Estate Planning for Champaign County, Illinois Property Owners

For most Champaign County homeowners, the house is what drags an estate into probate. A transfer-on-death deed or a living trust keeps it out—here is how to set up either one and record it locally.

Record a TOD deedWhere to recordLocal attorneys

For a Champaign County property owner, the biggest probate risk is the home itself. Real estate is what forces most families into the Circuit Court. The two tools that keep a Champaign County home out of probate are a transfer-on-death deed recorded with the County Clerk and Recorder, and a revocable living trust that holds title to the property.

Without a recorded beneficiary designation or a trust, Champaign County property passes through the Circuit Court — even simple Illinois probates run 6+ months and start with $348 in filing fees. Illinois also lets owners name a transfer-on-death beneficiary on vehicle titles, which keeps cars out of the same process.

Record a Transfer-on-Death Deed in Champaign County

A transfer on death instrument names a beneficiary who receives Champaign County property automatically at the owner's death, without probate. It is recorded with the County Clerk and Recorder during the owner's lifetime and can be revoked at any time.

Before recording, an Illinois transfer on death instrument is signed with 2755 ILCS 27/1 to 27/95Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses and notary acknowledgment755 ILCS 27/1 to 27/95Verified Oct 18, 2026View source. The deed takes effect only if it is recorded before the owner's death755 ILCS 27/1 to 27/95Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.

Create a Illinois TOD deed →Champaign County signing requirements →

Where to Record Property Documents

Deeds and other real property documents for Champaign County are recorded with the County Clerk and Recorder at 102 East Main Street, Urbana, IL 61801. Phone: 1-217-384-3774. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM (opens 9:00 AM on the 2nd Wednesday of the month).

The County Clerk and Recorder charges $70 flat, regardless of page count. Recording a 2-page transfer on death instrument in Champaign County comes to $70. A transfer on death instrument is exempt from transfer tax.

Champaign County accepts electronic recording through ePN, Indecomm, Simplifile, CSC and Hopdox.

Recording Office Record

County Clerk and Recorder

Champaign County

Hours

Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-4:30 PM (opens 9:00 AM on the 2nd Wednesday of the month)

Office

102 East Main Street, Urbana, IL 61801

Open in Google Maps

Fax

1-217-384-1241

Verified October 16, 2026 · Source

Estate Planning Attorneys Serving Champaign County

FirmChampaign, IL

Erwin, Martinkus & Cole, Ltd.

Serves 1 county

Ten-attorney firm on West University Avenue in Champaign serving the Champaign-Urbana area. Handles probate, trusts, guardianships, and estate planning alongside taxation, real estate, and business matters. Partner R. Michael Brown, a certified public accountant and certified financial planner, leads the estate planning, trust, and probate work.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateTax PlanningConservatorshipand 2 more

Office
411 W. University AveChampaign, IL 61820

FirmChampaign, IL

Harrington Law, LLC

Serves 1 county

Serves Champaign County from West Springfield Avenue in Champaign. Guides executors and beneficiaries through probate and estate administration, administers trusts, and plans to reduce estate and gift taxes. A real-estate-centered practice whose history traces to 1922.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax PlanningReal Estate

Office
201 W. Springfield Avenue, Suite 601Champaign, IL 61820

Solo PracticeChampaign, IL

Law Offices of Mark Ingersoll

Serves 1 county

Champaign practice on South Prospect Avenue serving Champaign County and central Illinois. Mark Ingersoll guides clients seeking appointment as executor or administrator through each step Illinois probate requires, and drafts wills and trusts. Every matter stays with him rather than passing to an associate or paralegal.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbateWills Trusts

Office
1701 S. Prospect Ave., Suite 205Champaign, IL 61820

FirmChampaign, IL

Meyer Capel

Serves 2 counties

Serves Champaign and McLean counties from offices in Champaign and Bloomington. Its estate and trust group handles estate administration and probate alongside estate and charitable gift planning, with eight attorneys in the practice, two of them at the Bloomington office.

PracticesEstate PlanningProbate

Office
306 West Church StreetChampaign, IL 61820

FirmChampaign, IL

Thomas Mamer, LLP

Since 1946 · Serves 1 county

Champaign firm on N. Dunlap Avenue serving Champaign-Urbana and central Illinois since 1946, with 19 attorneys. Guides executors named under a will — and administrators of estates where someone died without one — through probate, and settles estates and trusts. Also drafts wills, trusts, powers of attorney for property and healthcare, and advance directives.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax PlanningWills Trusts

Office
2005 N. Dunlap AveChampaign, IL 61820

FirmUrbana, IL

Tummelson Bryan & Knox, LLP

Serves 1 county

Urbana firm on N. Broadway Avenue serving Champaign County and east-central Illinois, with a second office in Rantoul. Handles probate and trust administration for executors and trustees, plus guardianship matters, and drafts wills, revocable living trusts, and powers of attorney. Estate and inheritance tax strategies are part of the planning work.

PracticesEstate PlanningTrust AdministrationProbateTax Planningand 3 more

Office
115 N. Broadway AveUrbana, IL 61801
See all 18 firms serving Champaign County →

Firm listings are for informational purposes only. SimplyTrust does not endorse or recommend any specific firm or attorney. Contact firms directly to verify their current practice areas and availability.

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Legal Sources

Data sourced from Illinois statutes and official state code. How we research.

