Tazewell County, IL Property Records: Search Deeds, Owners, Tax Records, and Maps

The Tazewell County property-records system is managed by three offices, namely the Recorder of Deeds, the Supervisor of Assessments, and the Treasurer. These offices maintain records for about 65,000 parcels of land.

Tazewell County’s real estate market moves slightly faster than the Illinois statewide average, with listings typically spending 45 to 70 days on the market. Inventory consists primarily of single-family detached homes, many of which are concentrated in Pekin (the largest city and county seat), East Peoria, Morton, Washington, and Creve Coeur. Major local employers like Caterpillar’s East Peoria operations and ADM facilities support steady commercial activity and housing demand.

Recent records reveal the underlying factors influencing the local real estate market, with a median home value of {median_home_value} and median rent of {median_rent}, alongside a median household income of {median_household_income} and a median real estate tax rate of {median_real_est_tax} as a percentage of the property's assessed value.

How to Look Up Tazewell County Property Records

Tazewell County property records are accessible online through three county portals.

• The County Clerk and Recorder’s Office offers the Land Records Document Search (LAREDO) system, alongside Tapestry, to provide access to recorded deeds and land documents.

• Property assessment details and ownership data are available through the Tazewell County Assessment Office.

• For tax information, including payment history and tax bill, you can use the Tazewell County Property Tax Inquiry portal (powered by Devnet).

Contact the Recorder’s Office at (309) 477-2210 to obtain copies of deeds, or visit the office in person at the McKenzie Building in Pekin.

Who Keeps Tazewell County Property Records?

Three local offices maintain property records in Tazewell County and make them available for inspection or copying under the state’s Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140):

• The Supervisor of Assessments appraises all real property in the county, processes exemption applications, and maintains the database used in preparing the Treasurer's tax bills.

• The Recorder of Deeds is the public registry for deeds, mortgages, liens, plats, easements, and similar instruments. In Tazewell County, this office is separately elected from the County Clerk.

• The County Treasurer bills property taxes each May, processes payments, conducts the annual tax sale for delinquencies, and oversees owner redemptions after a sale.

How to Search Tazewell County Property Records Online

The most reliable way to research a Tazewell County property is to visit all three offices' portals and cross-check the data provided by each portal:

1. Visit the Tazewell County assessment portal. The search interface accepts an address, owner name, orPIN. Results include the registered owner, equalized assessed value, sales history, and any exemptions currently in place.

2. Pull the tax bill from the Tazewell County Treasurer. The portal lists current and prior-year amounts, payment history, taxing-district splits, and flags any delinquency or pending refund.

3. To pull deeds, mortgages, liens, or other recorded documents, use the Recorder of Deeds' search system. Searches by grantor, grantee, document number, PIN, or recorded date are allowed. Free index search is usually available. However, full document images may require Tapestry pay-per-search or a Laredo subscription.

4. Once you have the most recent deed, work backward through the chain of title. On each prior deed, the grantor should match the grantee on the one before. Any gap is a red flag that warrants a professional title search.

5. Mapping work goes through the county GIS portal. Parcel boundaries, zoning, and floodplains layer onto a single interactive map alongside recent aerial imagery.

Assessor: Ownership, Values, and Parcel Data

Property valuation in Tazewell County is handled by the Supervisor of Assessments. The office tracks every parcel's owner, characteristics, equalized assessed value, exemption status, and recent sale activity.

Recorder of Deeds: Deeds, Mortgages, and Liens

Deed and lien recording in Tazewell County is handled at the Recorder of Deeds's Office. Once a document is recorded, it is added to the public index and any future title search will find it.

Treasurer: Tax Bills and Payments

The Tazewell County Treasurer mails the tax bills, processes payments, runs the annual tax sale, and handles tax-deed redemption. It maintains records of current bills, payment history, and delinquency status.

Property Tax in Tazewell County: Rates, Exemptions, and Appeals

Tazewell County's property tax bill follows the Illinois Property Tax Code.

• Fair market value × 33.33% assessment ratio × state equalization factor − exemptions = Equalized assessed value

• Equalized assessed value × combined tax rate = Bill

Homestead exemptions

Homeowners are eligible for several statutory exemptions in Tazewell County. The major ones are:

• General Homestead Exemption: Up to $6,000 EAV reduction for owner-occupied homes (35 ILCS 200/15-175). Tazewell County uses the baseline tier (applicable in most Illinois counties) under the three-tier statutory structure.

