Guide
About Illinois public records
Statewide record requests cover numerous areas, in some instances serving as the central depository such as criminal records and numerous certificates. A number of Illinois state, county and city government departments offer instant results from simple online queries. Agencies such as the Secretary of State searching for business information, treasurer queries of property and taxes, Department of Financial and Professional Regulation instant license look up, Illinois Department of Corrections inmate searches and various court calendars and dockets instant results. There are many other examples of open free queries of data across Illinois governing agencies, either at the local level or state. Department websites are independently expanding online services to their communities without a central index.
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State background and court information
In efforts to keep the state of Illinois government open and honest, the Pro Disclosure Freedom of Information Act was enacted in 1984. This gives the residents of Illinois access to public information regarding the workings of the state government with the right to inspect, copy or reproduce public records. The statutes is in largely based on the federal freedom of information act, also known as the FOIA. As there are limitations to information that can be released, the state's statutes provide descriptions and details of what is made available as public records. This act also outlines the procedures of the government and the entity's duties in responding to its residents information requests.
While the FOIA lets it's residents request information from their government for purposes of scrutiny and transparency, this right is also extended to other government records. The Illinois state police can be requested to conduct criminal history record searches of convictions. This allows anyone to look into another person's past criminal background. Home ownership in Illinois is above the national average at nearly 70 percent. These property and real estate records are held by county recorders where you can request deed information of Illinois homeowners. The department of public health maintains information of deaths, births, divorces and marriages occurring in Illinois where a request can be simply made by anyone online. State and local courts are also under the FOIA rules which allows the public to request courthouse records of trials, cases, filings and its operations. There are limitations in place to where personal information of a person will not be revealed.
Illinois became part of the union December 3rd, 1818. With approximately 13 million residents and nearly 58,000 square miles, the prairie state is the 25th largest state by land and the 5th most populated after California, New York, Texas and Florida. It's major industries are agriculture, mining, cattle and manufacturing.
The government of Illinois is based on a 3 branch system. The executive branch is divided in several state offices such as the governor's office, agencies, boards and commissions as well as the management, budgeting and taxes amongst other duties. The legislative branch is the state's general assembly made of the its senate and house of representatives. Divided in 59 districts, the legislature deals with the laws and constitution of the state. The judicial branch is the state's court system which includes its supreme, appellate and circuit courts. There are 23 judicial circuits in 130 locations throughout the state and is the general trial court.
There are 102 counties in Illinois, it has 1,299 municipalities with 1,431 townships and 3,145 special districts. City government includes the mayor's office, treasurer, clerk, city council and other local offices and services. Chicago is the largest city in Illinois with more than half of the state's residence living within its borders. It is the 3rd most populated city in the U.S. after New York and Los Angeles. Forming cities and municipalities is a way to give residents of Illinois local power and a voice in governing their areas.
The Illinois circuit courts have exclusive civil jurisdiction (including administrative agency appeals), and small claims jurisdiction, where the amount in controversy is $2,500 and below, exclusive domestic relations, criminal cases, traffic, juvenile jurisdiction and hold venue to preliminary hearings.
The appellate courts must hear (have "mandatory jurisdiction" over) various civil, noncapital criminal, administrative agency, juvenile, original proceedings, interlocutory decision cases and may hear (have "discretionary jurisdiction" over) various civil, and interlocutory decision cases.
The state's supreme court is the highest court with mandatory jurisdiction in various civil, capital criminal, criminal, administrative agency, juvenile, disciplinary, original proceeding and interlocutory decision cases. Discretionary jurisdiction in various civil, noncapital criminal, administrative agency, juvenile, certified questions from federal courts, original proceeding and interlocutory decision cases.
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Court records and filings
Illinois court records are maintained by county circuit courts and the Illinois Courts system. Circuit Courts serve as the trial courts of general jurisdiction. The Appellate Court hears appeals from circuit courts.
Case information is searchable through individual county circuit court websites and the Illinois e-filing system at efile.illinoiscourts.gov.
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Criminal records and background checks
Illinois criminal records are maintained by the Illinois State Police (ISP), Bureau of Identification. ISP provides both name-based background checks through the Criminal History Information Response Process (CHIRP) and fingerprint-based checks through licensed LiveScan vendors. All criminal history record conviction information collected by ISP is available to the public. Court records for Cook County are accessible through the Clerk of the Circuit Court online case search. The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) provides an individual in custody search and parolee sex registrant search. ISP also operates the Illinois Sex Offender Registry.
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Vital records
Certified copies of Illinois birth and death certificates are issued by the Division of Vital Records of the Illinois Department of Public Health. Marriage records are also kept by the local office that issued the license, and divorce records by the court that granted the divorce.
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Property and asset records
Deeds and mortgages in Illinois are recorded at the county level, and property taxes are handled by county or local offices. Business and UCC filings are kept by the state, bankruptcy cases are federal court records, and the state runs a free search for unclaimed property.
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Government records and agencies
Illinois.gov has a state agency finder, and the Illinois Compiled Statutes are online from the Illinois General Assembly.
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Driving and vehicle records
The Illinois Secretary of State keeps driving record abstracts and handles vehicle titles and registration.
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Expungements and record clearing
Illinois lets people ask the circuit court to expunge or seal criminal records under the Criminal Identification Act, 20 ILCS 2630. The statewide request and order forms are posted by the Illinois courts and the Office of the State Appellate Defender.
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Genealogy and historical research
For family history, start with the Illinois State Archives and the Illinois State Library, both run by the Secretary of State.
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Missing children resources
Report a missing child in Illinois to local police right away. These federal lists carry national missing person cases.
- NamUsU.S. Justice Department database of missing and unidentified people
- FBI Kidnappings and Missing PersonsFederal case posters, FBI
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