"Recorded notice" with respect to any real estate means (i) any instrument filed in accordance with Sections 2-1901 or 12-101 of the Code of Civil Procedure or (ii) any recorded instrument which discloses (a) the names and addresses of the persons making the claim or asserting the interest described in the notice; (b) that such persons have or claim some interest in or lien on the subject real estate; (c) the nature of the claim; (d) the names of the persons against whom the claim is made; (e) a legal description of the real estate sufficient to identify it with reasonable certainty; (f) the name and address of the person executing the notice; and (g) the name and address of the person preparing the notice.
15-1218.Recorded Notice.
Article XV. Mortgage Foreclosure · Part 12. Definitions · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceThis section defines “recorded notice” as either a filing made under specific Code of Civil Procedure sections or any recorded instrument that discloses the claimant's identity, interest, and a sufficient legal description.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/15-1218
Plain-English Summary
Section 15-1218 offers two independent paths to recorded notice. The first is any instrument filed in accordance with Section 2-1901 or Section 12-101 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The second is any recorded instrument that discloses seven specific things: the names and addresses of the persons making the claim or asserting the interest, that those persons have or claim some interest in or lien on the real estate, the nature of the claim, the names of the persons against whom the claim is made, a legal description of the real estate sufficient to identify it with reasonable certainty, the name and address of the person executing the notice, and the name and address of the person preparing it.
This definition supplies the disclosure standard that Section 15-1210 uses to decide whether a claimant's interest was of record, and therefore not a nonrecord claim, at the time notice of foreclosure was recorded.
Frequently Asked Questions
What two paths make a document a recorded notice under this Article?
What information must a qualifying recorded instrument disclose?
The claimant's name and address, the fact and nature of the claimed interest or lien, the names of the persons against whom the claim is made, a sufficient legal description of the real estate, and the name and address of both the person executing and the person preparing the notice.
Does a lis pendens filing count as a recorded notice automatically?
An instrument filed under Section 2-1901, which governs lis pendens notices, satisfies the first path to recorded notice under this section.
Why does the description requirement matter?
Without a legal description sufficient to identify the real estate with reasonable certainty, the recorded instrument does not qualify as recorded notice under the second path.
How does recorded notice relate to nonrecord claimant status?
Section 15-1210 defines a nonrecord claimant partly by reference to whether the person's interest was disclosed through a recorded notice as defined here.
Amendment History
(Source: P.A. 85-907.)
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Illinois Compiled Statutes, published by the
Illinois Compiled Statutes, Illinois General Assembly / Legislative Reference Bureau. Last verified July 20, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: illinois recorded notice definition foreclosurelis pendens recorded notice illinois foreclosurewhat makes a recorded notice valid illinois