Illinois Court Records Search

Illinois Court Records & Case Lookup

According to reports, an average of 1.6 million cases are filed annually with Illinois trial courts, the bulk of which are filed at the Circuit Courts. These include about 730,000 traffic cases, 22,000 DUI cases, 50,000 family law matters, and 65,000 felony cases.

The Illinois Court Record and Document Accessibility Act (705 ILCS 86) makes provisions for public access to all records and documents identified as public to the clerk of court. Unless otherwise specified by law, rule, or order, case information and documents kept or managed by the clerk of the court are considered public as long as there is no order restricting access to such information or documents.

Members of the public may look up Illinois court records online using certain state-approved portals and some county-level online court record repositories. In addition, each clerk of courts' offices in the state maintains records of proceedings held within their jurisdiction and makes them available to the public on request.

State of Illinois Court System

The Illinois court system is an independent branch of the state's government. It is tasked with the responsibility of protecting citizen's rights and liberties by resolving disputes, providing equal access to justice, and upholding the rule of law as enshrined in the state's Constitution. Illinois operates a three-tiered court system, with each tier level handling a broad range of cases, including criminal and civil cases. They are the circuit, appellate, and supreme courts.

The Appellate Court in Illinois generally handles appeals from the Circuit Courts. Appealing a trial court decision to the Appellate Court is a matter of rights for the public except for judgments of acquittal in criminal cases or in cases appealable directly to the state's Supreme Court. If the Appellate Court finds a substantive error in the application of the law in a judgment made by the Circuit Court, it may reverse that decision or remand the matter for a new trial. However, if the court finds no error in the trial court's decision or if the error is minimal and makes little or no difference in the trial outcome, it will affirm the judgment.

The Supreme Court is Illinois's highest court and court of final determination. It exercises original jurisdictions in cases relating to writs of mandamus, revenue, prohibition, or habeas corpus. State law allows direct appeal to the Supreme Court, hence bypassing the Appellate Court, in matters where a Circuit Court has imposed a death sentence. The court also has the power to pass rules to entertain direct appeals in other cases. Furthermore, the Illinois Supreme Court has mandatory jurisdiction in capital cases and matters in which the constitutionality of state or federal laws is being questioned.

Illinois Trial Courts

Illinois trial courts are courts of general jurisdiction that hear all legal matters filed within the judicial system, except for cases in which the highest court has original and exclusive jurisdiction. They include the Circuit Courts, Municipal Courts, and the Court of Claims.

The Circuit Courts in Illinois

The Circuit Courts in Illinois have general and original jurisdiction over all matters except for cases under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. They handle a wide range of criminal and civil cases, ranging from criminal felonies to small claims actions to domestic relations. These courts may also review cases from the state's administrative agencies.

Illinois has 25 judicial circuits serving varying numbers of counties, seven of which are single-county circuits in McHenry, DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane, Cook, and St. Clair Counties. The other 18 judicial circuits have as few as two counties and as many as 12 counties in some circuits.

In Illinois, counties may organize Circuit Courts into varying divisions based on case types. As a result, some counties may have a Criminal Division, Law Division, Domestic Relations Division, Probate Division, and Traffic Division of the Circuit Court in their jurisdiction. The Circuit Courts in some counties may also have specialty courts such as the Drug Court, Veterans Court, and Mental Health Court.

The Court of Claims in the State of Illinois

This is a trial court within the state's court system with statewide jurisdiction. It has exclusive jurisdiction over several types of civil cases involving the State of Illinois and operates in Chicago and Springfield. The Illinois Court of Claims hears most claims based on the Crime Victims Compensation Act, the Line of Duty Act, and the Illinois National Guardsman's Compensation Act. It also handles cases involving certain torts, contract disputes, certain claims for terms unjustly served in prison, and most claims against Illinois based on the state's statute or regulation.

