Cook County Certificate of Trust Form (Illinois)
All Cook County specific forms and documents listed below are included in your immediate download package:
Certificate of Trust Form

Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Included Cook County compliant document last validated/updated 4/24/2025
Completed Example of the Certificate of Trust Document

Example of a properly completed form for reference.
Included Cook County compliant document last validated/updated 5/15/2025
The following Illinois and Cook County supplemental forms are included as a courtesy with your order:
When using these Certificate of Trust forms, the subject real estate must be physically located in Cook County. The executed documents should then be recorded in one of the following offices:
Downtown Office Chicago Court Building
118 N Clark St, Rm 120, Chicago, Illinois 60602
Hours: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. M-F
Phone: (312) 603-5050
Markham Court Building
16501 S Kedzie, Rm 238C, Markham, Illinois 60426
Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. M-F (Note: ALL DOCUMENTS must be recorded at the Clerk's downtown office)
Phone: (708) 210-4448
Rolling Meadows Court Building
2121 Euclid Ave, Rm 238, Rolling Meadows, Illinois 60008
Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. M-F (Note: ALL DOCUMENTS must be recorded at the Clerk's downtown office)
Phone: (847) 818-2070
Bridgeview Court Building
10220 S 76th Ave, Rm 238, Bridgeview, Illinois 60455
Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. M-F (Note: ALL DOCUMENTS must be recorded at the Clerk's downtown office)
Phone: (708) 974-6397
Local jurisdictions located in Cook County include:
- Alsip
- Arlington Heights
- Bedford Park
- Bellwood
- Berkeley
- Berwyn
- Blue Island
- Bridgeview
- Broadview
- Brookfield
- Burbank
- Calumet City
- Chicago
- Chicago Heights
- Chicago Ridge
- Cicero
- Country Club Hills
- Des Plaines
- Dolton
- Elk Grove Village
- Elmwood Park
- Evanston
- Evergreen Park
- Flossmoor
- Forest Park
- Franklin Park
- Glencoe
- Glenview
- Glenwood
- Golf
- Hanover Park
- Harvey
- Harwood Heights
- Hazel Crest
- Hickory Hills
- Hillside
- Hines
- Hoffman Estates
- Hometown
- Homewood
- Justice
- Kenilworth
- La Grange
- La Grange Park
- Lansing
- Lemont
- Lincolnwood
- Lyons
- Markham
- Matteson
- Maywood
- Melrose Park
- Midlothian
- Morton Grove
- Mount Prospect
- Niles
- Northbrook
- Oak Forest
- Oak Lawn
- Oak Park
- Olympia Fields
- Orland Park
- Palatine
- Palos Heights
- Palos Hills
- Palos Park
- Park Forest
- Park Ridge
- Posen
- Prospect Heights
- Richton Park
- River Forest
- River Grove
- Riverdale
- Riverside
- Robbins
- Rolling Meadows
- Schaumburg
- Schiller Park
- Skokie
- South Holland
- Steger
- Stone Park
- Streamwood
- Summit Argo
- Techny
- Thornton
- Tinley Park
- Westchester
- Western Springs
- Wheeling
- Willow Springs
- Wilmette
- Winnetka
- Worth
How long does it take to get my forms?
Forms are available immediately after submitting payment.
How do I get my forms, are they emailed?
Immediately after you submit payment, the Cook County forms you order will be available for download directly from your account. You can then download the forms to your computer. If you do not already have an account, one will be created for you as part of the order process, and your login details will be provided to you. If you encounter any issues accessing your forms, please reach out to our support team for assistance. Forms are NOT emailed to you.
What does "validated/updated" mean?
This indicates the most recent date when at least one of the following occurred:
- Updated: The document was updated or changed to remain compliant.
- Validated: The document was examined by an attorney or staff, or it was successfully recorded in Cook County using our eRecording service.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Cook County?
Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed all formatting requirements set forth by Cook County including margin requirements, content requirements, font and font size requirements.
Can the Certificate of Trust forms be re-used?
Yes. You can re-use the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have more than one property in Cook County that you need to transfer you would only need to order our forms once for all of your properties in Cook County.
What are supplemental forms?
Often when a deed is recorded, additional documents are required by Illinois or Cook County. These could be tax related, informational, or even as simple as a coversheet. Supplemental forms are provided for free with your order where available.
What type of files are the forms?
All of our Cook County Certificate of Trust forms are PDFs. You will need to have or get Adobe Reader to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.
Do I need any special software to use these forms?
You will need to have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to use our forms. Adobe Reader is free software that most computers already have installed.
Do I have to enter all of my property information online?
No. The blank forms are downloaded to your computer and you fill them out there, at your convenience.
Can I save the completed form, email it to someone?
Yes, you can save your deed form at any point with your information in it. The forms can also be emailed, blank or complete, as attachments.
Are there any recurring fees involved?
No. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.
Governed by 760 ILCS 5/8.5, the certificate of trust is the document a trustee provides to a lending institution or other third party that certifies the existence of a trust and his/her authority to act on behalf of the trust.
The document presents only essential information about the trust in lieu of the actual trust document. It names the settlor of the trust and all acting trustees, as well as any successor trustees who may be named under the terms of the trust document. If there are co-trustees, it states the number of trustees required to authorize actions. In addition, the certificate identifies whether or not a trust is revocable and amendable, and who holds authority to revoke and/or make amendments. Certain information, such as the parties having a beneficial interest in the trust, remains confidential.
The recipient of a certificate of trust is not liable for any actions they may take based on false representations within the certificate (760(ILCS 5/8.5(f)). While notarization is not obligatory, a third party may require that the certification of trust be acknowledged.
(Illinois Certificate of Trust Package includes form and completed example)
Our Promise
The documents you receive here will meet, or exceed, the Cook County recording requirements for formatting. If there's an issue caused by our formatting, we'll make it right and refund your payment.
Save Time and Money
Get your Cook County Certificate of Trust form done right the first time with Deeds.com Uniform Conveyancing Blanks. At Deeds.com, we understand that your time and money are valuable resources, and we don't want you to face a penalty fee or rejection imposed by a county recorder for submitting nonstandard documents. We constantly review and update our forms to meet rapidly changing state and county recording requirements for roughly 3,500 counties and local jurisdictions.
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