ParcelProof How it worksToolsBlogGuidesFAQ

Blog · Evidence · 2026-08-03 · 2 min read

Using your county's parcel search like an assessor would

Every Illinois county publishes a searchable roll. Most owners never open theirs.

The same records the assessor works from are, in most Illinois counties, public and online.

What you can usually see

PIN, owner, site address, class code, land and improvement assessment, total assessment, and often lot size, building square footage, year built and a sales history. Some counties publish a full property record card with room counts and a sketch.

How to search for comparables

Most portals let you search by street or by neighbourhood as well as by address. Searching your own street returns your immediate block; searching a nearby street with similar housing gives you a wider pool. Note the PIN of anything promising — it is the identifier that never becomes ambiguous.

Read your own record card first

Before hunting comparables, read what the county says about you. Errors here are the easiest wins and you are the only person positioned to spot them.

When the portal shows little

Some counties publish assessments without characteristics, which makes building comparisons impossible and land comparisons still workable. Some publish nothing useful at all. In those, the Supervisor of Assessments holds the roll and Illinois FOIA reaches it — ask for the electronic file rather than a printout.

This is general information about how Illinois assessments and appeals work. It is not legal advice, not an appraisal, and not a prediction about your case. Deadlines and rules differ by county — check yours with your Board of Review.

Check your own assessment free →

More on Evidence

How to find comparable properties for a tax appeal Start from the county's own records, not from what you know about the neighbourhood.What makes a comparable good enough to use Similarity on recorded attributes, proximity, and nothing clever. Four tight ones beat twenty loose.Assessed value per square foot: the number that makes comparisons possible Raw assessments cannot be compared. Rates can.Why a Zestimate will not help your appeal Automated values are not accepted as evidence of value, and boards say so out loud.

← Assessed value per square foot: the number that makes comparisons possible · What makes a comparable good enough to use →