The Cook County websites have a wealth of information on property taxes and all things related. Here’s a short excerpt from the Cook County Clerk’s site on what a Property Index Number is and how to find it. You can read the full article at http://www.cookcountyclerk.com/tsd/maps/pages/aboutpins.aspx.
If you’d like to skip the article and just find your PIN, please visit http://www.cookcountyassessor.com/Property_Search/Homeowner_Search.aspx
About PINs
A PIN (Property Index Number, also known as a permanent real estate index number) is a numerical code for the legal description of a piece of land as it has been defined for the purposes of real estate taxation. The formatted code points to the parcel’s location on the county’s tax maps.
How to find your PIN
The best source for your PIN is your deed or tax bill, or other documents you may have from the purchase of your home. If you are not able to locate any of these documents, the Cook County Assessor’s website can help you locate a PIN from an address.
Matches are not guaranteed, and there may be some addresses that are not available. In most cases the Assessor’s office provides a photograph of the property, which can help verify the match of the address to the PIN.
Verify the PIN with the legal description on your deed to confirm you have identified the correct property. If you need assistance with reading the legal description*, please visit the Real Estate and Tax Services Division on the 4th floor of the Cook County Building, 118 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois. We can assist you with examining official county tax maps.