How to Find Illinois Court Records (2026)

In person. Go to the circuit clerk's office in the county where the case was filed. Bring the case number if you have it; if not, the party names and an approximate filing year. Most clerks have a public terminal or counter search at no charge, and copies are paid on the spot by cash, check, or card depending on the office.

By mail. Write to the circuit clerk with:

• the case number, or the full names of the parties and the approximate year filed;
• exactly which documents you need;
• whether you need plain or certified copies; and
• payment by money order or certified/cashier's check (many clerks will not accept cash or personal checks by mail), or a request for a fee quote first.

Call the clerk's office first to confirm the current per-page and certification fees, since these are set locally within statutory ranges and vary by county.

Online. Many circuit clerks publish a free name or case-number search; a few charge a small fee for a background-style record search (for example, Lake County charges a flat per-name, per-year fee for a mailed record search). Document images, where available at all, are typically behind a paid subscription service such as Clericus Magnus or an e-filing vendor's viewer, not the free case search.

Records older than the online index. Many counties' online systems only reach back to the 1990s or 2000s. Older files may be on paper, microfilm, or in county or Illinois State Archives records, and the clerk may charge a search fee to locate them.

Illinois court records are presumed open, but several categories will not appear in a public search:

• Expunged records. Under the Criminal Identification Act (20 ILCS 2630), a court-ordered expungement directs the arresting agency, the Illinois State Police, and the circuit clerk to physically destroy or return the records covered by the order; the arrest is treated as if it did not occur.
• Sealed records. The same Act allows many arrests and some convictions to be sealed rather than expunged. A sealed record stays on file but is removed from public access and only remains visible to law enforcement, courts, and certain licensing or employment screenings authorized by statute.
• Juvenile records. Cases under the Juvenile Court Act are confidential, with access limited to the minor, parents, and specified agencies.
• Impounded and case-specific sealing orders. A circuit judge can impound or seal an individual case file (common in some family, adoption, and sensitive civil matters) under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 138 and related rules; adoption records are sealed by statute.
• Mental health and certain protective-order records. Access is restricted under the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act and similar statutes.

Expungement and sealing petitions are filed in the circuit court where the arrest or conviction occurred, not with the Illinois State Police directly, although the State Police maintain the central criminal history database that the court's order also reaches.