McHenry County Criminal Court Records

McHenry County criminal court records are maintained by the Circuit Court Clerk in Woodstock, serving over 310,000 residents in the 22nd Judicial Circuit in northern Illinois near the Wisconsin border. This page covers the online search tools, in-person access, mail request process, and statewide resources you can use to find McHenry County criminal case records.

McHenry County Circuit Court Clerk

Katherine Keefe is the McHenry County Circuit Court Clerk. The office is at 2200 North Seminary Avenue, Room 352, Woodstock, IL 60098-2837. Call 815/334-4310 or fax 815/338-8583. The clerk's website at mchenrycountyil.gov/circuit-clerk lists office hours, available services, and forms for common requests. This is where all criminal cases in McHenry County are filed and maintained, from misdemeanor traffic matters to felony trials.

McHenry County is part of the 22nd Judicial Circuit, which serves the county alone. The Woodstock courthouse is the single location for circuit court business. The clerk's staff manages all court filings, orders, and case history records. If you're looking for a specific criminal case, the clerk's office is the starting point for any records request.

Under 705 ILCS 105, court records are public and available for inspection at no charge. Copies have a fee. You have the right to view any public court record without explaining why you want it or proving any connection to the case.

Online Criminal Case Search

McHenry County participates in Judici.com, the third-party court records platform serving 82 of Illinois' 102 counties. Through Judici you can search McHenry County criminal court records by party name or case number and see charges, case status, hearing dates, and disposition information. No login is required for basic searches. Judici draws data directly from the clerk's system, so it's generally current within a short lag time.

For records at the appellate level, the re:SearchIL portal became publicly available on May 1, 2025. It covers Illinois appellate and supreme court records statewide. McHenry County appeals go to the Second Appellate District, and those records can be searched through re:SearchIL without cost. It does not replace the local clerk portal for trial-level cases.

The Judici platform covers McHenry County along with 81 other Illinois counties, allowing name-based and case-number searches of criminal court records without a paid subscription.

The Illinois Courts website is a useful reference for understanding court structure and finding the right resource for each type of record. The site also links to the Circuit Clerk Directory for all 102 counties.

How to Get Records in Person or by Mail

For in-person access, go to Room 352 at 2200 North Seminary Avenue in Woodstock during courthouse hours. Bring the full name of the subject and a date of birth if possible. If you have a case number, that speeds things up. Staff will pull the case in the system and let you view it at a public terminal or with assistance. If you need printed copies, pay the per-page fee at the time of the request.

Mail requests go to the same Woodstock address. Write out clearly what you need: full name, date of birth, type of case, and approximate year. If you have no case number, expect staff to spend more time locating the record. The clerk will respond with a cost for copies before sending anything. Fax requests use 815/338-8583. Budget at least one to two weeks for a mail response.

Note: Very old paper records may require additional time to retrieve from storage. If the case predates computerized records, contact the clerk's office by phone first to confirm what's available and how far back their digitized records go.

Statewide Criminal History Records

A McHenry County court record search only covers that county. If you need a full Illinois criminal history, the Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification is the right source. ISP BOI compiles conviction records from all 102 Illinois counties and provides name-based or fingerprint-based background check reports. Order online at isp.illinois.gov/BureauOfIdentification/BackgroundChecks.

Individuals can access their own records free of charge through ISP's Access and Review process or the CHIRP online portal. The CHIRP system lets you view and challenge your own criminal history record. This is especially useful before applying for a job or professional license in Illinois. The ISP main office for the region is at 260 N. Chicago St., Joliet, IL 60432, phone 815/740-5160.

The governing statute is the Uniform Conviction Information Act (20 ILCS 2635). It sets out who can request conviction records, what information is released, and how the system is maintained. Conviction records are public under this law; non-conviction arrest records are not broadly available.

What Records Are Public and What Is Sealed

In McHenry County, as throughout Illinois, most criminal court records are public. Charges filed, court orders, pleas, verdicts, and sentencing documents are all accessible. The presumption of public access comes from the Clerks of Courts Act and the Court Record and Document Accessibility Act (705 ILCS 86).

Several categories of records are off-limits. Juvenile delinquency records are sealed under Illinois law and not accessible to the general public without a court order. Adoption records are closed. Records that a court has ordered sealed or expunged do not appear in public searches, including Judici. If someone's McHenry County record has been expunged, neither the clerk's portal nor any third-party tool will show it.

Personal identifiers like Social Security numbers and financial account numbers are redacted from public copies even when the underlying case is open. And the Illinois FOIA law (5 ILCS 140) does not reach the judiciary, so you cannot file a FOIA request with the McHenry County clerk. Work through the clerk's standard public records procedures instead.

The ISP background check portal allows third parties to request certified conviction history reports that cover McHenry County and every other Illinois jurisdiction from a single source.

Electronic Filing

McHenry County uses eFileIL for electronic case filing. Attorneys in most case types are required to e-file. Self-represented parties in criminal matters should verify the rules with the clerk before filing. The eFileIL platform is an Illinois Courts-operated system used consistently across participating counties, so the interface is the same whether you're filing in McHenry or any other county. For questions about the e-filing system in McHenry County, call the clerk at 815/334-4310.

Free Help and Legal Resources

Illinois Legal Aid Online offers free, plain-language guidance on McHenry County criminal records, expungement eligibility, and what happens after a case closes. If you're not sure whether your record qualifies for sealing, their screening tool is a good place to start. Illinois Court Help has a live chat service staffed by court navigators who can answer process questions without providing legal advice. Both are free and available around the clock online.

For federal criminal cases connected to McHenry County, the Northern District of Illinois is the relevant federal court. You can search federal case records through PACER. There's a small per-page fee, but accounts with low quarterly usage are exempt.

Nearby Counties

McHenry County borders several Illinois counties, each with its own circuit court and public records process.