Search Q and A / Troubleshooting

 NAVIGATION

Search Down Page keeps coming up. If you are a frequent user or book marked our page you could be experiencing this problem. From time to time we take the search function down for maintenance. At that time we put up the Search Down page. If you access our site during that time your system saves that page in your browser's cache. The next time you try to access our site your system is automatically bringing you the page it has stored in you browser's cache. This is done for fast access by your system.

Solutions:

Set a time limit as to how long your browser should keep a history of where you have been.

The following tips might come in handy. Please select from the following browser type:

If you are not sure on how to do this, please read your system's manuals or contact your Internet provider.

  SEARCH

If you wish to obtain information on a specific residential property but you do not know the PIN, simply enter the address in the "Search by Address" function. It should be noted that due to the transitory nature of addresses, our address file might contain errors or omissions. If you experience difficulties, please call the Cook County Assessor’s Office Taxpayer Information Department at 312-443-7550. When entering the street name of your desired property, to aid in your search, please do not enter the street suffix, such as St., Dr., Ave., etc. You will then need to enter the city name in the box on the third line of the section. Please note that you do not need to select a class to conduct a search.

Once the required fields of information are entered, click once on the "Search by Address" button to submit your search. This will bring up a page with your desired PIN, corresponding address, city, neighborhood, class code, township, age, description of class code, assessed value, and a description of the property’s characteristics. To compare your property’s assessed value to other similar properties on your block or in your neighborhood, you may enter a range of addresses on the search page. For example, you may enter 400 – 500 N Main in Chicago. This may be useful if you are considering an appeal based on lack of uniformity.

An address range can be specified based on the location specified.  Due to the size of the database, search results are limited to approximately 20 blocks, or an address range of 2000 addresses.  

House number range, street, and city are required fields, however, substrings may be used for searching a street or city.  For instance, using a street name of "sta" and a city of "chi" will return "State St." and "State Pkwy" for both Chicago and Chicago Heights.  

House number range, street, and city are required fields, however, substrings may be used for searching a street or city.  For instance, using a street name of "sta" and a city of "chi" will return "State St." and "State Pkwy" for both Chicago and Chicago Heights. 

Search Full P.I.N. 
 

Search by entering your 14 digit Property Index Number (PIN) in the corresponding boxes in the search by Property Index Number function. Your PIN can be found on your Notice of Proposed Assessed Valuation, or on your tax bill. The first 2 digits should be entered into the first box, the second 2 in the second box, 3 digits in each of the third and fourth boxes, and the remaining 4 digits in the last box. Once you have entered your PIN, click once on the Search button. This will bring up a page with your desired PIN, corresponding address, class code, neighborhood, assessed value, and city.

To search by pin, the first 2 digits must be specified.  The search matches based on the number of digits specified, starting with the lowest matching search, returning a maximum of 4000 records.  The more digits entered, the more accurate the search results will be.

i.e.  Specifying 10-19-xxx-xxx-xxxx (Where 'x' is left blank) will result in the first 4000 sequential results, starting with 10-19-000-000-0000.

To search by pin, the first 2 digits must be specified.  The search matches based on the number of digits specified, starting with the lowest matching search, returning a maximum of 4000 records.  The more digits entered, the more accurate the search results will be.

i.e.  Specifying 10-19-xxx-xxx-xxxx (Where 'x' is left blank) will result in the first 4000 sequential results, starting with 10-19-000-000-0000.

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To search by Neighborhood, first a town must be selected. After selecting the town, a listing of neighborhoods will be produced. Clicking on the "Show Me Borders" link will produce the borders for each neighborhood.

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The search results page produces either the full result set, or the first 4000 results if the search returns more then 4000 records.

Clicking on the "Property Index Number" gives the details of that specific property.

Clicking on "Class Code" produces a description in the bottom frame of what type of property that class code is.

Clicking on "Neighborhood" gives the boundries for that specific neighborhood.

Clicking on "Pass" will provide a more detailed description of the Assessment pass for that property.

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 TERMINOLOGY

Assessment Level: The rate at which property is assessed.

Assessment Review: Taxpayers who object to their assessments have several options for appeal; the first is an administrative review by the Assessor’s Office; the second is at the Board of Appeals/Review; the third is to file an appeal at the Property Tax Appeal Board; and, the fourth is to file an objection in Circuit Court.

Assessed Value: The Fair Market Value multiplied by the assessment level for a class of property.

Classification: The process of dividing property into classes for purposes of taxing at varying rates or on different bases.

Equalized Assessed Valuation (EAV): The assessed valuation multiplied by the equalization factor.

Equalization Factor: A factor determined by the Illinois Department of Revenue each year to ensure an equal assessment among all 102 counties in the state. State statute requires that the aggregate value of assessments within each county must be equalized at 33 1/3% of the estimated Fair Market Value of real property in the county. Also known as the "multiplier."

Exemption: Release from liability for payment of taxes.

Extension: The calculation of the tax rate by the County Clerk based on the local municipality’s tax levy.

Fair Market Value (FMV): The value the Cook County Assessor places on each parcel of real estate. Typically this is accomplished by evaluating sales information for comparable pieces of property in the area.  (Also known as Property Value)

Market Value: The value of Property determined by The Assessor for assessment purposes.

Property Tax: The local tax on the value of real property, land, buildings and homes. Major revenue source for funding local services such as schools, libraries, health services, public works and parks.

Tax: A mandatory payment to the government in order to fund government services.

Tax Base: The total body of tax revenues.

Taxing Body: Units of governments that collect taxes to fund government services; for example, the City of Chicago, Chicago Board of Education and Chicago Park District.

Tax Incentives: Incentives include exemptions, deferrals, abatements or tax credits. Incentives were established to stimulate a specific type of new growth (i.e. affordable housing) or growth in areas of economic need.

Tax Levy: The amount in real estate taxes requested by each taxing body.

Tax Rate: The tax levy divided by the total equalized assessed valuation. This figure is compiled by the Cook County Clerk and applied to the Equalized Assessed Valuation to determine the amount paid in property taxes.