Blog · October 8, 2026 · Illinois
Randolph County, Illinois: Plat Book Guide
A practical guide to the Randolph County plat book: the official link, towns and land across the county, property lines, and where deeds are recorded.
Main page: Randolph County, IL GIS & Parcel Viewer (official map link, Randolph County facts and neighboring maps).
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The Randolph County plat book is a public tool, and for anyone shopping, building or hunting near Chester, it's the fastest way to put an owner's name on a piece of ground.
You'll find the viewer link, notes on Chester and the land around it, and short answers to common questions about property lines and land records.
Opening the Randolph County parcel viewer
The Randolph County ArcGIS parcel map is the county's own public parcel viewer; it runs on an Esri ArcGIS web map. Once parcel lines appear, click any tract near Red Bud to see who owns it and how many acres the county records. Our Randolph County, IL page keeps the current link if the official address changes.
Where to find a Randolph County plat book in Illinois
Farmers, hunters and rural mail carriers around Sparta have long used printed plat books, which show each township with owner names written on the tracts. Ownership around Ellis Grove changes every year, so the online map is the better check on who owns a tract today. If a printed book and the online map disagree about a tract near Sparta, the recorded deed decides.
Who uses the Randolph County parcel map
Here's who tends to use it in Randolph County.
- A buyer who wants ten or twenty acres near Sparta can rule out most of the wrong tracts from a desk before driving out.
- Investors comb the area around Sparta for unbuilt parcels and absentee owners, two clues that a tract might be for sale.
- A small builder looking for spec lots around Sparta can scan the map for vacant parcels in already-platted subdivisions.
What the map covers, from Chester to the back roads
The county seat is Chester; Red Bud, Sparta, Baldwin, and Coulterville are among the other communities you can zoom to. Out in the countryside, Blair, Bremen, and Dozaville appear as small knots of lots along the road network. Organized in 1795, and named for Edmund Randolph, Randolph County has a long paper trail, and early deeds may cite landmarks that no longer exist. By Census Bureau figures, the county had roughly 29,815 residents in 2023, spread over about 575 square miles of land. Between Chester and Sparta the map alternates between platted subdivisions and open farm or wooded tracts.
The Randolph County economy in brief
By the Census Bureau's 2022 count, 639 business establishments operated in Randolph County. Other services had the most, followed by retail trade and accommodation and food services. Measured against national shares, hospitals, food manufacturing, and building material and garden supply dealers are overrepresented in Randolph County. For someone working at one of the county's plants, a homesite near Red Bud may be within an easy commute; the map shows what's available.
Property lines in Randolph County, Illinois
A Randolph County plat book is built for assessment, not construction. In Randolph County, as in most places, the lines are a best fit of old deed calls onto modern aerial photos. Square-ish tracts around Chester are no accident: Illinois land was surveyed into sections, and deeds still describe land that way. For rural ground near Fort Gage, a recorded survey or a new one is the only reliable source for the true line.
Acreage and vacant lot search
A vacant-land search near Ellis Grove, step by step:
- Start on the outskirts of Evansville, where empty lots are easy to spot between the houses on the aerial layer.
- A tax bill mailed far from Fort Gage usually means an absentee owner, so note the mailing address on each record.
- Compare land values on similar Randolph County tracts to see whether an asking price is in the ballpark.
- Trace the frontage on any tract near Fort Gage; without it, access depends on a recorded easement.
- Check the flood layer and ask about septic and permits; open land in Randolph County isn't automatically buildable.
For a tract near Ellis Grove with no road frontage, see how to tell if land is landlocked.
Where Randolph County deeds and plats are kept
The map near Sparta is only as good as the deeds behind it, and those are kept in the county's recording office. Which office that is depends on how Illinois organizes it, so look it up on the Randolph County government site before you call. Easements and rights-of-way are usually in recorded documents, not on the parcel map, so read the deed itself for a tract near Fort Gage.
Near the county line
Randolph County shares borders with Jackson County, Monroe County, Perry County, St. Clair County, and Washington County, and each one runs its own parcel map and recording office. Neighboring maps for Randolph County are a click away on our Illinois page.
Frequently asked questions
How do I look up a property owner in Randolph County?
Click the parcel. Randolph County tax records show the owner of record and usually a mailing address, which may differ from the property address.
What's the best way to locate a boundary in Randolph County?
For a lot in Red Bud, start with the parcel map, then get the recorded plat; a surveyor sets the exact corners.
Is there a printed plat book for Randolph County?
Whether a current printed edition exists for Randolph County varies; the free online map covering Chester and the rest of the county is the dependable option.
What if the Randolph County, IL parcel viewer won't load?
Map servers for Randolph County occasionally go offline for updates. Try again later or check our directory for a new link.
Open the official Randolph County, IL parcel map Randolph County in the Platbookmapper directory
Not a survey. County GIS and tax parcel maps are assessment and planning layers. They are not a substitute for a recorded plat, deed, or licensed survey, especially for fences, setbacks, or boundary disputes.