Homeowners who wish to remove racist and offensive language from their property records will no longer be charged a fee in Illinois, due to a new law championed by Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon. House Bill 1575, which was signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker earlier this month, amends the Illinois Counties Code to eliminate any fees associated with filing modifications to remove unlawful racially restrictive covenants, which are discriminatory clauses that were used historically to prevent the sale or occupancy of property by people of specific races or ethnicities. The measure was sponsored by Senator Willie Preston and State Representative Marcus C. Evans Jr. and strongly supported by Clerk Gordon and a broad coalition of elected officials advocating for racial and housing equity. In 2022, the Illinois Legislature passed a law allowing homeowners to proactively identify and request removal of such discriminatory language. However, that law permitted Recorders’ Offices to charge up to $10 per filing. For more information on unlawful restrictive covenants, go to: www.cookcountyclerk.com/unlawful-restrictive-covenants.

Photo Credit: Office of Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon