Find Criminal Court Records in Lake County

Lake County criminal court records are filed and maintained by the Circuit Court Clerk in Waukegan, serving over 714,000 residents in the 19th Judicial Circuit along Illinois' northern border. This page covers every way to search, request, and access Lake County criminal case records, from online portals to in-person visits to statewide databases.

Lake County Circuit Court Clerk

The Lake County Circuit Court Clerk, Erin Cartwright Weinstein, operates out of 18 North County Street, Waukegan, IL 60085-4340. The phone number is 847/377-3380, fax 847/360-6409. The clerk's website is lakecountyil.gov/175/Circuit-Clerk, where you'll find hours, forms, and guidance on how to access case files.

The 19th Judicial Circuit handles all types of cases in Lake County: felony and misdemeanor criminal, traffic, civil, family, and small claims. For criminal court records, the clerk's office is the primary keeper of case files, court orders, and judgment documents. Staff at the main Waukegan office can answer questions about specific cases and explain what's available in the public record.

Under the Clerks of Courts Act, 705 ILCS 105, court records are open for public inspection at no charge. You may view a record for free; copies carry a per-page fee set by the clerk's office. No one can deny you access to a public record without legal justification, and you don't have to explain why you want it.

Online Case Search Options

Lake County offers online case lookup at lakecountyil.gov/175/Circuit-Clerk/Case-Search. You can search by party name, case number, or attorney. Results show case type, filing date, charges filed, hearing schedule, and case status. The portal works for both open and closed cases, though very old records may require an in-person visit to retrieve full file contents.

Lake County also participates in Judici.com, which offers an alternative interface for searching Lake County court records alongside 81 other Illinois counties. Judici is a good tool when you need to run a name search across multiple counties at once. It's free to use for basic searches and does not require registration.

The Judici.com platform aggregates court records from 82 Illinois counties including Lake County, offering a unified search interface for criminal cases, civil dockets, and other public filings.

For records that have been appealed to higher courts, the statewide re:SearchIL tool provides free access to reviewing court records as of May 1, 2025. If a Lake County criminal conviction was appealed, you may find appellate records there.

Note: Cook County criminal records are not available online at all; residents in that county must appear in person. Lake County's online access is considerably more open than its neighbor to the south.

In-Person and Mail Requests

To view records in person, go to the clerk's main office at 18 North County Street in Waukegan during regular business hours. Bring the full name of the subject and a case number if you have one. Staff will pull up the case record and let you inspect it. If you need certified copies, request them at the counter and pay the applicable per-page fee at that time.

Mail requests go to the same address: 18 North County Street, Waukegan, IL 60085-4340. Write out what you need clearly: the subject's full name, approximate dates, and type of record. The clerk's office will respond with the fee for copies and a timeline. For records searches with no case number, allow extra time, as staff must manually locate the file.

Statewide Criminal History Records

The Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification maintains a statewide criminal history database that spans all Illinois counties, not just Lake County. This is distinct from circuit court records. ISP BOI compiles conviction records from courts statewide and provides certified background check reports for employment, licensing, and personal review.

The Uniform Conviction Information Act (20 ILCS 2635) governs this system. Under it, convicted persons lose some privacy protections regarding their conviction record, but arrests that did not result in conviction are treated differently. ISP background checks can be ordered online at isp.illinois.gov/BureauOfIdentification/BackgroundChecks. Individuals can also use the CHIRP system at chirp.isp.illinois.gov to view and challenge their own criminal history record.

The Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification handles statewide criminal history records, which complement Lake County court records when you need a comprehensive view of someone's conviction history across Illinois.

What the Public Can and Cannot Access

Most Lake County criminal court records are public. Charging documents, plea entries, sentencing orders, and court hearing records are all accessible. The Illinois Court Record and Document Accessibility Act (705 ILCS 86) sets a presumption that records are open unless a specific exception applies.

Records that are not public include juvenile delinquency cases, adoption files, sealed criminal records, and expunged cases. If a court grants an expungement or sealing order, the record is removed from public access. Social Security numbers and financial account numbers are redacted from public copies even when the underlying case is public.

The Illinois judiciary is exempt from the state Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140). You cannot use a FOIA request to get Lake County court records. The proper channel is the clerk's public access procedure, which is governed by the Clerks of Courts Act rather than FOIA.

Help for Self-Represented Individuals

Two free state resources are worth bookmarking. Illinois Legal Aid Online covers criminal records, expungement, and court procedures in plain language. Illinois Court Help provides a live chat option with court navigators who can explain court processes without giving legal advice. Both sites are accessible from any device and don't charge anything.

The Illinois Courts Circuit Clerk Directory lists contact information for all 102 county circuit clerks, including Lake County. This is useful if you need records from a neighboring county or want to compare processes across jurisdictions.

Nearby Counties

Lake County shares borders with four other Illinois counties, each served by its own circuit court.

Cities in Lake County

Waukegan is the qualifying city in Lake County with a dedicated criminal court records page.