Search Cook County Criminal Court Records
Cook County criminal court records are maintained by the Circuit Court Clerk and must be accessed in person at the courthouse where the case was heard. This guide walks you through how to find, request, and obtain court records for criminal cases filed in Cook County, Illinois.
Cook County Criminal Court Records Quick Facts
How Cook County Criminal Court Records Work
Cook County is the most populous county in Illinois, with more than 5.3 million residents. The Circuit Court of Cook County handles more criminal cases each year than any other court in the state. Criminal case filings, arrest charges, hearing dates, and final dispositions all become part of the court record in Cook County.
There is one key fact you need to know before you search: criminal court records in Cook County are not available online. This is different from civil, traffic, or domestic relations cases, which you can look up through the clerk's web portal. For criminal cases, you must go to the courthouse in person. The clerk's office does not offer remote access to criminal court dockets or case files. This policy applies to all criminal case types, whether misdemeanor or felony, in Cook County.
The courthouse that handles your request depends on where the case was filed. Cook County has multiple court districts spread across Chicago and the suburbs. Felony cases are often heard at the George N. Leighton Criminal Court Building at 2600 S. California Avenue in Chicago. District courts outside the city handle cases for suburban residents. Knowing which court heard the case will save you a trip in Cook County.
Note: Public Access Terminals are available inside Cook County courthouses for those who want to look up basic case status on-site without staff assistance.
Cook County Circuit Court Clerk
The Circuit Court Clerk for Cook County is Mariyana T. Spyropoulos. Her office manages the official records of the Circuit Court, which is the trial court that handles all criminal cases in Cook County. The clerk's office stores case files, processes requests for copies, and issues certified dispositions for cases in the county.
The main office is at 50 W. Washington, Suite 1001, Chicago, IL 60602-1305. You can reach the office by phone at 312/603-5030 or by fax at 312/603-4557. The clerk's official website is cookcountyclerkofcourt.org. Staff can help you find the right courthouse district and guide you through the process of requesting court records in Cook County.
The Cook County clerk's office is one of the largest in the country. It handles not just criminal records but also civil, probate, traffic, and domestic relations case files for the entire county. For criminal records specifically, the clerk processes requests for certified dispositions, which are official documents showing how a case ended in court. These are the most commonly requested criminal court records in Cook County.
The Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court website is the starting point for any records request. The page shown below covers the clerk's office overview, contact details, and general guidance on case access.
The clerk's site also explains which case types are available online and which require an in-person visit, which is important context before you head to the courthouse in Cook County.
Online Case Search: What Is and Is Not Available
The Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court does offer an online case search tool. But there is a firm limit on what it covers. The online portal does not include criminal case records. It only covers civil, traffic, domestic relations, and probate cases. If you try to look up a criminal case online, you will not find it in Cook County.
The clerk's own site explains it this way: "The Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County provides on-line case information as a public service. This service is intended to be used as a resource to determine the general status of historical and active court cases. The information is not the official record of the court." The online data is an electronic docket, meaning it has short summaries of court events and documents, not the full case file. Even for civil and traffic matters, the online tool is not the official record.
You can see what the online case portal looks like and what it covers at cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/online-case-information. The page shown below gives an overview of the online case information system for Cook County.
The online system is useful for civil matters, but it does not replace an in-person visit for criminal court records in Cook County.
For broader Illinois criminal case research, the state operates the re:SearchIL court records database. This tool pulls from circuit courts across Illinois. Cook County criminal cases, however, are not fully integrated into re:SearchIL the same way other counties are, so it may not show all Cook County criminal dockets.
The re:SearchIL portal below is the statewide database for Illinois court records and serves as a useful reference point before you contact the Cook County clerk directly.
Check re:SearchIL first to get a case number or confirm a case exists, then bring that information with you when you visit the Cook County courthouse.
Note: Judici.com is a third-party court records site used by many Illinois counties, but Cook County does not participate in Judici for criminal cases.
Illinois State Police Criminal History Records
If you need a comprehensive criminal history rather than records for a single case, the Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification (ISP BOI) is the right place to go. The ISP maintains a statewide database of criminal history records that covers arrests and convictions from all Illinois counties, including Cook County.
Under 20 ILCS 2635, the Uniform Conviction Information Act, ISP criminal conviction records are available to the public. You can request a name-based or fingerprint-based check. Name-based checks can return results from Cook County and every other Illinois county. Fingerprint-based checks are more accurate since they tie directly to an individual's biometric identity. The ISP BOI office is at 260 N. Chicago Street, Joliet, IL 60432. Their main information page is at isp.illinois.gov/BureauOfIdentification.
The ISP Bureau of Identification page shown below outlines the agency's services, including criminal history searches and background check requests that cover Cook County residents.
The ISP BOI is the primary state-level source for criminal history data that goes beyond what you can find at the Cook County courthouse alone.
