Find Criminal Court Records in Peoria County
Peoria County criminal court records are on file with the Circuit Court Clerk at 324 Main Street in Peoria and are searchable online through Judici.com and the re:SearchIL portal. This page explains where to look, who to contact, and what you can find in the Peoria County court system.
Peoria County Criminal Court Records Quick Facts
Peoria County Circuit Court Clerk Office
The Circuit Court Clerk for Peoria County is Robert Spears. The office is at 324 Main Street, Room G22, Peoria, IL 61602-1319. Call 309/672-6989 or fax 309/677-6228. The clerk's website is at peoriacounty.org/circuit-clerk. Staff handle criminal case filings, copy requests, and certified dispositions for cases filed in the Tenth Judicial Circuit.
Peoria County is the seat of the Tenth Judicial Circuit. The circuit court handles felony, misdemeanor, and traffic cases for the county. When you request records, staff can search by case number, party name, or filing date. Certified dispositions, which show the official outcome of a case, cost a fee. Viewing public court records in person is free under Illinois statute.
If you call ahead, the clerk's office can confirm whether the records you need are on file and what documents are available for your case. Older records from before the county switched to electronic filing may be available on paper or microfilm. It is worth asking when you reach out to the office at 309/672-6989.
Peoria County Criminal Court Records Online
Peoria County participates in Judici.com. This platform lets you run free name or case-number searches for criminal cases filed in Peoria County. Go to judici.com, pick Peoria County, and enter the name or case number you want to find. The results show charges, parties, hearing history, and dispositions. Judici draws its data from the clerk's case management system, so most current and recent cases are included.
The re:SearchIL statewide portal is also available. It opened free public access on May 1, 2025. At researchil.tylerhost.net you can search Peoria County criminal cases by name or case number. Some documents filed in cases are viewable inside the portal without a trip to the courthouse. This is a useful tool for checking case status or confirming that a case exists.
Note: Even though Judici and re:SearchIL cover a lot of ground, they are not the official record. For certified copies or for records that may not appear online, the Peoria County clerk's office at 309/672-6989 is the authoritative source.
The re:SearchIL database shown below is the statewide portal for Illinois court records including Peoria County criminal case filings.
Use re:SearchIL to check case status or pull up docket entries before you decide whether to request certified copies from the Peoria County clerk.
Criminal Records Access Rules in Illinois
Illinois law makes most criminal court records public. Under 705 ILCS 105, court records are open for inspection at no charge. The Court Record and Document Accessibility Act (705 ILCS 86) creates a presumption that records are accessible. These rules apply to Peoria County the same as every other circuit in the state.
Records that are sealed or restricted by law are not available to the public. Juvenile criminal cases are sealed. Expunged records are gone from the public file. Adult records sealed by court order are also off-limits. Grand jury materials are never part of the public court record. Social Security numbers and financial account numbers are redacted from all documents before release. Worth noting: Illinois courts are exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. You cannot file a FOIA request to get court records. The statutes listed above are the governing framework for access.
Arrests that did not lead to a filed case have no circuit court record. If police made an arrest but the state's attorney declined to file charges, no criminal court case was opened. In that situation, the clerk's office has nothing to provide. You would need to contact the arresting agency for any arrest records that exist.
ISP Bureau of Identification and Criminal History
For a statewide criminal history, the Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification processes requests under 20 ILCS 2635, the Uniform Conviction Information Act. ISP BOI records cover Peoria County convictions along with every other county in Illinois. Name-based checks are available for most requestors. Fingerprint checks are more precise and used when accuracy is critical.
ISP BOI is at 260 N. Chicago Street, Joliet, IL 60432. Call 815/740-5160. The background check information page is at isp.illinois.gov/BureauOfIdentification. Individuals can get their own criminal history free using the ISP Access and Review process. For third-party background checks, fees apply and the requestor must have a valid purpose.
The ISP Bureau of Identification page below describes criminal history services available for Peoria County and all Illinois counties.
Use ISP BOI when you need a full conviction history that goes beyond records from one Peoria County court case.
Legal Aid and Court Help Resources
Illinois Legal Aid Online at illinoislegalaid.org covers Peoria County. The site has free guides on expungement, sealing records, reading a court file, and understanding your rights around criminal court records. Peoria area residents can find referrals to local legal clinics and organizations through this resource.
Illinois Court Help at ilcourthelp.gov is a state site for people handling court matters without an attorney. It walks through the criminal court process and explains what different court events mean. It is a useful reference for anyone who needs to navigate the Peoria County Circuit Court system on their own.
Federal criminal cases in the Peoria area fall under the Central District of Illinois. Those case records are available through PACER. PACER charges a small fee per page. Federal cases are entirely separate from Peoria County Circuit Court cases and handled by a different court with different rules.
The Illinois Legal Aid resource shown below covers Peoria County and includes plain-language guides on criminal records, expungement, and court navigation.
Start here if you are unsure how to read a Peoria County court record or whether your record qualifies for expungement under Illinois law.
Cities in Peoria County
Peoria is the county seat and largest city in the county. All criminal case records for the county are filed with the Peoria County Circuit Court Clerk, regardless of where in the county the offense occurred.
East Peoria and Pekin are nearby communities. Pekin is the county seat of Tazewell County and has its own circuit court clerk. East Peoria residents with criminal cases filed in Peoria County would deal with the Peoria County clerk at 309/672-6989.
Nearby Illinois Counties
Criminal case records for counties near Peoria are held by each county's own circuit court clerk. Use the links below to find information on the clerk's office for each neighboring county.