Illinois
Illinois Court Records: How to Search by County and What re:SearchIL Actually Covers
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited August 10, 2026). · 5 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
Illinois is in the middle of building a statewide court records repository, re:SearchIL, but its rollout to the general public is not finished. For now, most readers still need to search Illinois court records county by county, and Cook County, the state's largest, is a useful example of what a county-level system looks like.
Information last verified on 2026-08-10. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
This guide is part of a broader look at court records by state; for the mechanics of federal versus state versus county searches generally, see how to look up court records and are court records public.
re:SearchIL: A Statewide Repository Still Rolling Out
Illinois Courts' own eservices page lists re:SearchIL as the "Statewide Document Repository," alongside eFileIL, online traffic and conservation ticket payment, and Remote Proceedings. It is a genuinely statewide project, but access has been rolled out in phases rather than opened to everyone at once. According to the Illinois Courts' own announcement of the system, the rollout moved from courts themselves, to judges, clerks, and parties to a case, and only later to "non-party attorneys and the general public in a phased implementation," with a subscription or transactional fee basis planned for attorney and public access once that phase arrives. Because the public-facing rollout has continued to evolve since that announcement, readers should check illinoiscourts.gov directly for the current status of general-public access and any fees, rather than assuming re:SearchIL already works like a finished statewide search the way it does in some other states.
Searching by County: Cook County as an Example
Until re:SearchIL's public tier is fully available, the practical path in Illinois is the county circuit court's own system. Cook County's Clerk of the Circuit Court runs a free Online Case Information portal covering civil, law, chancery, and domestic relations or child support divisions. The clerk's own site is explicit about its limits: "The electronic docket information available through this service is not the official record of the court," and the same disclaimer states the data "may not be represented as an official court record." Full criminal case files are not available online through this portal; the alternative is a public-access terminal at the courthouse. Other Illinois counties run their own separate systems with their own coverage and interfaces, so a search in one county says nothing about what another county's clerk provides online.
What's Public and What's Restricted
The Illinois Supreme Court has adopted a rule establishing distinct access categories that apply to case records and individual documents, ranging from fully public, to impounded, confidential, sealed, and expunged. Which category a record falls into, not just its general case type, determines what a member of the public can see, whether searching re:SearchIL once it is fully available or a county's own system in the meantime. Separately, Illinois court rules also require filers to keep certain personal identifiers, such as Social Security numbers, out of publicly filed documents, redacting or filing that information under seal instead.
Sealing and Expungement in Illinois
Illinois's Criminal Identification Act draws a clear line between two remedies. Expungement destroys the record. Sealing keeps the record but restricts public access to it, while leaving it visible to law enforcement and certain other agencies for specified purposes. Which remedy applies, and when, depends on the offense and how the case ended. For current eligibility rules and the filing process, see Illinois expungement and sealing laws, which this page does not duplicate.
Certified Copies and Courthouse Access
A certified copy of an Illinois court document comes from the Circuit Court Clerk in the county where the case was filed. Even in Cook County, which runs one of the state's more developed online systems, full criminal case documents, not just the docket entries, require an in-person courthouse visit rather than an online request.
Using Illinois Court Records the Right Way
A free county docket search is meant for checking your own case, confirming a court date, or general research, not for screening a tenant, applicant, or date, and Cook County's own disclaimer is a reminder that what displays online is not the official record. Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, criminal convictions are exempt from the seven-year reporting-window limit that applies to arrests and most civil judgments, meaning a conviction can appear on a consumer report indefinitely; only an Illinois sealing or expungement action removes it from a compliant background report. The FTC's 2023 settlement with TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate, over marketing public-records reports for tenant and employee screening without following federal background-check law, is a reminder that a court-records search is not a substitute for an FCRA-compliant background check when a housing or employment decision is on the line.
Disclaimer
This article explains how Illinois court records are organized and searched. It is general legal information, not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for a licensed legal or background-screening professional. Portal features, rollout status, and fees change without notice; verify current details directly with Illinois Courts or the relevant county clerk. Consult an Illinois-licensed attorney for advice about a specific case.
Last updated: 2026-08-10. Portal facts and fees reflect their published status as of August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a statewide Illinois court records search?
Illinois is building one, re:SearchIL, but its rollout to the general public has been phased and is not complete statewide. Most readers currently still need to search the specific county circuit court's own system.
How do I search Cook County court records?
Use the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court's free Online Case Information portal for civil, law, chancery, and domestic relations or child support cases. Full criminal case files are not available online; those require an in-person visit to a courthouse public-access terminal.
Is online Illinois court information the official record?
No. Cook County's own portal states directly that its electronic docket information is not the official record of the court and may not be represented as one. Treat any online result as a starting point, not a certified record.
What is the difference between sealing and expungement in Illinois?
Under the Criminal Identification Act, expungement destroys the record, while sealing restricts public access but keeps the record visible to law enforcement and certain agencies. Eligibility depends on the offense and how the case ended.
