Champaign Criminal Court Records

Champaign criminal court records are filed at the Champaign County Circuit Court, which is located in Urbana, the county seat, about two miles from Champaign. All criminal cases arising in Champaign, including felonies, misdemeanors, DUI, and other criminal traffic charges, are heard at this courthouse. The city has a population close to 89,000. Champaign County participates in Judici.com for online case access, and the state's re:SearchIL portal also covers this court. This page walks through your options for finding and getting criminal court records tied to Champaign.

Champaign County Circuit Court Clerk

Circuit Clerk Susan McGrath manages criminal case records for all of Champaign County. The courthouse address is 101 East Main Street, Urbana, IL 61801. The phone number for the clerk's office is 217/384-3725. Although the courthouse is in Urbana, it handles all criminal filings from Champaign, Urbana, and every other community in the county.

The clerk's office maintains files from the beginning of each case through final disposition and any post-sentence proceedings. You can reach the office by phone, visit in person, or check the Champaign County Circuit Clerk website for specific services and hours. For a full breakdown of Champaign County court structure and records, see the Champaign County page.

Online Search via Judici

Champaign County participates in Judici.com, which is the most widely used platform for online criminal case access in Illinois. The site covers 82 counties. You can search by the defendant's name or case number. Search results include charges filed, scheduled hearing dates, case status, and the final outcome once the case closes.

Judici is free to search. Some document images cost a small fee to view. Not every document filed in a case will appear online, but the case index and key orders are generally available. Judici updates regularly but may lag a day or two behind actual filings.

re:SearchIL Statewide Portal

The state launched re:SearchIL on May 1, 2025. This free portal at researchil.tylerhost.net gives public access to court records from participating Illinois circuit courts. Champaign County cases may be searchable through this system. You do not need to create an account for basic case searches.

If you are searching for a person who may have cases in multiple Illinois counties, re:SearchIL can run a broader search than Judici for a single county. Both are worth using if you want to be thorough.

Visiting the Courthouse in Person

The Champaign County Courthouse is at 101 East Main Street in Urbana. It is a short drive or bus ride from most of Champaign. The clerk's office is open on weekdays during regular hours. Walk-in visits are accepted. You can view case records at a public terminal or ask staff to help you locate a specific file.

Bring the defendant's name and any case details you have. If you know the case year or case number, bring that too. Having more information speeds up the search. You do not need to give a reason for requesting records. Criminal court records in Illinois are public under 705 ILCS 105, which governs the duties of circuit clerks and public record access.

Copy requests are handled at the clerk's window. Standard copy fees apply per page. Certified copies cost more because of the court seal. Ask for the current fee schedule before ordering.

Champaign Police Department Records

The Champaign Police Department, located at 82 E. University Ave., Champaign, IL 61820, keeps arrest records and incident reports for cases that originate with a city arrest. The department can be reached at (217) 351-4545. Their website is at champaignil.gov/police-department.

Police records and court records are separate. A police arrest record shows that someone was detained. A court record shows what happened after, including whether charges were filed, how the case proceeded, and the final outcome. Both types of records may matter depending on what you need.

Freedom of Information Act requests to the Champaign Police Department must be submitted in writing. The department is required by Illinois law to respond within five business days for routine requests. Some records may be withheld if the investigation is still active.

Illinois State Criminal History Records

For a full picture of someone's criminal history across all of Illinois, the Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification (ISP BOI) maintains statewide fingerprint-based records. These are separate from local circuit court records. The ISP BOI is in Joliet at 260 N. Chicago Street, phone 815/740-5160.

Access to criminal history records through the ISP BOI is governed by 20 ILCS 2635. You can request your own criminal history record from the bureau. The process requires identity verification and a fee. Third-party access to another person's record is more restricted and depends on the purpose.

How Champaign Criminal Cases Work

When a Champaign Police officer arrests someone and the State's Attorney files charges, the case is assigned to the Champaign County Circuit Court. The first step is arraignment, where the defendant hears the charges and enters a plea. If a not guilty plea is entered, the case moves to pretrial hearings, where motions are argued, evidence is reviewed, and plea negotiations may happen.

Cases that go to trial are decided by a jury or a judge. Guilty pleas result in sentencing. Acquittals end the case. All of these steps create court records. The clerk files and maintains each document that becomes part of the case. These records are public and can be accessed through the methods described on this page.

Case number codes in Illinois: felonies use "CF," misdemeanors use "CM," and traffic-criminal cases use "TR." These prefixes, plus the year, make up the core of every case number in the state's circuit courts.

Legal Help and Self-Help Tools

Illinois Legal Aid Online at illinoislegalaid.org is a free resource for anyone who needs help understanding criminal cases, court records, or the process for sealing and expunging records in Illinois. The site has step-by-step guides written in plain language.

If you are trying to clear an old criminal record, Illinois has an online expungement eligibility checker. You can find it on the Illinois Legal Aid Online site. The process involves filing a petition with the circuit court, and eligibility depends on the charge type and outcome. Champaign County clerk staff can tell you what forms to use and where to file.

Nearby Illinois Cities

These nearby cities also have criminal case records filed at the county level.