The CHIRP system (Criminal History Record Portal) at chirp.isp.illinois.gov lets individuals request their own Illinois criminal history online. Employers and agencies use a separate process through the ISP background check portal. These statewide tools work alongside, not instead of, the court records held by the Cook County Circuit Court Clerk.
Public vs. Restricted Criminal Court Records in Cook County
Most criminal court records in Cook County are public under 705 ILCS 105, the Clerks of Courts Act. That law states that court records are open for public inspection at no charge. The Court Record and Document Accessibility Act (705 ILCS 86) reinforces this by creating a presumption that court records are accessible to the public. So the default rule in Cook County is that court records are open.
That said, certain records are sealed or restricted by law and cannot be accessed by the general public. Knowing what is and is not available saves time when you go to the courthouse in Cook County.
- Juvenile criminal records (generally sealed)
- Expunged records (removed from public view by court order)
- Sealed adult records (ordered sealed by a judge)
- Victim personal identifying information in certain case types
- Grand jury materials and proceedings
- Records impounded by court order
Arrests that did not lead to a filed case have no court record at the Circuit Court Clerk. The clerk's office handles court filings only. If an arrest occurred but no charges were filed, the Cook County Circuit Court has no record to provide. In that situation, you would need to contact the arresting agency directly for any law enforcement records that exist outside of court.
Note: Even for public criminal court records in Cook County, certified copies and official dispositions carry a fee, while general inspection of records is free under state law.
How to Request Criminal Court Records in Person
Getting criminal court records from Cook County requires an in-person visit to the right courthouse. The process is straightforward once you know which district handled the case. Start by identifying the case number if you have it. A name and approximate year of the case will also work. Bring valid photo ID with you to the courthouse.
For felony cases in Chicago, go to the George N. Leighton Criminal Court Building at 2600 S. California Avenue, Chicago, IL 60608. This is the main criminal courthouse in Cook County. For misdemeanor cases or cases from the suburbs, the district courthouse that heard the case handles the records. There are six district courthouses in Cook County outside Chicago, covering areas like Skokie, Rolling Meadows, Maywood, Bridgeview, Markham, and Wheaton. The main clerk's office at 50 W. Washington in Chicago can help you identify the right location.
Once at the courthouse, go to the clerk's window and ask for the case file or a certified disposition. Staff will search by case number or by name. If you need a certified disposition, that documents how the case ended, whether by conviction, acquittal, dismissal, or another outcome. There is a fee for certified copies. Plain inspection of public court records carries no charge under state law. If you only need to confirm a case exists or check basic status, you may be able to use a Public Access Terminal inside the building without staff help.
The Illinois Courts website has general guidance on circuit court procedures that applies to Cook County as well as the rest of the state.
The Illinois Courts homepage below is a useful starting reference before you visit Cook County in person, covering court structure, clerk contacts, and case information resources.
From the Illinois Courts site you can also find the Circuit Clerks Directory, which lists contact information for all circuit court clerks, including the Cook County clerk's office.
Cook County Legal Resources
Several organizations in Cook County offer legal help for people dealing with the criminal courts. These resources do not handle active criminal defense cases for free in most situations, but they can direct you to the right services and help you understand your rights when it comes to your court records.
Illinois Legal Aid Online at illinoislegalaid.org is a free statewide resource that covers Cook County. The site has guides on expungement, sealing of records, how to read court documents, and how to ask a court to clear a record under Illinois law. For Cook County residents, the site also has information on local legal clinics and referral programs. Many Cook County residents use this site as a first step before visiting the courthouse.
Illinois Court Help at ilcourthelp.gov is a state-run site for people who are going to court without a lawyer. It has plain-language guides on criminal court procedures, how to find your case, and what to expect at hearings in Cook County. The site covers both circuit court and appellate court processes across Illinois.
For cases that have moved into the federal court system, the federal courts covering the Chicago area are part of the Northern District of Illinois. Federal criminal case records are available through the PACER system (Public Access to Court Electronic Records). PACER charges a small per-page fee for most documents. Federal court cases are separate from Cook County Circuit Court cases and involve different charges and procedures.
The eFileIL portal handles electronic filing for Illinois courts. This is mainly for attorneys and parties to a case. If you are a party to a criminal case and have an attorney, they may use eFileIL to submit documents on your behalf in Cook County.
Cities in Cook County
Cook County contains Chicago, the largest city in Illinois, along with dozens of major suburbs. All criminal cases in Cook County go through the Circuit Court of Cook County regardless of which city the case arose in. The specific courthouse district that handles the case depends on where in Cook County the offense occurred.
Other communities in Cook County include Niles, Calumet City, Elk Grove Village, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Tinley Park, and many others. None of these have their own criminal court. All court filings go through the Cook County Circuit Court system.
Nearby Illinois Counties
Criminal court records for neighboring counties are maintained by their own Circuit Court Clerks. Each county runs its own records system, so you must contact the correct county clerk for cases filed outside Cook County.