Champaign County Criminal Court Records
Champaign County criminal court records are filed with the Circuit Court Clerk in Urbana and are available online through the Judici case search platform. This page explains how to find, access, and request criminal case records in Champaign County, Illinois.
Champaign County Criminal Court Records Quick Facts
How to Search Champaign County Criminal Records Online
Champaign County is one of 82 Illinois counties that uses Judici.com for online case access. Judici is a third-party platform that pulls case data from the Circuit Court Clerk's system and makes it searchable by the public. You can search by name, case number, or attorney. Most criminal case types in Champaign County are available through Judici, including felonies, misdemeanors, and traffic offenses.
To start a search, go to judici.com and select Champaign County from the county list. You can run a free name search or look up a specific case number. The results show case parties, charge descriptions, hearing dates, and final dispositions. The platform updates regularly, so recent filings are generally visible within a short time of being entered by the clerk's office.
The statewide re:SearchIL portal is another option. It went live for free public access on May 1, 2025, and covers court records from circuits across Illinois. For Champaign County criminal cases, re:SearchIL can return case summaries, docket entries, and filed documents. Visit researchil.tylerhost.net to run a search. Some documents may require a login, but basic case information is publicly accessible at no charge.
The re:SearchIL portal shown below is the statewide Illinois court records database that covers Champaign County criminal cases among counties across the state.
The portal is free to use and covers a wide range of case types, making it a strong starting point before you contact the Champaign County clerk directly.
Champaign County Circuit Court Clerk
The Circuit Court Clerk for Champaign County is Susan McGrath. Her office is located at 101 East Main Street, Urbana, IL 61801-2736. The main phone number is 217/384-3725, and the fax is 217/384-3879. The clerk's official website is at co.champaign.il.us/circuitclerk.
The clerk's office handles criminal case filings for the Sixth Judicial Circuit, which includes Champaign County. Staff can help you locate a case by name or number, provide copies of court documents, and issue certified dispositions. Certified dispositions are the official records of how a case ended in court and are commonly needed for background checks, license applications, and legal proceedings. There is a fee for certified copies; public inspection of open records is free under state law.
If you prefer not to visit in person, the clerk's office can help by phone or through the online resources described on this page. For complex records requests or older case files that may be archived, calling the office directly at 217/384-3725 is the best first step. Staff can confirm whether a record exists and what you will need to bring when you visit the Champaign County courthouse in Urbana.
What Champaign County Criminal Court Records Contain
A criminal court case file in Champaign County contains the charging documents, motions filed by both sides, hearing and trial dates, judge assignments, and the final disposition. Dispositions include guilty pleas, convictions, acquittals, dismissals, and sentencing orders. For felony cases, the file will typically also include a presentence investigation report, though those reports are not always available for public inspection.
Most of what ends up in a court record is public under 705 ILCS 105, the Clerks of Courts Act, which states that court records are open for inspection at no charge. The Court Record and Document Accessibility Act at 705 ILCS 86 backs that up by treating court records as presumptively accessible.
Some records are not public. Juvenile criminal cases are sealed under Illinois law. Expunged records are removed from public view. Cases sealed by court order are also off-limits. Social Security numbers and financial account numbers are redacted from documents before they are made available. Grand jury materials are not part of the public court file. These rules apply to every county in the state, including Champaign.
Illinois State Police Criminal History
The Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification (ISP BOI) keeps a statewide database of criminal conviction records under 20 ILCS 2635, the Uniform Conviction Information Act. This database includes records from Champaign County along with all other Illinois counties. A name-based or fingerprint-based check through ISP BOI will return conviction history for an individual, not just records from a single case or county.
The ISP BOI office is at 260 N. Chicago Street, Joliet, IL 60432, phone 815/740-5160. You can find background check request forms and instructions at isp.illinois.gov/BureauOfIdentification. If you want to check your own criminal history at no charge, Illinois law allows individuals to use the ISP Access and Review process to get their own record free of charge.
The ISP Bureau of Identification page below covers criminal history services, background check procedures, and how to request records that span beyond Champaign County.
Use the ISP BOI when you need a comprehensive conviction history rather than documents from a single Champaign County court case.
Judici and Other Online Access Options
Judici.com is the most direct online path to Champaign County criminal case data. The platform is run by a private company under a data agreement with participating Illinois courts. It does not charge for basic case searches and is widely used across the state. About 82 of Illinois's 102 counties participate, and Champaign is among them.
The Judici page shown below gives a sense of how the system is organized and what kind of case data it returns for counties like Champaign.
Searches on Judici cover case name, charge type, and status, which makes it easy to check whether a criminal case exists without visiting the Champaign County courthouse.
The eFileIL portal at efile.illinoiscourts.gov handles electronic filing for Illinois courts, including Champaign County. This system is used by attorneys and parties to submit documents in active cases. It is not a public records search tool, but if you are a party to a case, your attorney may use eFileIL to access and submit filings on your behalf.
Legal Help in Champaign County
Illinois Legal Aid Online at illinoislegalaid.org covers Champaign County residents with free guides on criminal court records, expungement, and how to read a court file. The site has plain-language articles on what a disposition means, how to request a copy of your own record, and how to start the expungement or sealing process under Illinois law.
Illinois Court Help at ilcourthelp.gov is the state's own help site for people going to court without a lawyer. It covers the criminal court process step by step and can help Champaign County residents understand what to expect at hearings and how to navigate the clerk's office.
Federal criminal cases involving Champaign County residents are handled by the Central District of Illinois. Federal case records are available through the PACER system at a small per-page cost. Federal cases are separate from Champaign County Circuit Court cases and move through a different court system entirely.
Cities in Champaign County
Champaign County includes two mid-sized cities in the twin-cities area. Criminal court cases from across the county are filed with the same Circuit Court Clerk and handled by the same circuit, regardless of which city or town the case involves.
Urbana, the county seat, has a population under the qualifying threshold for a separate city page. Criminal cases originating in Urbana are filed with the Champaign County Circuit Court Clerk at 101 East Main Street in Urbana.
Nearby Illinois Counties
Each neighboring county maintains its own criminal court records through its own circuit court clerk. If a case was filed in one of these counties, you will need to contact that county's clerk directly.