Visit the St. Clair County Clerk

About St. Clair County Clerk Thomas Holbrook

Thomas Holbrook serves as the St. Clair County Clerk. He was appointed to the office on July 1, 2013, and won his first full term as an elected County Clerk in 2014. He was re-elected in 2018. The County Clerk seat is a countywide elected office that runs on its own schedule and is not tied to the Circuit Clerk election.

Holbrook came to the County Clerk job with a long state and local record. He served as a member of the St. Clair County Board and as a state representative in the Illinois House. He also held the post of chairman at the Illinois Pollution Control Board. That mix of county and state work shows up in how the office runs marriage licenses, election rolls, and tax-redemption files for a county with deep historical record holdings.

The County Clerk is not the Circuit Clerk. Court case files, fines, court dates, eFiling, and copies of pleadings belong to the Circuit Clerk. Marriage records, birth records, death records, voter rolls, and tax-redemption matters belong to the County Clerk. Both offices sit in the same downtown building, but the work they do is split by state law.

St. Clair County Clerk Duties

The County Clerk runs a long list of public services. The office keeps the county's vital records, issues marriage licenses, prints certified copies of birth and death records, records civil unions, and runs elections. The Clerk also handles tax extensions, the delinquent tax-redemption search, statements of economic interest for public officials, and filings for assumed business names.

• Vital records: birth, death, marriage, and civil union.
• Marriage license and civil union license issuance.
• Tax extension and tax-redemption search.
• Elections and voter records.
• Economic interest statements for public officials.
• Assumed name (DBA) filings.
• Notary public service and notary commissions.
• Raffle, special-event, and fireworks permits.

Some vehicular-license sticker services are also processed at the County Clerk's counter. The full list of public-facing services sits on the County Clerk landing page. The office cross-references these services with the county tax-cycle, voter calendar, and state vital-record rules.

County Clerk Office Hours and Location

The St. Clair County Clerk's office is on the Public Square in downtown Belleville. The address is 10 Public Square, Belleville, Illinois 62220. The main County Clerk phone is (618) 825-2377. Email is CountyClerk@co.st-clair.il.us.

General office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The marriage-license desk runs a tighter window. License applications are taken Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Plan to arrive well before the cut-off because in-person processing takes time and both applicants must be present.

St. Clair County Vital Records

The County Clerk is the source for vital records that happen in St. Clair County. The county has very deep records on the marriage side. Certified copies of marriage records are issued by the County Clerk for people married in St. Clair County from 1763 to the present, which makes this one of the oldest marriage-record holdings in the state.

Birth records cover births that occurred in the county. The County Clerk asks for the full birth name, the date of birth, the mother's maiden name, the father's name, and either a photo ID or proof of legal claim. Death records cover deaths that occurred in the county. Requests need the full name of the deceased, the date of death, and the place of death. Certified death certificates are issued to the legal representative or a family member.

Civil union records are held with the same care as marriage records. Couples may write or walk in to apply, and the fee schedule mirrors marriage records. The full marriage-license walk-through, ID list, and 60-day expiration rule sit on the marriage and divorce records page along with the courthouse wedding details.

County Clerk Fee Schedule

The County Clerk publishes a flat fee schedule for vital records and license items. Mail-in payment is restricted to money orders or cashier's checks. Personal checks and cash are not accepted for mail. Walk-in payment terms are posted at the office.

Note: Mail payments for vital records use only money orders or cashier's checks; the County Clerk's office does not accept personal checks or cash by mail.

VitalChek Online Ordering

The County Clerk does not accept credit cards or online orders at the counter. The only approved internet ordering service for St. Clair County vital records is VitalChek Network, Inc. VitalChek accepts major credit cards and adds its own fee on top of the County Clerk's fee for the certified copy.

The County Clerk warns the public that other internet vendors are not authorized. Sites that promise to obtain St. Clair County vital records online may charge fees and offer no state-approved service. The safe route is to use VitalChek for online orders or walk in at the Public Square office for direct service.

How to Request a St. Clair County Vital Record

Vital record requests can be made three ways: in person, by mail, or through VitalChek. Each route uses the same fee table but the payment and timing rules differ. Walking in is the fastest path for certified marriage, birth, and death copies for people who live near Belleville.

1. Pick the record type and gather the required identifying details. Birth needs full birth name, date of birth, mother's maiden name, and father's name. Death needs full name of the deceased, date of death, and place of death. Marriage needs the bride's maiden name, the groom's name, and the date of marriage.
2. Bring a photo ID, such as a valid driver's license, state ID, military ID, or passport. Photo ID or proof of legal claim is required for certain birth records. Death certificates are issued to the legal representative or to a family member.
3. Choose a request method. For walk-in service visit the County Clerk at 10 Public Square during posted hours. For mail service use the vital record request form (PDF) and send a money order or cashier's check. For online orders use VitalChek and pay by credit card with the added VitalChek fee.
4. Pay the County Clerk fee for the first certified copy plus the additional-copy fee for each extra copy you order at the same time. The fee schedule above lists the amount by record type.
5. Receive the certified copy. Walk-in service can deliver same day in many cases. Mail-in and VitalChek orders use a longer turnaround set by the office.

Tax Redemption Search

The County Clerk runs the delinquent tax-redemption side of the property-tax cycle. People who have unpaid prior-year property taxes, or buyers checking tax-sale exposure on a parcel, use the County Clerk's online portal to look up redemption amounts.

The portal lives at stclairil.devnetwedge.com on the DevNet Wedge platform. The search lets a user look up parcels by number, address, or owner and see the open redemption amount with the costs and interest applied by the County Clerk. The site is the official county source for the figures used to redeem a parcel from a prior tax sale.

Elections and Voter Records

The County Clerk also runs county elections. Voter registration, polling-place lookups, vote-by-mail applications, candidate filings for many local offices, and statements of economic interest all sit with this office. Election results from each county precinct are posted by the office after each election.

The full elections page can be reached through the County Clerk landing page. Voters who need a name change or address change on their registration handle that through the County Clerk, not the Circuit Clerk. The office also files annual statements of economic interest for many county and local public officials.

County Clerk vs Circuit Clerk

St. Clair County has a split clerk structure. The County Clerk holds the vital and county records, and the Circuit Clerk holds the court records. The two offices do not share files. A person who needs both a marriage license and a certified divorce decree visits both counters.

For court case copies, court dates, fines, or eFiling support, see the Circuit Clerk page. For marriage, birth, death, civil union, voter, or tax-redemption matters, stay with the County Clerk.

St. Clair County Clerk Contact Information

The contact card below is the full County Clerk listing for walk-in visits, mail-in requests, and phone help. Save the email and phone for follow-up on a pending order. Note that the County Clerk and the Circuit Clerk use different phone lines even though they sit in the same building.

Related St. Clair County Searches

For full marriage and divorce coverage, including the courthouse wedding rules and the divorce filing path, see marriage and divorce records. For court case files and certified copies of court documents, see the Circuit Clerk. For the trial court that hears family, probate, and other case categories, see the Circuit Court. For broader county records access, see public records.