101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
SB3007

 

Introduced 2/5/2020, by Sen. Omar Aquino

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
55 ILCS 5/4-12002  from Ch. 34, par. 4-12002
55 ILCS 5/4-12002.1

    Amends the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that, in counties with a population exceeding 1,000,000, fees for certified and non-certified copies of records apply to copies of records that are maintained in any format, or portions thereof, including microfilm, paper, electronic, database, or index. Provides that counties that have adopted a predictable recording fee schedule shall charge a standard copy fee as provided under the county's predictable fee schedule for certified copies.


LRB101 19854 AWJ 69374 b

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB3007LRB101 19854 AWJ 69374 b

1    AN ACT concerning local government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Counties Code is amended by changing
5Sections 4-12002 and 4-12002.1 as follows:
 
6    (55 ILCS 5/4-12002)   (from Ch. 34, par. 4-12002)
7    Sec. 4-12002. Fees of recorder in third class counties.
8Except as provided for in Section 4-12002.1, the fees of the
9recorder in counties of the third class for recording deeds or
10other instruments in writing and maps of plats of additions,
11subdivisions or otherwise, and for certifying copies of
12records, shall be paid in advance and shall be as follows:
13    For recording deeds or other instruments $20 for the first
142 pages thereof, plus $2 for each additional page thereof. The
15aggregate minimum fee for recording any one instrument shall
16not be less than $20.
17    For recording deeds or other instruments wherein the
18premises affected thereby are referred to by document number
19and not by legal description the recorder shall charge a fee of
20$4 in addition to that hereinabove referred to for each
21document number therein noted.
22    For recording deeds or other instruments wherein more than
23one tract, parcel or lot is described and such additional

 

 

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1tract, or tracts, parcel or parcels, lot or lots is or are
2described therein as falling in a separate or different
3addition or subdivision the recorder shall charge as an
4additional fee, to that herein provided, the sum of $2 for each
5additional addition or subdivision referred to in such deed or
6instrument.
7    For recording any document that affects an interest in real
8property other than documents which solely affect or relate to
9an easement for water, sewer, electricity, gas, telephone or
10other public service, the recorder shall charge a fee of $1 per
11document to all filers of documents not filed by any State
12agency, any unit of local government, or any school district.
13Fifty cents of the $1 fee hereby established shall be deposited
14into the County General Revenue Fund. The remaining $0.50 shall
15be deposited into the County Recorder Document Storage System
16Fund and may not be appropriated or expended for any other
17purpose. The additional amounts available to the recorder for
18expenditure from the County Recorder Document Storage System
19Fund shall not offset or reduce any other county appropriations
20or funding for the office of the recorder.
21    For recording maps or plats of additions, subdivisions or
22otherwise (including the spreading of the same of record in
23well bound books) $100 plus $2 for each tract, parcel or lot
24contained therein.
25    For certified copies of records the same fees as for
26recording, but in no case shall the fee for a certified copy of

 

 

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1a map or plat of an addition, subdivision or otherwise exceed
2$200. These fees, as provided under this Code and county
3ordinance, apply to certified copies of records that are
4maintained in any format, or portions thereof, including
5microfilm, paper, electronic, database, or index.
6    For non-certified copies of records, an amount not to
7exceed one half of the amount provided herein for certified
8copies, according to a standard scale of fees, established by
9county ordinance and made public. These fees, as provided under
10this Code and county ordinance, apply to non-certified copies
11of records that are maintained in any format, or portions
12thereof, including microfilm, paper, electronic, database, or
13index.
14    For filing of each release of any chattel mortgage or trust
15deed which has been filed but not recorded and for indexing the
16same in the book to be kept for that purpose $10.
17    For processing the sworn or affirmed statement required for
18filing a deed or assignment of a beneficial interest in a land
19trust in accordance with Section 3-5020 of this Code, $2.
20    The recorder shall charge an additional fee, in an amount
21equal to the fee otherwise provided by law, for recording a
22document (other than a document filed under the Plat Act or the
23Uniform Commercial Code) that does not conform to the following
24standards:
25        (1) The document shall consist of one or more
26    individual sheets measuring 8.5 inches by 11 inches, not

 

 

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1    permanently bound and not a continuous form. Graphic
2    displays accompanying a document to be recorded that
3    measure up to 11 inches by 17 inches shall be recorded
4    without charging an additional fee.
5        (2) The document shall be legibly printed in black ink,
6    by hand, type, or computer. Signatures and dates may be in
7    contrasting colors if they will reproduce clearly.
8        (3) The document shall be on white paper of not less
9    than 20-pound weight and shall have a clean margin of at
10    least one-half inch on the top, the bottom, and each side.
11    Margins may be used only for non-essential notations that
12    will not affect the validity of the document, including but
13    not limited to form numbers, page numbers, and customer
14    notations.
15        (4) The first page of the document shall contain a
16    blank space, measuring at least 3 inches by 5 inches, from
17    the upper right corner.
18        (5) The document shall not have any attachment stapled
19    or otherwise affixed to any page.
20A document that does not conform to these standards shall not
21be recorded except upon payment of the additional fee required
22under this paragraph. This paragraph, as amended by this
23amendatory Act of 1995, applies only to documents dated after
24the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1995.
25    The recorder shall collect a $9 Rental Housing Support
26Program State surcharge for the recordation of any real

 

 

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1estate-related document. Payment of the Rental Housing Support
2Program State surcharge shall be evidenced by a receipt that
3shall be marked upon or otherwise affixed to the real
4estate-related document by the recorder. The form of this
5receipt shall be prescribed by the Department of Revenue and
6the receipts shall be issued by the Department of Revenue to
7each county recorder.
8    The recorder shall not collect the Rental Housing Support
9Program State surcharge from any State agency, any unit of
10local government or any school district.
11    On the 15th day of each month, each county recorder shall
12report to the Department of Revenue, on a form prescribed by
13the Department, the number of real estate-related documents
14recorded for which the Rental Housing Support Program State
15surcharge was collected. Each recorder shall submit $9 of each
16surcharge collected in the preceding month to the Department of
17Revenue and the Department shall deposit these amounts in the
18Rental Housing Support Program Fund. Subject to appropriation,
19amounts in the Fund may be expended only for the purpose of
20funding and administering the Rental Housing Support Program.
21    For purposes of this Section, "real estate-related
22document" means that term as it is defined in Section 7 of the
23Rental Housing Support Program Act.
24    The fee requirements of this Section apply to units of
25local government and school districts.
26    Regardless of any other provision in this Section, the

 

 

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1maximum fee that may be collected from the Department of
2Revenue for filing or indexing a lien, certificate of lien
3release or subordination, or any other type of notice or other
4documentation affecting or concerning a lien is $5. Regardless
5of any other provision in this Section, the maximum fee that
6may be collected from the Department of Revenue for indexing
7each additional name in excess of one for any lien, certificate
8of lien release or subordination, or any other type of notice
9or other documentation affecting or concerning a lien is $1.
10(Source: P.A. 100-1034, eff. 1-1-19.)
 
11    (55 ILCS 5/4-12002.1)
12    Sec. 4-12002.1. Predictable fee schedule for recordings in
13third class counties.
14    (a) As used in this Section:
15    "Nonstandard document" means:
16        (1) a document that creates a division of a then active
17    existing tax parcel identification number;
18        (2) a document recorded pursuant to the Uniform
19    Commercial Code;
20        (3) a document which is non-conforming, as described in
21    paragraphs (1) through (5) of Section 4-12002;
22        (4) a State lien or a federal lien;
23        (5) a document making specific reference to more than 5
24    tax parcel identification numbers in the county in which it
25    is presented for recording; or

 

 

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1        (6) a document making specific reference to more than 5
2    other document numbers recorded in the county in which it
3    is presented for recording.
4    "Standard document" means any document other than a
5nonstandard document.
6    (b) On or before January 1, 2020, a county shall adopt and
7implement, by ordinance or resolution, a predictable fee
8schedule that eliminates surcharges or fees based on the
9individual attributes of a standard document to be recorded.
10The initial predictable fee schedule approved by a county board
11shall be set only as allowed under subsection (c) and any
12subsequent predictable fee schedule approved by a county board
13shall be set only as allowed under subsection (d). Except as to
14the recording of standard documents, the fees imposed by
15Section 4-12002 shall remain in effect. Under a predictable fee
16schedule, which only applies to standard documents, no charge
17shall be based on: page count; number, length, or type of legal
18descriptions; number of tax identification or other parcel
19identifying code numbers; number of common addresses; number of
20references contained as to other recorded documents or document
21numbers; or any other individual attribute of the document
22except as expressly provided in this Section. The fee charged
23under this Section shall be inclusive of all county and State
24fees that the county may elect or is required to impose or
25adjust, including, but not limited to, GIS fees, automation
26fees, document storage fees, and the Rental Housing Support

