Crime & Traffic

Yes. In Illinois, most court records are open to the public, with some exceptions. Each county’s circuit court clerk is responsible for keeping court records and making them available.

The public can usually:

• Review documents filed in the case, such as complaints, motions, or court orders.
• See docket A list of everything that happens in a civil case. Also can be used to refer to the court calendar. entries, which show what happened on each court date and may include notes from the judge.
• Access basic case details, such as the parties’ names, the charges or claims, and the case numbers.

Records that are not open to the public include:

• Juvenile For misdemeanor offenses, a defendant is considered a juvenile if the offense occurred when they were 17 or younger.For felony offenses, a defendant is considered a juvenile if the offense occurred when they were 16 or younger. delinquency Amount of back support accumulating after order is entered. and child protection cases
• Adoptions
• Cases that have been sealed or expunged
• Confidential filings, such as documents with Social Security numbers, bank account details, or medical records
• Certain family law or protective cases, where privacy or safety is at stake

Judges can also order that other cases or documents be sealed if there is a strong reason to keep them private.

A court record is the official file for a case. Depending on the type of case, it may include:

• Case information: case number, A number assigned to a case that is on every paper filed in the case names of the parties, and the type of case
• Docket A list of everything that happens in a civil case. Also can be used to refer to the court calendar. entries: a running list of court dates and what happened on that date
• Filings and pleadings: documents filed by the parties, such as complaints, answers, or motions
• Court orders and judgments: decisions signed by the judge, including final judgments or sentencing orders
• Exhibits or evidence: Anything used to show that something is true documents or items submitted to the court, unless access is limited
• Transcripts: written records of what was said in court, if they were prepared by a court reporter

Note: Not every case file will contain all of these parts. Some cases may only have a few entries and one order, while others can have many documents and filings.

People look up their court records for many reasons, including to:

• To gather documents and case details before filing for expungement When a criminal record is destroyed or sealing. When a criminal record is hidden from most of the general public, but not law enforcement
• To confirm the status of a criminal case or check if fines or probation A criminal court sentence which releases a person into the community. They are under supervision and given certain conditions. are completed.
• To review the outcome of a civil case, such as divorce, child support, Money paid by a parent to help another parent support a minor child or an adult child with a disability or a landlord An owner of property who rents it out to a tenant -tenant dispute.
• To verify whether a judgment An official decision by a court that ends the dispute between parties (like a money award) was entered and is on file.
• To make sure your record is accurate before applying for a job, housing, or professional license.

It depends. Looking at records online or on a courthouse computer is usually free. Printed copies of records usually cost money, and the amount depends on the county. Certified copies, which are official stamped copies, cost extra. A few counties charge a fee to get records online. Always check with your county’s circuit court clerk to find out what fees apply in your area.

Go to the circuit court clerk’s office in the county where the case was filed. Give the clerk the case number A number assigned to a case that is on every paper filed in the case and ask to see the case file. If you do not know the case number, the clerk can search by name. Use the public computer to look up the case and read the docket A list of everything that happens in a civil case. Also can be used to refer to the court calendar. and any documents the clerk lets you see. You can look at them on the computer and write down the information for free. 

If you need printed pages or an official stamped copy, ask the clerk. There is usually a per-page charge for copies and a higher fee for certified copies. If the file is stored offsite, the clerk will tell you how long retrieval will take. You cannot see sealed, expunged, or impounded files unless a court order allows it.

Visit the circuit court clerk's website for your county for more details and contact information.

In Illinois, some counties let you search for court cases online by name or case number. A number assigned to a case that is on every paper filed in the case The results usually show basic information about the people in the case and the docket, A list of everything that happens in a civil case. Also can be used to refer to the court calendar. which lists what happened on each court date.

One option is Judici.com, which covers 82 Illinois counties. If your county is listed, you can search there. If it is not, many counties have their own circuit court clerk’s website with case search tools.

You can also try searching online for “[your county] circuit court clerk case search” or “[your county] court records.” For example, you can search for “Lake County Circuit Court Clerk Case Search.” Make sure you are on the official government website, which usually ends in .gov. Look for links called “case lookup,” “court records,” or “online case search.”

• Go to the Judici.com website
• Open the court list or drop-down menu to see if your county is included.
• If your county is listed, select it and click Go or Search Cases.
• Choose a search option:
  • By case number, A number assigned to a case that is on every paper filed in the case if you know it.
  • By name, in the format: Last name, First name Middle initial (for example, Doe, John M).
• Click Search.
• If results appear, select the case number to view details. Judici usually displays tabs with case information, including:
  • Information tab: parties and basic case details
  • History tab: what has happened on each court date
  • Dispositions tabs: the final result of the case
  • Payments tab: any payments related to the case have been made, like the bond in a criminal case
  • Fines & Fees tab: if the court fees have been paid. If you see Pay Now listed, this court will allow you to pay the fees online and get a receipt

If you want to see your own criminal record in Illinois, you may not need a background check. You can look up most criminal court A court where a person is accused of a crime in front of a judge. The other side of the case is the State of Illinois, represented by a State's Attorney. The person accused is called the defendant. Criminal courts are different from civil courts, where two people or businesses can bring problems in front of a judge. records online or at the courthouse where your case was filed. In Cook County, criminal records are only available in person.

If you were arrested but never charged or went to court, the court will not have a record of your arrest. In that case, you may need to get your state criminal history record or RAP sheet from the Illinois State Police.

For more information, see Criminal records basics.

To find federal court case records, you can use a website called PACER, which stands for Public Access to Court Electronic Records.  PACER lets you search for cases filed in:

• U.S. District Courts
• U.S. Bankruptcy Courts
• U.S. Courts of Appeals

You need to create a PACER account to use the system. There is a small fee for viewing or downloading documents, but you may not be charged if your use stays under a certain dollar amount each quarter. See PACER’s fee information. You can visit pacer.uscourts.gov to sign up or learn more.

PACER does not include state cases, such as divorce, eviction, A court case brought by a landlord to get a tenant to move out traffic, or criminal cases filed in Illinois Circuit Courts. To find those, you must search through your county’s circuit court clerk website or Judici.com.

Cook County has limited online access to its court records.

• Criminal cases: Full criminal case files are not available online. If your case was filed in Cook County, you must go to the circuit court clerk’s office in the district where your case took place. If you need proof of the outcome, you may have to request a certified disposition, A court’s final decision in a criminal case which comes with a fee. There are no court dispositions for arrests or charges that did not result in a case being filed.
• Civil and other cases: The Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County offers an online case search as a public service. This system provides general case information, but it is not the official court record. You can use it to look up:
  • Civil, law, and chancery cases. Chancery includes things like foreclosures, injunctions, contract disputes, and some business or trust matters where the court is asked to order an action rather than only award money
  • Domestic relations and child support Money paid by a parent to help another parent support a minor child or an adult child with a disability cases
  • Probate A court process where a person's property is given out after they die docket A list of everything that happens in a civil case. Also can be used to refer to the court calendar. and probate will cases involving estates and guardianships
  • Traffic ticket cases, including DUI, speeding, and suspended license matters
  • County Division matters such as name changes and real estate Property consisting of land or buildings like a house or an apartment tax issues
  • Court Call, which lists cases scheduled for hearing When the parties in a case present their sides of a case to a judge or other officer today and the next five business days
  • Unclaimed child support to see if the Clerk’s Office is holding a payment for you

For certified copies or official court records, you must request them directly from the Clerk’s Office in person.