Cicero Obituary Records

Cicero obituary records are kept by the Cook County Clerk office in Chicago. As one of the most populated towns in Illinois with close to 83,000 residents, Cicero sees a steady flow of death record requests each year. The town sits just west of Chicago in Cook County, so all death certificates for Cicero go through the same county clerk that serves the rest of Cook County. You can search for Cicero obituary records online through VitalChek, by mail, or by visiting the clerk office in person at the Cook County Building in downtown Chicago.

Cook County Clerk and Cicero Obituary Records

Cicero does not have its own vital records office. Like all towns and cities in Cook County, death certificates for Cicero residents are filed through the Cook County Clerk. Karen A. Yarbrough is the current Cook County Clerk. Her office at 118 N. Clark Street in Chicago handles all death record requests for Cicero and the rest of the county. The clerk keeps death records for events that took place in the last 20 years. Genealogical copies for older deaths are also on file.

To get an obituary record for someone who died in Cicero, you contact this office. The process is the same whether the death took place in Cicero, Chicago, or any other part of Cook County. Under the Cook County death certificates page, you can find the steps and forms to start your request. The clerk can issue certified copies for legal use and uncertified copies for genealogical research on Cicero obituary records.

Note: Cicero residents should allow extra travel time since the Cook County Building is about 8 miles east in downtown Chicago.

How to Search Cicero Death Records

There are three ways to search for obituary records tied to Cicero. You can go online, mail a request, or walk into the Cook County Clerk office. Each has its own cost and wait. Online is fast. Mail takes weeks. In person gets you same-day copies if you bring the right ID.

Online ordering goes through VitalChek, which is the state-approved vendor for Cook County death records. You fill out a form, pay with a credit card, and they mail you the copy. VitalChek adds a service fee on top of the base rate. Phone orders work too at (866) 252-8974. This is a good option for Cicero residents who need the record but can not make it to Chicago during business hours. Mail requests go to the Cook County Clerk at 118 N. Clark Street. Include a check payable to the Cook County Clerk, the full name of the deceased, the date of death, and a copy of your ID. Processing by mail takes several weeks for Cicero obituary record requests.

Walking in is the fastest route. Bring a valid photo ID and go to Room 120 in the Cook County Building. Staff search the files and print copies while you wait. You need to show that you have a right to the record under Illinois law. For Cicero deaths, the record will be in the Cook County system as long as the death was registered in the county.

Cicero Obituary Record Fees

Fees for Cicero death certificates follow the Cook County rate schedule. A certified copy costs $19 for the first one and $4 for each extra copy ordered at the same time. Genealogical copies are $10 for the first and $2 for each added copy. These are the county rates that apply to all requests for Cicero obituary records.

VitalChek orders cost more due to their service fee. Expect an extra $10 on top of the county fee. Shipping charges apply as well. If you order by phone or online, the total for a single certified copy of a Cicero death record runs about $29 to $40 depending on the shipping speed you pick. Under 410 ILCS 535/25, the state also sets a search fee of $10 per name for each five-year period searched. Cook County follows this fee structure for all Cicero and suburban death record lookups.

Note: Fees can change, so check the Cook County Clerk website or call before you order.

Ordering Cicero Death Records Online

The Cook County death certificates portal is where Cicero residents start the online ordering process. The page has instructions, fees, and links to the VitalChek system.

From this page you can reach the VitalChek form or download a mail-in application. Cicero residents use the same portal and forms as every other Cook County city.

The Cook County vital records portal gives a broader view of all record types the clerk handles, not just death records. Birth, marriage, and civil union records are all there too.

This portal is a good starting point if you are not sure which type of record you need from Cook County for a Cicero resident.

Who Can Get Cicero Death Records

Illinois law controls who can get a death certificate. This is true for Cicero and every other place in the state. Death records are not public. Under 410 ILCS 535/24, access is limited to people who have a personal or property right interest in the record. That means close family members, legal reps, and people who can show a financial reason to need the document.

For a Cicero obituary record, the following people can make a request:

• Spouse, parent, child, or sibling of the deceased
• The informant listed on the death certificate
• A legal rep or executor handling the estate
• Anyone with a documented personal or property right interest
• Genealogical researchers (for deaths 20 or more years old, uncertified copies only)

You must bring a valid government-issued photo ID. The Cook County Clerk takes an Illinois driver's license, state ID, US passport, or military ID. If you lack a photo ID, you can use three forms of ID that show your name and address. All of this applies when you request obituary records for a Cicero death.

Illinois State Resources for Cicero Obituary

When the Cook County Clerk does not have the record you need, the state may help. The Illinois Department of Public Health in Springfield keeps death records for the whole state from 1916 on. Their office is at 925 E. Ridgely Avenue, Springfield, IL 62702. Call (217) 782-6554 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays. Mail requests to IDPH take about 12 weeks to process, which is much slower than going through Cook County for Cicero obituary records.

For older Cicero deaths, the Illinois State Archives death index covers 1916 to 1972. This free online tool lets you search by name. It will not give you a copy of the death record, but it confirms that a record exists. Once you find a match, you can order the full copy from IDPH or the Cook County Clerk. Under 410 ILCS 535/18, each death in Illinois must be registered within seven days. The funeral director files the death certificate with the local registrar, and the record then goes to both the county and state. This means Cicero deaths should appear in both county and state systems.

The IDPH records request page walks you through the mail-in process if you want to go through the state instead of Cook County.

Cook County Obituary Records

Cicero is in Cook County, and all death certificates are filed through the Cook County Clerk office in Chicago. The county handles obituary records for over 5.2 million residents across Chicago and dozens of suburbs. For more details on Cook County fees, services, and historical records, visit the full county page.

View Cook County Obituary Records →

Nearby Cities

These cities near Cicero also have obituary record pages with local details on how to search for death certificates in their area.