LaSalle County Criminal Court Records
LaSalle County criminal court records are filed with the Circuit Court Clerk in Ottawa and are available online through Judici.com and the re:SearchIL statewide platform. This page walks you through how to search, access, and request criminal case records in LaSalle County, Illinois.
LaSalle County Criminal Court Records Quick Facts
LaSalle County Circuit Court Clerk
Greg Vaccaro is the Circuit Court Clerk for LaSalle County. The office is at 119 W. Madison Street, Room 201, Ottawa, IL 61350-0617. Call 815/434-8671 or fax 815/433-9198. The clerk's website is at lasallecounty.org/circuit-clerk. LaSalle County is part of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, which covers LaSalle and Bureau counties.
The clerk's office is the official keeper of all court records for LaSalle County. That includes criminal cases at every level: felony, misdemeanor, and traffic. When you need a record, staff can search by name or case number, make copies, and issue certified dispositions. Certified dispositions show the official outcome of a case in court. They are needed for background checks, professional licenses, immigration matters, and legal proceedings. Public inspection of open court records is free. Certified copies carry a court-set fee.
Ottawa is a smaller county seat, so the clerk's office is relatively easy to reach in person. For archived or older records, call 815/434-8671 ahead of your visit. Staff can tell you whether the file is on-site or needs to be pulled from storage, saving you a wasted trip.
Search LaSalle County Criminal Records Online
LaSalle County uses Judici.com for online case access. Judici is a third-party platform that works with 82 of Illinois's 102 counties and lets you run free name or case-number searches. Go to judici.com, select LaSalle County, and enter the name or number you are looking for. Results include charges, case parties, hearing history, and the final disposition. Felony, misdemeanor, and traffic cases are generally all available.
The statewide re:SearchIL portal at researchil.tylerhost.net opened for free public access on May 1, 2025. It covers LaSalle County criminal cases along with courts across all 23 Illinois circuits. Case status, docket entries, and some documents can be accessed without visiting Ottawa. Worth checking before you drive to the courthouse.
Between Judici and re:SearchIL, most current LaSalle County criminal cases should be findable online. If neither platform returns results for a case, it may be older, may have been filed under a different name spelling, or may be in a restricted category. Call the clerk's office at 815/434-8671 to confirm.
The Judici platform shown here is the online case search tool covering LaSalle County criminal records and those of 81 other Illinois counties.
Start with Judici for the fastest path to LaSalle County case data, then use re:SearchIL if you need to view filed documents or want a second source.
What Is in a LaSalle County Criminal Court File
A criminal court file in LaSalle County holds the charging documents, all filed motions and orders, judge assignments, hearing and trial dates, and the final judgment. For felony cases, sentencing orders and any conditions of probation or supervision are part of the file. Misdemeanor and traffic files are shorter but cover the same basics: the charge, the plea or verdict, and the outcome.
Under 705 ILCS 105, Illinois law makes court records open for inspection at no charge. The Court Record and Document Accessibility Act (705 ILCS 86) strengthens this by treating records as presumptively accessible. Both statutes apply fully to LaSalle County courts.
Not all records are open. Juvenile cases are sealed under state law. Expunged records are removed from the public file by court order. Adult cases sealed by a judge are not available to the public. Grand jury proceedings never become part of the open record. Social Security numbers and financial account data are redacted from all documents before they are released. Illinois courts are exempt from FOIA, so the Freedom of Information Act does not apply here. The statutes above are what govern access in LaSalle County.
Statewide Criminal History from ISP BOI
When you need a full Illinois criminal history rather than records from one case, the Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification handles it. Under 20 ILCS 2635, ISP BOI keeps a statewide conviction database that includes LaSalle County records. Name-based checks are available for general purposes. Fingerprint checks are more accurate and used when precise identification matters.
The ISP BOI office is at 260 N. Chicago Street, Joliet, IL 60432, phone 815/740-5160. Instructions and request forms are at isp.illinois.gov/BureauOfIdentification. Illinois residents can get their own criminal history at no charge through the ISP Access and Review process. Employer and third-party checks require authorization and carry a fee.
The ISP background check resource page shown here outlines how to request conviction records that include LaSalle County alongside all other Illinois counties.
Use ISP BOI when you need a broader criminal history picture beyond what a single LaSalle County court case file provides.
Illinois Courts Resources and eFileIL
The Illinois Courts website has the full picture of how Illinois circuit courts work, including contact information for all 23 circuits. The Circuit Clerks Directory on the site lists current details for the LaSalle County clerk and every other clerk in the state. It is a reliable reference before you call or visit a clerk's office.
The eFileIL portal at efile.illinoiscourts.gov supports electronic filing for Illinois courts. Attorneys and parties to active LaSalle County cases use it to submit documents electronically. It is not a public search tool. If you have legal representation on an active case, your attorney handles eFileIL on your behalf.
The Illinois Courts homepage below covers the state court structure and includes resources that apply to LaSalle County and all other Illinois circuits.
From the Illinois Courts site you can reach the Circuit Clerks Directory and confirm the most current contact information for the LaSalle County clerk's office.
Legal Help in LaSalle County
Illinois Legal Aid Online at illinoislegalaid.org covers LaSalle County residents with free guides on expungement, record sealing, understanding court documents, and knowing your rights around criminal court records. The site connects users to local legal clinics and referral services in the Ottawa and Streator areas.
Illinois Court Help at ilcourthelp.gov is the state's self-help site for people going to court without a lawyer. It covers the criminal court process step by step and is built for people who need to navigate the system without legal training. Useful for LaSalle County residents who need to understand hearings, filings, and record requests.
Federal criminal cases from the LaSalle County area fall under the Northern District of Illinois. Federal case records are available through PACER at a small per-page fee. Federal court cases are separate from LaSalle County Circuit Court cases and go through a different system with different rules and charge types.
Cities in LaSalle County
No city in LaSalle County exceeds 50,000 in population. Ottawa, the county seat, serves as the hub of the county court system. Streator, Peru, and La Salle are other communities in the county. All criminal cases filed anywhere in LaSalle County go through the same Thirteenth Judicial Circuit and the same clerk's office at 119 W. Madison Street in Ottawa.
If you are not sure whether a case was filed in LaSalle County or one of the surrounding counties, a quick search on Judici or re:SearchIL can tell you which circuit holds the record. That saves time before you contact a clerk's office in Ottawa or elsewhere.
Nearby Illinois Counties
Criminal court records for counties near LaSalle are held by each county's own circuit court clerk. Contact the right clerk based on where the case was filed.