Illinois Municipal Courts

Most cases heard by the Municipal Courts in Illinois involve ordinance violations, such as parking tickets, littering, traffic tickets, disorderly conduct, red light camera tickets, and pet violations. Municipal courts operate in most towns and cities within the state.

What are the Specialty Courts in Illinois?

Specialty courts are also known as problem-solving courts in Illinois. They are operated as separate courts as an alternative to adjudication or incarceration. Generally, the specialty courts in Illinois offer participants drug testing, as well as treatment for mental health conditions and substance use disorders.

The following specialty courts operate in Illinois:

• Drug Courts - They assist offenders with substance use disorders relating to opioids, alcohol, cocaine, and marijuana. Illinois currently has 63 Drug Courts.
• Mental Health Courts - They help offenders with mental health conditions in crowded prisons by addressing the underlying issues that contribute to their criminal practices. There are currently 30 Mental Health Courts in Illinois.
• Domestic Violence Court - The only Domestic Violence Court in Illinois that offers various programs to assist offenders and protect victims.
• Veterans Courts - These courts help military veterans with mental health issues and substance use disorders who are involved with the state's criminal justice system. There are currently 22 of these courts in Illinois.

Illinois State Court Records vs. Federal Court Records

While they are both considered court records, the circumstances surrounding the generation of Illinois state court records are not the same as federal court records. Typically, Illinois court records are created from legal cases tried within the state's judicial system and under state law. They are primarily generated from the state's Circuit, Appellate, and Supreme Courts.

On the other hand, federal court records within the state are those generated by the federal courts in Illinois from cases involving the United States government and federal laws or the U.S. Constitution. They are usually created from cases adjudicated in the following federal district courts in the state:

• The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• The United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois
• The United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois

Illinois state court records are generally available at the offices of the court clerks in the courts where such cases are filed and heard. They may also be accessed online. On the contrary, federal court records in Illinois are largely retrievable through the centralized Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) maintained by the federal judiciary. They may also be obtained by visiting the custodian clerk's office, where they can be accessed through public terminals.

What Are Public and Non-Public Court Records in Illinois?

Public court records in Illinois are court documents and information that are publicly available to anyone upon request. However, certain requirements may have to be met in some cases to be able to access these records.

In contrast, some court records are marked as confidential, closed by statute, or sealed by the courts and are restricted from public disclosure. Such records are known as non-public court records. In certain cases, some documents or information may be redacted from Illinois public court records before being disseminated to interested persons.

The table below itemizes the various public court records and non-public court records/information in Illinois:

How To Seal or Expunge Illinois Court Records

Illinois has multiple options for clearing criminal court records. These include expungement, sealing, and executive clemency. While expungement erases arrest and court supervision from a person's criminal records, sealing generally hides criminal records from most of the public

In Illinois, a court will consider sealing or expunging a court record as long as the record is eligible. Generally, the following qualify for expungement in courts under Illinois law:

• Certain misdemeanor convictions and Class 4 felony cannabis convictions
• Arrest results that did not lead to convictions, including charges resulting in acquittal, dismissed charges, and charges that were never filed
• Completed sentences for court supervision and qualified probation for certain offenses
• A conviction that was reversed or vacated

Driving under the influence (DUI), reckless driving (unless by a youthful offender), and sex offenses involving a minor are typically ineligible for expungement in Illinois. Hence, petitions to expunge such records will be denied by the courts.

Generally, most felony and misdemeanor convictions are eligible for sealing in Illinois, except the following:

• Most sex crimes, except misdemeanor public indecency and prostitution
• Domestic battery
• Violations of protection orders and stalking no contact orders
• Class A misdemeanors and other higher misdemeanor convictions
• Reckless driving or driving under the influence (DUI), unless the defendant is a youthful offender

Steps Involved in Sealing or Expunging Illinois Criminal Court Records

The legal process involved in sealing or expunging a court record in Illinois is generally initiated by filing a petition with the court. The court provides all the required forms in most cases. Afterward, a state attorney in the county where the petition is filed will review the petition and decide whether or not to object to the request within 60 days.

