Cook County Special Warranty Deed Form
Last validated August 10, 2026 by our Forms Development Team
Cook County Special Warranty Deed Form
Fill in the blank form formatted to comply with all recording and content requirements.
Cook County Special Warranty Deed Guide
Line by line guide explaining every blank on the form.
Cook County Completed Example of the Special Warranty Deed Document
Example of a properly completed form for reference.
All 3 documents above included • One-time purchase • No recurring fees
Immediate Download • Secure Checkout
Additional Illinois and Cook County documents included at no extra charge:
Where to Record Your Documents
Downtown Office Chicago Court Building
Chicago, Illinois 60602
Hours: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. M-F
Phone: (312) 603-5050
Markham Court Building
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
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
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
Recording Tips for Cook County:
- Ensure all signatures are in blue or black ink
- White-out or correction fluid may cause rejection
- Check that your notary's commission hasn't expired
- Ask about their eRecording option for future transactions
- Bring extra funds - fees can vary by document type and page count
Cities and Jurisdictions in Cook County
Properties in any of these areas use Cook County forms:
- 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
Hours, fees, requirements, and more for Cook County
How do I get my forms?
Forms are available for immediate download after payment. The Cook County forms will be in your account ready to download to your computer. An account is created for you during checkout if you don't have one. Forms are NOT emailed.
Are these forms guaranteed to be recordable in Cook County?
Yes. Our form blanks are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable formatting requirements used for recording in Cook County, including margin requirements, font requirements, and other layout standards. This guarantee applies to formatting, not to the legal sufficiency of information entered by the user or the suitability of a form for a particular transaction.
Can I reuse these forms?
Yes. You can reuse the forms for your personal use. For example, if you have multiple properties in Cook County you only need to order once.
What do I need to use these forms?
The forms are PDFs that you fill out on your computer. You'll need Adobe Reader (free software that most computers already have). You do NOT enter your property information online - you download the blank forms and complete them privately on your own computer.
Are there any recurring fees?
No. This is a one-time purchase. Nothing to cancel, no memberships, no recurring fees.
How much does it cost to record in Cook County?
Recording fees in Cook County vary. Contact the recorder's office at (312) 603-5050 for current fees.
Questions answered? Let's get started!
A special warranty deed is a legal document used to transfer, or convey, rights in real property from a grantor (seller) to a grantee (buyer). Also referred to as a limited warranty deed, this type of deed provides significant liability protection for the grantor (seller), and less protection for the grantee (buyer). In a special warranty deed, the grantor only warrants against defects in the title during his or her ownership, and that he or she has an actual right to the title, and is authorized to sell it. Unlike a deed with full warranty, however, it does not guarantee that there are no other claims on the title of the property before the grantor owned the property, nor does it bind the grantor to defend against them. Because of the risk of unknown claims on the title, special warranty deeds are less common than traditional warranty deeds for residential real estate transactions.
A special warranty deed, once acknowledged, should be recorded in the recorder's office in the county where such lands are located. If it is acknowledged in Illinois, acknowledgements may be taken before a notary public, United States commissioner, county clerk, or any court, judge, clerk, or deputy clerk of such court. When they are taken before a notary public or United States commissioner, they must be attested by his or her official seal; and if taken before a judge or clerk of a court, the acknowledgements must be attested by the seal of the court (765 ILCS 5/20).
A lawful deed includes the grantor's full name and marital status, as well as the grantee's full name, marital status, mailing address, and vesting. Vesting describes how the grantee holds title to the property. For Illinois residential property, the primary methods for holding title in co-ownership are tenancy in common, joint tenancy and tenancy by entirety. A grant of ownership of real estate to two or more persons creates a tenancy in common, unless a joint tenancy or tenancy by the entirety is specified. (765 ILCS 1005/1, 1005/1c.).
As with any conveyance of real estate, special warranty deeds must comply with all state and local recording standards, including a complete legal description of the parcel. Recite the source of title to establish a clear chain of title, and detail any restrictions associated with the property.
Include all relevant documents, affidavits, forms, and fees with the along with the deed for recording as well. Pursuant to 35 ILCS 200/31-10, documents conveying real property are subject to a documentary transfer tax. An Illinois Real Estate Transfer Declaration is required (35 ILCS 200/31-25), unless an exemption is claimed. See 35 ILCS 200/31-45 for a list of exemptions.
A Notarial Record Form is also required, unless an exemption is claimed. A list of exempt conveyances can be found on page 1 of the Notarial Record Form (5 ILCS 312/3-102). Some Illinois counties require a Plat Act Affidavit of Metes and Bounds pursuant to 765 ILCS 205/1 with all deeds, assuring that the land has not been divided or identifies specific types of division according to the plat act. Contact the local recorder for additional details about supplemental document requirements.
This article is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Consult an attorney with questions about special warranty deeds or for any other issues related to the transfer of real property.
(Illinois Special Warranty Deed Package includes form, guidelines, and completed example)
Important: Your property must be located in Cook County to use these forms. Documents should be recorded at the office below.
This Special Warranty Deed meets all recording requirements specific to Cook County.
Our Promise
The documents you receive here are guaranteed to meet or exceed the applicable Cook County recording format requirements. If there is a rejection caused by our formatting, we will correct the issue or refund your payment. This guarantee applies to document formatting only and does not extend to information entered by the user, the selection of the form, or the legal effect of the completed document.
Save Time and Money
Get your Cook County Special Warranty Deed 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.
4.8 out of 5 - ( 4779 Reviews )
Alan G.
October 28th, 2021
Using www.deeds.com was super ez even for a non-technical person like me, it saved me lots of time and the instructions and communications were great,I was able to file my deed online in half a day with most of that time taken up by the jurisdiction I filed with processing my submittal. I will use it again!
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Thomas D.
April 30th, 2020
The documents themselves are fine and the information provided with them is helpful. I find the actual processing of the documents, however, to be difficult particularly once the document has been saved. First, I note that the box for the date only allows entry of the last 2 digits of the year. Unfortunately, my download only allows me to enter one of the 2 digits required. When I delete it repeatedly, it eventually allows both digits to be entered but puts them in extremely small text and in superscrypt. I have not found a solution to this problem and am not sure the deed can even be recorded with this problem. Another problem is that if you try to revise the document after you have saved it the curser goes to the end of the line after each key entry. This means that there basically is no way to efficiently save the document for reworking later since you will have to delete everything you have entered in the text box unless you only need to make a single keystroke change or are willing to replace the curser after each entry. Try that with a long property description! Please note that I am using a Mac to prepare my documents and perhaps this is part of an "incompatibility problem". However, I didn't see a disclaimer regarding Mac use and so would expect the documents to perform correctly. Overall, I give the program a "2 star" rating because I am experiencing significant difficulties in entering dates in the documents even before saving them and because saving your work for later revision appears to be basically unworkable.
Thank you for your feedback Thomas, we appreciate you being specific about the issues you encountered. Adobe and Mac have a fairly long history of issues working together.
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August 9th, 2021
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September 19th, 2020
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