Forms for Planning Your Estate in Illinois

Free forms for planning your estate in Illinois: will, living trust, pour-over will, powers of attorney and TOD deed. Prepare each form for Illinois.

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Last Will and Testament

In Illinois, a will is signed before 2755 ILCS 5/4-3Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and the witnesses sign an affidavit at probate instead of a self-proving affidavit755 ILCS 5/4-3Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.

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Codicil to a Will

In Illinois, a codicil is signed before 2755 ILCS 5/4-3Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, like a will.

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Healthcare Power of Attorney

Illinois requires 1755 ILCS 45/4-10Verified Oct 15, 2026View source witness for a healthcare power of attorney; notarization is not required755 ILCS 45/4-10Verified Oct 15, 2026View source.

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HIPAA Release

In Illinois, a HIPAA release names who may receive your records and, as the state requires, names HIV/AIDS-related information, mental health records and genetic information410 ILCS 305/9(1)(b); 740 ILCS 110/5; 410 ILCS 513/15(a) and 410 ILCS 513/30(a)(2)Verified Jun 19, 2026View source expressly before a provider releases them.

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Financial Power of Attorney

Illinois treats a power of attorney as durable by default755 ILCS 45/2-3, 45/2-5, 45/2-8, 45/2-10.6, 45/3-3, 45/3-3.6, 45/3-4; 765 ILCS 5/28; 755 ILCS 5/11-1Verified Sep 18, 2026View source, and it is signed before 1755 ILCS 45/2-3, 45/2-5, 45/2-8, 45/2-10.6, 45/3-3, 45/3-3.6, 45/3-4; 765 ILCS 5/28; 755 ILCS 5/11-1Verified Sep 18, 2026View source witness and a notary.

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Transfer on Death Deed

In Illinois, a transfer on death instrument is signed before a notary755 ILCS 27/1 to 27/95Verified Oct 18, 2026View source and 2755 ILCS 27/1 to 27/95Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, then recorded with the county before the owner's death755 ILCS 27/1 to 27/95Verified Oct 18, 2026View source. Illinois does not recognize a Lady Bird deed.

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Vehicle Transfer on Death

Illinois allows a transfer-on-death beneficiary designation on a vehicle title625 ILCS 5/3-104(a-5), 3-107(b-5)Verified Oct 21, 2026View source, filed through the Illinois Secretary of State, Vehicle Services Department using Form VSD 773.

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Living Will

In Illinois, the living will is the Living Will Declaration755 ILCS 35 (Illinois Living Will Act), §§ 1-10Verified Sep 27, 2026View source, a document of its own, apart from the healthcare power of attorney.

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Tools for Planning Your Estate in Illinois

Free tools for planning your estate in Illinois: will and trust costs, trust or TOD deed, and the signing rules. Run each tool for Illinois and read its answer.

How Do I Sign Estate Documents?

In Illinois, a will is signed before 2755 ILCS 5/4-3Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and notarization is not required755 ILCS 5/4-3Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.

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Will My Estate Documents Transfer?

Illinois recognizes a will signed under the law of the place where it was signed755 ILCS 5/7-1Verified Oct 18, 2026View source; a will signed in Illinois itself needs 2755 ILCS 5/4-3Verified Oct 18, 2026View source witnesses, and notarization is not required755 ILCS 5/4-3Verified Oct 18, 2026View source.

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Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?

In Illinois, a will-based plan pays probate attorney fees of typically 1.9%Modeled estimate under 755 ILCS 5/27-2 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3%Modeled estimate under 755 ILCS 5/27-2 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; a funded revocable trust keeps those assets out of probate and off that fee.

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How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?

An attorney-prepared revocable living trust in Illinois runs $3,680Estimate: 10 hours at $368, Clio's Illinois Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $5,520Estimate: 15 hours at $368, Clio's Illinois Trusts rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source for an individual, against $0 to $549 up front plus a subscription with an online service.

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How Much Does a Will Cost?

An attorney-prepared will in Illinois runs $1,002Estimate: 3 hours at $334, Clio's Illinois Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source to $2,004Estimate: 6 hours at $334, Clio's Illinois Wills and Estates rate; Compare Lawyer Rates, 2025 dataVerified Oct 15, 2026View source, against $0 to $299 up front with an online service, and probate on a $500,000 estate adds about $25,745755 ILCS 5/27-2 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage)Verified Sep 8, 2026View source.

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How Does SimplyTrust Compare to LegalZoom, Trust & Will, and Other Services?

Compare what it costs to make a trust official across SimplyTrust, LegalZoom, Trust & Will, Rocket Lawyer, and Quicken WillMaker.

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How Do I Name a Guardian for My Minor Children?

In Illinois, a parent names a guardian for a minor child in a will or a separate signed writing755 ILCS 5/11-5(a-1), 11-5(a)Verified Sep 15, 2026View source, and the nomination covers the child until the age of majority, 18755 ILCS 5/11-1Verified Sep 15, 2026View source.

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Do I Need a Revocable Trust?

Probate in Illinois takes 6 months to 9 months for a simple estate and charges attorney fees of typically 1.9%Modeled estimate under 755 ILCS 5/27-2 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source to 3%Modeled estimate under 755 ILCS 5/27-2 (reasonable compensation; no statutory percentage): the hours the statutory fee schedules imply, at the state's surveyed hourly rateVerified Sep 8, 2026View source of the estate; assets held in a revocable trust skip both.

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