If the state attorney objects, they will file a written recommendation against the petitioner's request for the judge's perusal. During the hearing, the judge has the sole discretion to grant a court record sealing or expungement request.

How Do You Access State of Illinois Court Records?

State of Illinois public court records may be accessed primarily from the clerks of courts in the county where such cases were filed and heard. Each county's Circuit Court maintains records of cases adjudicated within their jurisdiction, and these records are generally open to the public unless otherwise restricted from public disclosure by statute.

Depending on the county, interested persons may generally access court records from the Circuit Court in person, by mail, or online. The state also manages a single unified dashboard that allows attorneys to access the judiciary case data from all 102 counties online.

Online Access to Illinois Court Records

The State of Illinois Judicial Branch maintains an online portal, re:SearchIL, that enables online access to court documents, especially those filed in the state's court system through e-FileIL. The portal is designed for legal professionals and the courts and may be accessed by attorneys to search for all filings and every other activity related to legal cases from all of Illinois's 102 counties.

Some clerks' offices in certain counties also offer remote access to court records through dedicated databases in compliance with the Illinois Supreme Court's Policy on Electronic Access to Circuit Court Records. Furthermore, Judici offers online court record lookups for records maintained by about 82 participating counties in the state.

In-Person Access to State of Illinois Court Records

Generally, Illinois court records are maintained by the clerks of Circuit Courts in the courts where such cases are filed and heard. These records are available upon request to individuals who wish to access them in person or at the public computer terminals maintained by some clerks.

The following steps are required to access or search State of Illinois court records in person:

• Visit the clerk's office at the courthouse in the county where the case was filed
• Provide the clerk with the details needed to facilitate the search. This will largely include the case number or names of the parties involved in the matter. Depending on the county, a requester will either be required to complete a dedicated form or submit a written request. Also, the requester may be required to present a valid ID and pay certain fees
• The clerk will search the record using the provided details and make copies available to the requester
• Alternatively, a requester may use the public computer at the courthouse to access Illinois court records in person while visiting the Circuit Court clerk's office. They will typically be required to provide details such as the case number, filing date, and names of parties involved

How To Request Judicial Administrative Records

In Illinois, judicial administrative records are information and documents generated in the course of the court's administrative duties rather than judicial decisions of the court. They include personnel records, statistical reports, financial records, budget records, and court management documents. Generally, each level of the Illinois court system maintains its judicial administrative records.

Anyone may take the following steps to obtain Illinois judicial administrative records:

• Determine which judicial administrative office or court has the records on file
• Find out whether the judicial administrative record of interest is maintained online by the specific court or its administrative office. If the administrative office allows access to the required record online, the requester should view or copy them directly online
• If the required judicial administrative records are not available online or not sure where to look, the requester may contact the administrator's office or the court clerk and inquire about the procedure
• In most cases, the administrator or clerk of the court will advise the requester on how to submit their request. Typically, the requester will be asked to provide details of the record of interest and pay any applicable fee
• The clerk of the court or the administrator's office will process the request and make the records available to the requester within the set timeline or have the requester inspect them in person if preferred

How To Access Older and Archived Court Records in Illinois

The clerk of court for each Circuit Court in Illinois maintains older and archived court records that may be unavailable online for cases heard within the court's jurisdiction. Similarly, the Illinois State Archives is a depository for many archived records in the state, including historical criminal and civil court case files, docket books, court proceedings, and chancery court case files.

To retrieve archived court records from a courthouse in Illinois, it is best to first contact the court clerk to confirm the availability of such records and to inquire about the retrieval process. In most cases, requesters are required to visit the courthouse/clerk's office in person and submit their written requests.

Anyone interested in obtaining older and historical court records from the Illinois State Archives can submit their written request in person between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, at the Springfield office at:

The written request should provide as much information as possible, including the dates, case number, and the names of parties involved in the case to facilitate the search.