Search Sangamon County Criminal Court Records
Sangamon County criminal court records are kept by the Circuit Court Clerk in Springfield and can be searched online through Judici.com or the re:SearchIL database. This guide covers how to access case records, contact the clerk's office, and get the information you need from Sangamon County courts.
Sangamon County Criminal Court Records Quick Facts
Sangamon County Circuit Court Clerk
The Circuit Court Clerk for Sangamon County is Joseph B. Roesch. His office is at 200 South 9th Street, Room 405, Springfield, IL 62701-1299. You can reach the office at 217/753-6674, or by fax at 217/747-5108. The clerk's website is at sangamoncounty-il.gov/circuit-clerk.
The clerk's office maintains all criminal case filings for the Seventh Judicial Circuit, which covers Sangamon County. When you visit or call, staff can help you locate a case, request copies of documents, or get a certified disposition. A certified disposition is the official court record of how a case ended. It is often needed for jobs, licenses, and legal matters. There is a fee for certified copies. Public inspection of open records is free under Illinois law.
For archived cases or old files, it is best to call ahead to confirm availability. Some older records may be stored off-site and require extra time to pull. The Springfield courthouse is easy to reach by public transit, and the clerk's office is on the fourth floor of the county building at 9th and Monroe in downtown Springfield.
Online Case Search for Sangamon County Criminal Records
Sangamon County participates in Judici.com, the third-party case search platform used by 82 of Illinois's 102 counties. You can run a free name-based or case-number search at judici.com and select Sangamon County. Results include charge descriptions, case parties, hearing dates, and dispositions. The data is pulled from the clerk's system and updates on a regular schedule.
The statewide re:SearchIL portal is a second option. Since May 1, 2025, it has offered free public access to reviewing court records from Illinois circuit courts, including Sangamon County. Go to researchil.tylerhost.net and search by name or case number to pull up Sangamon County criminal case records. Some filed documents are available to view directly within the portal.
The Judici.com platform shown below is the online case search tool used across Sangamon County and dozens of other Illinois counties.
Judici covers felony, misdemeanor, and traffic cases for Sangamon County, making it the fastest way to check whether a criminal record exists before you contact the clerk.
What the Court File Contains
A Sangamon County criminal court file typically holds the complaint or indictment, motions, orders, judge assignments, continuance dates, and the final judgment. For felony cases, sentencing orders and conditions of probation or parole are part of the file. Traffic and misdemeanor files are often shorter but still contain the charge, plea or verdict, and disposition.
Illinois courts treat most criminal records as public under 705 ILCS 105. That statute says court records are open for inspection at no charge. The Court Record and Document Accessibility Act (705 ILCS 86) adds a presumption that records are accessible unless a specific exception applies.
Records that are not public include juvenile cases, sealed adult records, expunged cases, and any file impounded by court order. Social Security numbers and financial account data are redacted before documents are released. Note that Illinois courts are exempt from FOIA, so the Freedom of Information Act process does not apply to circuit court records. The statutes above govern access instead.
Statewide Criminal History through ISP BOI
If you need a full criminal history rather than records from a single case, the Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification (ISP BOI) maintains a statewide conviction database under 20 ILCS 2635. This covers Sangamon County convictions along with every other county in Illinois. You can request a name-based check or a fingerprint-based check. Fingerprint checks are more accurate for identifying individuals with common names.
The ISP BOI is at 260 N. Chicago Street, Joliet, IL 60432, phone 815/740-5160. Request forms and instructions are at isp.illinois.gov/BureauOfIdentification. If you want your own record, Illinois law lets individuals get their criminal history free through the ISP Access and Review process.
The ISP background check page shown here covers the process for requesting conviction records that span the state, including cases from Sangamon County.
Use the ISP when you need a broader picture of someone's criminal history beyond what a single Sangamon County court case file contains.
Illinois Courts and eFileIL Resources
The Illinois Courts website covers the structure of the state court system, rules of procedure, and contact information for circuit clerks across all 23 judicial circuits. Sangamon County is part of the Seventh Circuit. The site has a full directory of circuit court clerks at illinoiscourts.gov/courts/circuit-court/circuit-court-clerks, which lists current contact information for the Sangamon County clerk's office.
Electronic filing in Sangamon County courts goes through the eFileIL portal at efile.illinoiscourts.gov. This platform is used by attorneys to submit documents in active cases. It is not a public records search tool. If you are a party to a criminal case in Sangamon County and have legal representation, your attorney uses eFileIL to file motions and other court papers electronically.
The Illinois Courts homepage is shown below, which includes links to circuit court resources, clerk contacts, and procedural guides that apply to Sangamon County.
From the Illinois Courts site you can confirm judicial circuit assignments, find court rules, and get current contact details for the Sangamon County Circuit Court Clerk.
Legal Help in Sangamon County
Illinois Legal Aid Online at illinoislegalaid.org is a free resource for Sangamon County residents. The site has guides on getting your own court record, understanding a disposition, and starting an expungement or sealing case. Springfield residents can also find referrals to local legal clinics through the site.
Illinois Court Help at ilcourthelp.gov walks through the criminal court process in plain language. It is designed for people who are handling a court matter without a lawyer. The site covers hearings, court filings, and how to work with the clerk's office in Sangamon County and across Illinois.
Federal criminal cases from the Springfield area go through the Central District of Illinois. Those records are searchable through PACER. Federal cases are entirely separate from Sangamon County Circuit Court cases and handled by a different court system with different rules and charges.
Cities in Sangamon County
Springfield is the county seat and the largest city in Sangamon County. All criminal cases in the county are handled by the Seventh Judicial Circuit and filed with the Sangamon County Circuit Court Clerk, regardless of where in the county the case originated.
Other communities in Sangamon County include Sherman, Rochester, Chatham, and Leland Grove. None of these have separate criminal court systems. Cases from these areas go to the same Sangamon County clerk's office in Springfield.
Nearby Illinois Counties
Criminal court records for the counties surrounding Sangamon are kept by their own circuit court clerks. Contact the right county clerk based on where the case was filed.