| Circuit Clerk | Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County — Online Case Search |
|---|---|
| Clerk address | Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, 50 W. Washington St., Suite 1001, Chicago, IL 60602-1305 |
| Phone | (312) 603-5030 |
| Hours | Confirm current hours with the clerk before visiting |
| Earliest records noted | Varies by court — older files may be on paper or microfilm |
| Plain copy fee | Set by the clerk — ask when you request |
| Certified copy fee | Set by the clerk — ask when you request |
Cook County is by far the largest court system in Illinois — and one of the largest in the country — with more than 400 judges spread across the Richard J. Daley Center downtown and five outlying district courthouses plus the Domestic Violence and Juvenile courthouses. The Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County is the single office that keeps every case file: criminal, civil, chancery, domestic relations, probate, and traffic, no matter which of the county's courthouses heard the case.
The clerk's free online case search covers all of these divisions from one search box, which is unusual for Illinois — most counties split their search by case type or use a separate vendor. The tradeoff is scale: Cook County processes an enormous volume of filings, so the clerk's office cautions that the online index shows brief summaries rather than certified copies of the record, and very recent filings can take a few days to appear.
Because Cook County is a single-county judicial circuit (the First Judicial Circuit) with its own Appellate Court district, appeals from Cook County cases go to the First District Appellate Court, not one of the four downstate districts.
Search Cook County court records online
Circuit Clerk
Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County — Online Case Search
- Cost
- Free
- Coverage
- Criminal, civil, chancery, domestic relations, probate, and traffic case information for every courthouse in Cook County
- Records
- Civil, Criminal, Family, Probate, Traffic
Shows brief summaries of court documents and events, not the official record; the clerk's office says results can lag actual filings by several days and does not warrant the data's accuracy or completeness.
What is available online
The clerk's online search reaches across every division and every Cook County courthouse — the Daley Center (civil, chancery, domestic relations, probate) and the district courthouses in Skokie, Rolling Meadows, Maywood, Bridgeview, and Markham, plus the criminal courthouse at 26th and California and the Domestic Violence and Juvenile courthouses. Coverage is a summary index; the clerk's office explicitly disclaims it as the official record, and official files remain in paper or the clerk's own repositories at the relevant courthouse.
Which clerk has your record
In Illinois, the clerk who keeps a file depends on which court heard the case. Check the court name on the case notice, citation, or order, then use the office and coverage details above to identify the record holder. Court names and responsibilities differ by state; a county clerk may not keep court case files. For federal cases, see the PACER guide. The full court structure is on the Illinois page.
| Court | Typical cases | Records kept by |
|---|---|---|
| Appellate Court (5 districts) | Appeals from circuit-court civil and criminal judgments; Interlocutory appeals; Administrative review in some case types | Clerk of the relevant Appellate Court district |
| Circuit Courts (25 judicial circuits) | Felony and misdemeanor criminal cases; Civil suits of any amount; Divorce, custody, and other family cases | Circuit Clerk of the county (elected countywide) |
Request records in person or by mail
Cook County clerk offices
Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, 50 W. Washington St., Suite 1001, Chicago, IL 60602-1305
Phone: (312) 603-5030
Contact details were taken from the office's website and are re-checked on a schedule; confirm hours before visiting.
Online. Use the free case search to confirm a case exists and see basic docket information before requesting anything in person or by mail.
In person or by mail. Copies and certified copies are requested from the clerk's office in the courthouse where the case is or was heard — the Daley Center for civil/chancery/domestic relations/probate downtown, or the district courthouse for cases filed there. Contact the main office at 50 W. Washington St. for current fees and where to send a mail request for a specific case type, since Cook County's divisions are physically split across multiple buildings.
Fees. Copy and certification fees are set under the Clerks of Courts Act (705 ILCS 105/27.2, which applies to counties over 500,000 people); call the relevant courthouse clerk's counter to confirm the current amount before mailing payment.
Fees
| Item | Typical cost in Illinois |
|---|---|
| Plain copy | Set by the clerk — ask when you request |
| Certified copy | Set by the clerk — ask when you request |
Circuit clerk fees, including copy and certification fees, are set under the Clerks of Courts Act (705 ILCS 105), which gives minimum-and-maximum ranges by county population (Section 27.1a for counties under 500,000 people, Section 27.2 for counties between 500,000 and 3,000,000). Because each county board can set its own fee within that range, the actual per-page and certification cost varies by county — confirm the current amount with the circuit clerk before sending payment.
Need a copy an agency will accept? See how to get certified copies of court records.
Sealed and restricted records
Illinois court records are presumed open, but several categories will not appear in a public search:
The Illinois guide lists every category of sealed and restricted record, and our guide to expunging or sealing a criminal record explains how to remove one from public view.
Frequently asked questions
Is there one search for all Cook County court cases?
Yes. The Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County runs a single free online case search covering criminal, civil, chancery, domestic relations, probate, and traffic cases from every courthouse in the county.
Where is my Cook County civil or divorce case file?
Civil, chancery, domestic relations (divorce and custody), and probate cases are generally filed and heard at the Richard J. Daley Center in downtown Chicago, and the Clerk of the Circuit Court's Daley Center office keeps those files.
Where are Cook County felony cases heard?
Most felony cases are heard at the Leighton Criminal Court Building at 26th Street and California Avenue in Chicago, though some criminal matters are handled at the district courthouses.
How current is the Cook County online case search?
The clerk's office cautions that very recent filings and court events can take several days to appear, and that the search shows summaries rather than the certified official record.
Are Chicago traffic tickets in the Cook County court search?
Traffic cases filed in the circuit court appear in the same online search. Parking tickets and some city ordinance violations, however, are handled administratively by the City of Chicago rather than through the circuit court.
Sources
- Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County — https://www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/
- Cook County Circuit Court Online Case Search — https://casesearch.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/
- Cook County Government — Clerk of the Circuit Court — https://www.cookcountyil.gov/agency/clerk-circuit-court
- State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts — https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/
- Illinois Courts — Circuit Court overview — https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/courts/circuit-court/
- re:SearchIL (Illinois Supreme Court document access portal) — https://researchil.tylerhost.net/CourtRecordsSearch/Home
- Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification — Name-Based Background Checks — https://isp.illinois.gov/BureauOfIdentification/NameBased
- Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification — Fee Schedule — https://isp.illinois.gov/BureauOfIdentification/FeeSchedule
- Illinois Supreme and Appellate Court Opinions Search — https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/top-level-opinions/
- 20 ILCS 2630 — Criminal Identification Act — https://www.ilga.gov/Legislation/ILCS/Articles?ActID=350&ChapterID=5
- 705 ILCS 105 — Clerks of Courts Act — https://www.ilga.gov/Legislation/ILCS/Articles?ActID=1847&ChapterID=50
- Northern District of Illinois — U.S. District Court — https://www.ilnd.uscourts.gov/
- PACER — Federal court records — https://pacer.uscourts.gov/
See also: all Illinois counties.