• Senior Homestead Exemption: Up to $5,000 EAV reduction for owners aged 65 and older under 35 ILCS 200/15-170.

• Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze: Freezes assessed value at a base year for seniors with household income at or below $75,000 (indexed to CPI from 2026).

• Disabled Veterans Standard Homestead: Tiered by VA disability rating. It offers $2,500 EAV reduction at 30-49%, $5,000 at 50-69%, full exemption at 70% plus.

• Persons with Disabilities and Home Improvement: It offers $2,000 EAV reduction for permanent disability and a separate four-year exemption shielding up to $75,000 of improvement value.

Appealing an assessment

Two appeal levels are available. The County Board of Review hears initial appeals within 30 days of the notice. If the appeal is denied, it may be escalated to PTAB within 30 days. A successful appeal at either level reduces the EAV and may lower the tax bill.

GIS Maps and Parcel Viewer

Parcel mapping in Tazewell County is available through the county GIS portal. Beyond parcel boundaries, the GIS includes zoning, school districts, voting precincts, floodplains, and historical aerial imagery from multiple dates.

• County GIS portal: The county's web GIS layers parcels, zoning, and floodplains with recent aerial imagery.

• Illinois Geological Survey clearinghouse: The state-level ISGS clearinghouse hosts statewide layers including soil, hydrology, and DEM data.

Foreclosure and the Annual Tax Sale

Judicial mortgage foreclosures are handled through the Tazewell County Circuit Court, under 735 ILCS 5/15-1101 et seq.. Unpaid property taxes are handled separately through the annual tax sale, under 35 ILCS 200, Article 21. Both systems operate independently and create different legal outcomes and rights.

Annual tax sale

Tax delinquency runs through an annual sale conducted by the Treasurer. The 9% statutory penalty rate is the starting bid. Tax buyers bid the rate down to win parcels. Winners receive tax certificates rather than deeds.

Right of redemption

The redemption right runs about 2 to 2.5 years from the sale date. Under the Property Tax Code (35 ILCS 200/21-345), the owner redeems the property by paying the original taxes plus a penalty based on the buyer's winning rate (compounded semi-annually), the buyer's costs, and any subsequent-year taxes the buyer has paid.

Scavenger sales

Properties with three or more years of unpaid property taxes not purchased at the annual tax sale go to the biennial scavenger sale. Scavenger bidding uses dollar amounts (not interest rates), which produces a different bidder dynamic.

Costs to Access Property Records

Tazewell County's online property record search portals are free to use. The county charges fees only when you need a copy of a recorded document, request a certified copy, or file a new document for recording. Illinois sets a predictable fee schedule for new recordings under 55 ILCS 5/3-5018.1.

The Predictable Fee Schedule applies in Tazewell County under 55 ILCS 5/3-5018.1. Documents are categorized into five classes. These are deeds, mortgages, leases, miscellaneous, and non-conforming, with a single flat fee per class. Non-conforming filings carry a doubled fee. Illinois also imposes a state real estate transfer tax of $0.50 per $500 of consideration. Tazewell County adds another $0.25 per $500.

How to Record a Document

Most homeowners in Tazewell County do not record documents themselves. The title company typically handles recording at closing. But if you are filing a quitclaim, a mortgage release, or a personal lien, the section below outlines how to do it at the Recorder's office:

1. Start with formatting compliance. State statute (55 ILCS 5/3-5018.2) requires 8.5x11 white paper, 20-lb minimum weight, black ink, half-inch margins, and a 3x5 blank space in the first page's upper right corner for the recording certificate.

2. Look up the recording fee on Tazewell County's Predictable Fee Schedule. The fee is flat per document class. Non-conforming filings (poor formatting, wrong paper, missing PIN) get charged at double the standard rate.

3. File the PTAX-203 real-estate transfer declaration through Illinois MyDec at the same time you file the deed. Almost every property transfer requires this declaration, including exempt transfers. The MyDec filing accompanies the recording packet.

4. Three filing options are available. Walk-in submission at 11 S 4th St., Suite 124, Pekin, IL 61554, mail-in filing (including payment and return envelope), or e-recording through approved vendors like Simplifile or CSC. Once recorded, the document gets a permanent recording number and is entered into the public index.

Note: The Recorder assigns this number at filing. It should be kept with the original document because it is the fastest reference for future certified copy requests or title searches.

FAQs

Quick Reference: Your Tazewell County Property Records Checklist

The seven most frequent Tazewell County property-records workflows are summarized here. Each row points you to the right office and the right portal.

Key Contacts and Official Portals