Guide
Illinois Bankruptcy Search at a Glance
Illinois's bankruptcy cases are split among three federal courts by where the debtor lives. The court links below open each court's own site, and PACER, in the federal list further down, searches all three at once.
Guide
Illinois Bankruptcy Court Resources
Use the resources below to identify the correct federal bankruptcy court, check electronic filing or docket access, and locate related bankruptcy guidance for Illinois.
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of IllinoisCase status by phone, unclaimed funds and local rules
- Calendar search, Northern District of IllinoisThe court's hearing calendar search
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of IllinoisCourt locations: Springfield, Peoria and Urbana
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of IllinoisCourt locations: East St. Louis and Benton
- CM/ECF electronic filing, Southern District of IllinoisHow to file and retrieve cases on the court's e-filing system
- U.S. Courts, Bankruptcy BasicsOfficial overview of bankruptcy chapters, eligibility, and court process
Under Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 9037, filed papers may show only the last four digits of a Social Security number, the year of birth and a minor's initials. To tell apart two debtors with the same name, compare the home address and those four digits on the petition, Official Form 101.
Guide
Illinois bankruptcy files: districts and access
Illinois has three federal bankruptcy districts: the Northern District (ilnb.uscourts.gov), the Central District (ilcb.uscourts.gov) and the Southern District (ilsb.uscourts.gov), with offices in East St. Louis and Benton. A name search without a county starts at the PACER Case Locator, which covers all three. Dockets and documents are public under 11 U.S.C. 107 at $0.10 per page on PACER, $3 at most per document, free in a quarter at $30 or less, and free to view at the courthouse. The contrast with the state court is in the screen: Illinois keeps dissolution documents off remote public access and keeps the Financial Affidavit out of the file unless a local rule or court order requires filing, while the bankruptcy schedules list each deposit account by institution and the employer by name and are read from anywhere. The Illinois asset search page compares the two.
Guide
Related Illinois pages
A bankruptcy search often leads on to state court cases, judgments and liens, and criminal or vital records. These are our related Illinois pages.
- Illinois Court RecordsState and county court case research and docket searches
- Illinois Criminal RecordsBackground checks, criminal history, and arrest records
- Illinois Vital RecordsBirth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates
- Illinois Inmate SearchState DOC and county jail inmate lookup
- Illinois DMV & Driving RecordsDriver license, vehicle history, and DMV services
- Illinois Judgments & LiensCourt judgments, liens and UCC filings, and how to search them
By state
Bankruptcy search in other states
Each state's page names its federal bankruptcy districts and links each court's own site.
Guide
Public records directories
Our directories for Illinois, all 50 states and U.S. counties, and the federal FOIA guide.
Guide
Federal & National Authoritative Sources
Straight answers
Illinois Bankruptcy Search, questions
Are bankruptcy records public?
Yes. All documents filed in a bankruptcy case are public records under 11 U.S.C. § 107, subject only to narrow sealing for trade secrets and certain personal identifiers.
Do states have their own bankruptcy courts?
No. Bankruptcy is exclusively federal under Article I of the U.S. Constitution and Title 11 of the U.S. Code. Each U.S. judicial district has a bankruptcy court.
How long does a bankruptcy stay on a credit report?
Chapter 7 discharges remain on a consumer credit report for 10 years from the filing date. Chapter 13 remains 7 years from filing. This is controlled by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. § 1681c).
Is there a fee to use PACER?
Registration is free. Per-page viewing is $0.10 per page, capped at $3.00 per document. Users who accrue less than $30 per quarter pay nothing.