Illinois, county records

Lake County, Illinois Public Records

Find the right office in Lake County. Court cases, deeds and parcels, sheriff and jail records, vital records and county filings, each linked to the office that keeps them.

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Most requested Lake County records

Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.

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Showing 12 official sources

Official

Police & jail

Lake County Sheriff's Office

The Lake County Sheriff's Office is the county's law enforcement agency and holds its arrest records, incident and accident reports and the roster of people held in the county jail.

lakecountyil.gov
Open official site Lake County Sheriff's Office
Official

Police & jail

Lake County Correctional Facility

Lake County Correctional Facility, the custody facility for the county, with inmate information and visiting rules as the facility publishes them.

lakecountyil.gov
Open official site Lake County Correctional Facility
Official

City records

Waukegan Public Library

Waukegan Public Library is a public library in Lake County, open to the public with its catalogue, its online databases and the local collections it holds.

waukeganpl.org
Open official site Waukegan Public Library

Everything else, organized

More official Lake County record sources

23 more Lake County sources not listed above.

More county sources

Local record guide

About public records in Lake County

County profile

Lake County at a glance

State
Illinois
County seat
Waukegan
Population
714,342
Area
1,368 sq mi
Founded
1839
Cities and towns
37

Lake County offices and records

Sheriff & Law Enforcement. Lake County Sheriff's Office is responsible for maintaining law and order in Lake County, particularly in unincorporated areas.

Police Departments. Lake County is served by several law enforcement agencies, including Lake County Sheriff's Office and municipal police departments such as the Waukegan Police Department, Highland Park Police Department, and Lake Forest Police Department. Each city department is responsible for maintaining public safety within its jurisdiction, handling local crimes, and coordinating with the Sheriff's Office on major investigations.

Law Enforcement & Arrests. Lake County Sheriff's Office, headquartered at 25 South Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Waukegan, IL 60085, is the primary law enforcement agency for unincorporated areas and provides countywide services including corrections, court security, and civil process. Inmates can be located through Lake County Sheriff's website at www.lakecountyil.gov/2032/Locate-an-Inmate, which features an online inmate locator allowing searches by name, booking number, or date. Arrest records in Lake County are considered public records under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/1 et seq, FOIA), which requires government agencies to provide access to public records upon request unless specifically exempted.

Arrest Records. Arrest records in Lake County are maintained by Lake County Sheriff's Office and the various municipal police departments within Lake County.

Mugshots & Booking Photos. Mugshots in Lake County are taken and retained by Lake County Sheriff's Office during the booking process. These booking photos are part of the public record and can be accessed through the Sheriff's Office website or by submitting a formal request.

Abandoned mine records

Old mine workings in Lake County

Where the workings are, and the office that holds the mine maps.

From the old mine records

What is on record in Lake County

Old mine sites
14
Sites with no status in the records
1
Still producing
5
Main minerals
construction sand and gravel; Stone; crushed stone
Holes drawn on the old survey maps
66
Shafts and tunnels
0
What they are
gravel pit, gravel/borrow pit - undifferentiated, clay pit
Maps surveyed
1960 to 1993

Is an old working under a property here?

The mine records hold 20 named mine sites inside the county, 14 of them worked out or abandoned; the old survey maps add 66 holes drawn inside the county, 0 of them shafts or tunnels. The minerals the records name are construction sand and gravel; Stone; crushed stone.

A point in either file is a location, not a property line: the sheet shows the opening on the surface, not the rooms under it. The record that shows what runs under a parcel is the mine map. The OSMRE National Mine Map Repository holds scanned underground mine maps and answers requests for a named mine or an area. The Illinois Mine Subsidence Insurance Fund is a not for profit created by statute, not a state agency; the cover is bought through the homeowner insurer.

Lake County: the boundary from the Census Bureau, and one dot for each old mine or hole on record inside it. Purple is a shaft or a tunnel. Hover a dot for its name.
Illinois mine map and abandoned mine records
Named workings recorded in Lake County (20 shown, 66 unnamed on the map)

Disclaimer: The mine information here is for general information only. Old mine records can be incomplete, outdated or wrong, and finding nothing here does not mean there is nothing there. Check with the mine map office named here before you rely on it, and have a qualified engineer look at any ground you are worried about. PublicRecordCenter.com assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of this information.

Straight answers

Lake County public-records FAQs

Open only the answer you need.

Where can I find mugshots or booking photos in Lake County, Illinois?

Booking photos are kept by the agency that made the arrest, such as the Lake County Sheriff or a city police department in Lake County. Ask that agency for its record. Under 815 ILCS 505/2QQQ, anyone who publishes criminal record information, including photographs, may not charge a fee to remove, correct or modify it. Under 5 ILCS 140/2.15(e), a law enforcement agency may not post booking photographs on its social networking site for civil, petty or business offenses or Class B and C misdemeanors, except to help find a missing person or a wanted person.

How do I get a criminal background check in Lake County, Illinois?

The Illinois criminal history record comes from the Illinois State Police, Bureau of Identification. Under the Uniform Conviction Information Act, conviction information is public: request it by name with the UCIA name based request form or by fingerprints through a Live Scan vendor.

How can I look up sex offenders in Lake County, Illinois?

Search the Illinois Sex Offender Registry (Illinois State Police), or every state at once on the National Sex Offender Public Website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.

How do I register to vote in Lake County, Illinois?

Register with the county clerk, or the board of election commissioners where one exists (the local election authority) or through the Illinois State Board of Elections. You can also register online with the state online registration. Regular registration closes 27 days before Election Day and online registration 16 days before; grace period registration and voting run in person at designated sites from the 27th day before through Election Day.

How do I look up property records in Lake County, Illinois?

Deeds and other recorded land documents in Lake County are kept by the Lake County Recorder of Deeds. Property values are set by the Township Assessor in township counties, or the County Supervisor of Assessments, and tax bills come from the County Treasurer, also called the County Collector. Source: official state page.

How do I get a birth or death certificate in Lake County, Illinois?

Certified birth and death certificates for Illinois come from the Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records. You may contact the county clerk where the event occurred. By mail with a check or money order payable to IDPH to Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records, 110 W Lawrence Ave., Springfield, IL 62704-2610, or through the county clerk where the birth occurred. Fee: $10 for a certified copy (or $15 for a certified copy with the information collected at birth); $2 for each additional copy requested at the same time.

How do I find business license records in Lake County, Illinois?

Business entity filings are searched with the Illinois Secretary of State, Business Services. Sole proprietorships and general partnerships using a business name other than the owners' legal names register it with the county clerk under the Assumed Name Act; some municipalities and counties impose their own taxes.