 

 

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1Program State surcharge.
2    A predictable fee schedule ordinance or resolution adopted
3under this Section shall list standard document fees, including
4document class flat fees as required by subsection (c), and
5nonstandard document fees.
6    Before approval of an ordinance or resolution under this
7Section, the recorder or county clerk shall post a notice in
8his or her office at least 2 weeks prior, but not more than 4
9weeks prior, to the public meeting at which the ordinance or
10resolution may be adopted. The notice shall contain the
11proposed ordinance or resolution number, if any, the proposed
12document class flat fees for each classification, and a
13reference to this Section or this amendatory Act of the 100th
14General Assembly.
15    A predictable fee schedule takes effect 60 days after an
16ordinance or resolution is adopted.
17    (c) Pursuant to an ordinance or resolution adopted under
18subsection (b), the recorder elected as provided for in this
19Division shall receive such fees as are or may be provided for
20him or her by law, in case of provision thereof: otherwise he
21or she shall receive the same fees as are or may be provided in
22this Section except when increased by county ordinance or
23resolution pursuant to the provisions of this Section, to be
24paid to the county clerk for his or her services in the office
25of recorder for like services. For the purposes of the fee
26charged, the ordinance or resolution shall divide standard

 

 

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1documents into the following classifications and shall
2establish a single, all-inclusive, county and State-imposed
3aggregate fee charged for each such classification of document
4at the time of recording for that document, which is called the
5document class flat fee. A standard document is not subject to
6more than one classification at the time of recording for the
7purposes of imposing any fee. Each standard document shall fall
8within one of the following document class flat fee
9classifications and fees for each document class shall be
10charged only as allowed by this subsection (c) and subsection
11(d):
12        (1) Deeds. The aggregate fee for recording deeds shall
13    not be less than $29 (being a minimum $20 county fee plus
14    $9 for the Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge).
15    Inclusion of language in the deed as to any restriction;
16    covenant; lien; oil, gas, or other mineral interest;
17    easement; lease; or a mortgage shall not alter the
18    classification of a document as a deed.
19        (2) Leases, lease amendments, and similar transfer of
20    interest documents. The aggregate fee for recording
21    leases, lease amendments, and similar transfers of
22    interest documents shall not be less than $29 (being a
23    minimum $20 county fee plus $9 for the Rental Housing
24    Support Program State surcharge).
25        (3) Mortgages. The aggregate fee for recording
26    mortgages, including assignments, extensions, amendments,

 

 

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1    subordinations, and mortgage releases shall not be less
2    than $29 (being a minimum $20 county fee plus $9 for the
3    Rental Housing Support Program State surcharge).
4        (4) Easements not otherwise part of another
5    classification. The aggregate fee for recording easements
6    not otherwise part of another classification, including
7    assignments, extensions, amendments, and easement releases
8    not filed by a State agency, unit of local government, or
9    school district shall not be less than $29 (being a minimum
10    $20 county fee plus $9 for the Rental Housing Support
11    Program State surcharge).
12        (5) Miscellaneous. The aggregate fee for recording
13    documents not otherwise falling within classifications set
14    forth in paragraphs (1) through (4) and are not nonstandard
15    documents shall not be less than $29 (being a minimum $20
16    county fee plus $9 for the Rental Housing Support Program
17    State surcharge). Nothing in this subsection shall
18    preclude an alternate predictable fee schedule for
19    electronic recording within each of the classifications
20    set forth in this subsection (c). If the Rental Housing
21    Support Program State surcharge is amended and the
22    surcharge is increased or lowered, the aggregate amount of
23    the document flat fee attributable to the surcharge in the
24    document may be changed accordingly.
25    (d) After a document class flat fee is approved by a county
26board under subsection (b), the county board may, by ordinance

 

 

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1or resolution, increase the document class flat fee and collect
2the increased fees if the established fees are not sufficient
3to cover the costs of providing the services related to the
4document class for which the fee is to be increased.
5    Nothing in this Section precludes a county board from
6adjusting amounts or allocations within a given document class
7flat fee when the document class flat fee is not increased.
8    (e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, counties
9that have adopted a predictable recording fee schedule under
10this Section shall charge a standard copy fee as provided under
11the county's predictable fee schedule for certified copies. The
12fees shall be applicable to any format, or portions thereof,
13that the record is maintained, including paper, microfilm,
14electronic format, or database.
15(Source: P.A. 100-1034, eff. 1-1-19.)