Can I use an Illinois court records search to screen a tenant or job applicant?
Not on its own. A do-it-yourself search is not built for that purpose, and convictions do not age off a report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Screening for housing or employment should go through an FCRA-compliant consumer reporting agency.
How do I get a certified copy of an Illinois court document?
Request it from the Circuit Court Clerk in the county where the case was filed. Online portals, including re:SearchIL and county systems, are not a substitute for a certified copy.
Updates
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
The Law Behind This Article
This article rests on the statutory provisions below, held in our own legal record and retrieved from the official source. Tap a section to read the operative text.
Illinois Compiled Statutes Chapter 705, Act 105 (Clerks of Courts Act)
§ 16Records kept by the clerks of the circuit courts are subject to the provisions of "The Local Records Act", approved August 18, 1961, as amendedIn force
Unless otherwise provided by rule or administrative order of the Supreme Court, the respective clerks of the circuit courts shall keep in their offices the following books: 1. A general docket, upon which shall be entered all suits, in the order in which they are commenced. 2. Two well-bound books, to be denominated "Plaintiff's Index to Court Records," and "Defendant's Index to Court Records" to be ruled and printed substantially in the following manner: ..... Plaintiffs Defendants Kind of Date Record Pages Action Commenced Book ..... ..... ..... Date of Judgment judgment docket ..... Book Page ..... CertificateSatisfied CertificateCertificateofor notNumber of levy of sale redemption satisfied of case ..... Fee BookBook PageBook PageBook Page ..... All cases shall be entered in such books, in alphabetical order, by the name of each plaintiff and defendant.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-02 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at ilga.gov
United States Code Title 15
§ 1681cRequirements relating to information contained in consumer reportsIn forcecited in 61 of our articles
Except as authorized under subsection (b), no consumer reporting agency may make any consumer report containing any of the following items of information: Cases under title 11 or under the Bankruptcy Act that, from the date of entry of the order for relief or the date of adjudication, as the case may be, antedate the report by more than 10 years. Civil suits, civil judgments, and records of arrest that, from date of entry, antedate the report by more than seven years or until the governing statute of limitations has expired, whichever is the longer period. Paid tax liens which, from date of payment, antedate the report by more than seven years. Accounts placed for collection or charged to profit and loss which antedate the report by more than seven years. Any other adverse item of information, other than records of convictions of crimes which antedates the report by more than seven years.
Official text (excerpt) · last checked 2026-09-16 · Read the full text in our law library · Verify at uscode.house.gov
Cited in 383 court opinions in our collectionLatest citing opinion in our collection: 2026
In the courts (editorial summary, independently checked):Katz v. Donna Karan Co. (2017) addressed the FACTA truncation rule in 1681c(g) and affirmed dismissal for lack of Article III standing, treating material risk of harm as a fact question. Edward Seamans v. Temple University (2014) held the seven-year window in 1681c(a)(4) is extended for an education loan only until that loan is repaid.
Opinions citing this section in our collection:
- Katz v. Donna Karan Co. (Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit 2017, 872 F.3d 114)✓A shopper sued two stores whose receipts printed the first six digits of his credit card number; the Second Circuit affirmed dismissal for lack of standing, seeing no clear error in the finding that those digits show only the card issuer, not a material risk of identity theft.
- Edward Seamans v. Temple University (Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit 2014, 744 F.3d 853)✓A defaulted university loan kept appearing on a borrower's credit reports after he repaid it because the school never reported the delinquency date; the Third Circuit held the Higher Education Act suspends section 1681c(a)(4)'s aging-off rule only until repayment.
- Gonzales v. Arrow Financial Services, LLC (Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit 2011, 660 F.3d 1055)✓A debt buyer offered to settle health club debts over seven years old, saying that if it was reporting the account the bureaus would be told it was settled; the Ninth Circuit, treating those debts as unreportable under section 1681c(a)(4), called that implication misleading.
Identified automatically from the court opinions citing this section — not a ranking of which case controls.
Also relied on in: How Long Does a Felony Stay on Your Record? (2026), Background Check Laws by State (2026 Guide), Alabama Background Check Laws (2026 Guide)
Sources and References
- Illinois Courts, eServices (re:SearchIL, eFileIL, Remote Proceedings)(illinoiscourts.gov).gov
- Illinois Courts, re:SearchIL Will Be a Welcome Addition for Court Users(illinoiscourts.gov).gov
- Illinois Courts, Supreme Court Adopts New Rule on Case and Document Confidentiality(illinoiscourts.gov).gov
- Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court, Online Case Information(cookcountyclerkofcourt.org).gov
- Cornell Legal Information Institute, 15 U.S.C. 1681c, Requirements relating to information contained in consumer reports(law.cornell.edu)
- Federal Trade Commission, FTC Says TruthFinder and Instant Checkmate Deceived Users About Background Report Accuracy, Violated FCRA(ftc.gov).gov