Will County Criminal Court Records Search

Will County criminal court records are held by the Circuit Court Clerk in Joliet, covering the 12th Judicial Circuit for a county of nearly 700,000 people southwest of Chicago. This guide explains how to find and access those records online, by mail, or in person, and points you to statewide tools when local options fall short.

Will County Circuit Court Clerk Office

The Will County Circuit Court Clerk, Andrea Chasteen, maintains all court filings for the 12th Judicial Circuit from the courthouse at 100 West Jefferson Street, Joliet, IL 60432-4399. Phone is 815/727-8592 and fax is 815/740-8074. The clerk's website at willcountyillinois.com/circuit-clerk has information on hours, services, and how to get records.

Will County's circuit court handles felony and misdemeanor criminal cases, traffic violations, civil suits, family law matters, and more. Criminal court records are the primary focus here. These include charging documents, arrest warrants, plea agreements, trial records, and sentencing orders. The clerk stores and manages all of it.

Illinois law at 705 ILCS 105 makes court records open to the public. You can inspect them without charge during business hours. Copies carry a fee, but looking is free. You don't have to be a party to the case or give a reason for the request.

Finding Will County Court Records Online

Will County participates in Judici.com, the third-party case access platform used by 82 of Illinois' 102 counties. Through Judici you can search Will County criminal court records by name or case number and view case status, charge information, and hearing dates without any account or login. The service is free for basic searches and is updated regularly from clerk data.

The Illinois Courts' own statewide portal, re:SearchIL, went live for public access on May 1, 2025. It covers appellate and supreme court records across Illinois. If a Will County criminal case went to the appellate court, you'll likely find those filings there. Trial-level records remain in the clerk's own system.

The re:SearchIL database launched in May 2025 and provides free public access to reviewing court records, supplementing Will County's local clerk portal for cases that reached the appellate level.

The Illinois Courts site also maintains the Circuit Clerks Directory for all 102 counties. This is a reliable starting point if you're not sure which county clerk to contact or want to confirm Will County's current contact details.

Requesting Records in Person or by Mail

The Will County Courthouse at 100 West Jefferson Street in Joliet is open to the public during regular business hours. You can walk in, ask for a case by name or number, and review the file at a public terminal or with staff assistance. If you want paper copies, staff will prepare them and charge a per-page fee at the time of pickup.

Mail requests are accepted at the same address. A written request should include the full name of the case subject, date of birth if possible, and the approximate time frame of the case. For cases where you don't have a case number, allow additional time for staff to locate the record. The clerk will contact you with the copy cost before mailing anything. Fax requests go to 815/740-8074.

Criminal History Records Through ISP

A Will County criminal court record search covers only cases filed in that county. For a statewide picture, the Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification is the right source. ISP BOI is located at 260 N. Chicago St., Joliet, IL 60432, phone 815/740-5160. Worth noting: that address is right in Will County itself.

The Uniform Conviction Information Act (20 ILCS 2635) authorizes this statewide system and sets the rules for who can get what. Third parties can order conviction information at isp.illinois.gov/BureauOfIdentification/BackgroundChecks. Individuals checking their own records can do so at no charge through ISP's Access and Review process or through the CHIRP portal.

Fingerprint-based checks give more complete results than name searches and are required for some licensing and employment applications. ISP BOI handles fingerprint submissions and can process them through approved vendors.

The CHIRP system allows individuals to view and challenge their own Illinois criminal history record, which may include cases from Will County and any other Illinois jurisdiction.

What Records Are Open and What Is Restricted

The large majority of Will County criminal court records are public. Case filings, orders, judgments, and hearing records fall under the public access presumption set by Illinois law. The Code of Criminal Procedure, 725 ILCS 5, governs how criminal cases unfold, and those proceedings create public records by default.

Not every record is open, though. Juvenile delinquency records, adoption proceedings, and records under a court seal or expungement order are not available to the public. If someone's Will County criminal record has been expunged, it will not appear in the clerk's search tools or in Judici. Redactions apply to Social Security numbers and financial account data even in otherwise public files.

One thing to keep in mind: the Illinois judiciary is exempt from the state FOIA law (5 ILCS 140). Unlike a city or state agency, the circuit court clerk is not required to respond to FOIA requests. Use the clerk's public access process instead.

Electronic Filing and Court Access

Will County uses eFileIL, the statewide electronic filing system, for most case types. Attorneys are required to e-file; self-represented parties have different rules depending on the case type. Contact the clerk's office at 815/727-8592 to confirm requirements before filing. The eFileIL platform is maintained by the Illinois Courts and provides a consistent interface across all participating counties.

Note: eFileIL does not provide public read access to case records. It is a filing platform only. Use the clerk portal or Judici for case lookups.

Self-Help Legal Resources

Illinois Legal Aid Online provides free guides on criminal records, expungement eligibility, and court procedures for people who don't have a lawyer. Illinois Court Help runs a live chat with trained navigators who can explain court processes and help you figure out where to start. Neither service gives legal advice, but both are genuinely useful for people trying to navigate the Will County court system on their own.

Nearby Counties

Will County borders six other counties, each with its own circuit court and records process.

Cities in Will County

Three cities in Will County have dedicated criminal court records pages.