utilities Act, may be charged a minimum fee for any instrument presented for recording that falls under the guideline of the predictable fee schedule as follows: a $12 county fee, a $3 GIS fee, and a $3 automation fee, document storage fee, or both. Fees under this subparagraph may be increased on an annual basis or any other applicable fee may be imposed if adopted by a county board resolution or ordinance and justified by an acceptable cost study showing that the fees allowed by this subparagraph are not sufficient to cover the cost of providing the service.

(D) 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 minimum fee of $1 per document to all filers of documents not filed by any State agency, any unit of local government, any public utility, as that term is defined in Section 3-105 of the Public Utilities Act, or any school district. Half of the fee shall be deposited into the county general revenue fund. The remaining half 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.

(d) For certified and non-certified copies of records, the recorder and county may set a predictable fee for all copies that does not exceed the highest total recording fee in any established document classes, unless the copy fee is otherwise provided in statute or ordinance. The total fee for a certified copy of a map or plat of an addition, subdivision, or otherwise may not exceed $200.

The fees allowed under this subsection apply to all records, regardless of when they were recorded, based on current recording fees. These predictable fees for certified and non-certified copies shall apply to portions of documents and to copies provided in any format, including paper, microfilm, or electronic. A county may adopt a per-line pricing structure for copies of information in database format.

(e) As provided under subsection (c), the recorder shall collect an $18 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, unit of local government, or 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 $18 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.

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

(f) A county board in counties of the first and second class may allow, by ordinance, a recorder to charge the following fees in addition to those fees otherwise allowed under this Section:

(1) Automation fee. A minimum automation fee of $3 may be charged for filing every instrument, paper, or notice for record in order to defray the cost of converting the recorder's document storage system to computers or micrographics and in order to defray the cost of providing access to records through the Internet. A special fund shall be established by the treasurer of a county, and the moneys collected through the automation fee shall be deposited into the special fund and used for a document storage system to provide the equipment, materials, and necessary expenses incurred to help defray the costs of implementing and maintaining the document record system and for a system to provide electronic access to those records.

(2) GIS fee. In a county that provides and maintains a countywide map through a geographic information system, a minimum GIS fee of $3 may be charged for filing every instrument, paper, or notice for record in order to defray the cost of implementing or maintaining the county's geographic information system and in order to defray the cost of providing electronic or automated access to the county's geographic information system or property records. Of that amount, a minimum of $2 must be deposited into a special fund established by the treasurer of the county, and any moneys collected through the GIS fee shall be deposited into that special fund and used for the equipment, materials, and necessary expenses incurred in implementing and maintaining the geographic information system and to defray the cost of providing electronic access to the county geographic information system records. The remaining $1 must be deposited into the recorder's special funds created under Section 3-5005.4. The recorder may, at the recorder's discretion, use moneys in the funds created under Section 3-5005.4 to defray the cost of implementing or maintaining the county's geographic information system and to defray the cost of providing electronic access to the county's geographic information system records.

(Source: P.A. 103-400, eff. 1-1-24; 103-884, eff. 1-1-25.)