Cook County Criminal Records

Cook County criminal records are kept by the Circuit Court Clerk at the Richard J. Daley Center in Chicago. With more than five million people, Cook County is the most populated county in Illinois and one of the largest in the whole country. Criminal case files here are not on the web. You must go in person to get them. The Clerk of the Circuit Court does have an online case lookup tool for civil matters, but criminal filings fall under a different set of rules. If you want to search for criminal records in Cook County, you will need to call or visit the right court district office based on where the case was filed.

Cook County Circuit Court Clerk

The Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County is the main office for all court records in the county. Their main office sits at the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 W. Washington St., Chicago, IL 60602. The general phone line is (312) 603-5030. This office serves the largest unified court system in the world. They handle millions of case files each year across all case types. For criminal records in Cook County, you need to reach out to the specific division that dealt with the case.

Misdemeanor cases have their own line. Call (312) 603-4641 for those. If you need records tied to a felony case, the number is 773-674-3147. These two lines connect you to the staff who can pull the paper files you need. The criminal division keeps its records in the courthouse or in official storage sites run by the Clerk. All of these are hard copy paper files, not digital ones.

The Clerk of the Circuit Court provides on-line case info as a public service. It helps people check on the general status of past and current court cases in Cook County. But here is the catch. The Illinois Supreme Court's Electronic Access Policy blocks remote access to actual case documents. So while you can look up some case data on the web, the full criminal record files stay locked behind the counter at the courthouse.

The Cook County Clerk of Court website is a good starting point for general info about the office and what services they offer.

The site lists office hours, forms, and contact details for each division. It also has links for paying fines and looking up certain case types that are not restricted by the state access rules.

Searching Cook County Criminal Records

Getting criminal records in Cook County takes more steps than most Illinois counties. The big difference is that criminal case files are not on the internet here. Unlike the 82 counties that use Judici for free online court lookups, Cook County criminal records stay off digital portals. You must go to the courthouse in the district where the case was handled. Bring a valid ID and know the case number or the full name of the person whose record you want. The staff can then pull the paper file from storage.

There are six court districts spread across Cook County. Each one covers a set of towns and neighborhoods. The main criminal courthouse is at 26th Street and California Avenue on the south side of Chicago. That is the Leighton Criminal Court Building. It handles most felony cases for the City of Chicago. Suburban districts handle cases from their areas. You need to figure out which district has the file before you visit. The Clerk's main phone number can help with that.

Under the Uniform Conviction Information Act (20 ILCS 2635), conviction data in Illinois must be shared with the public. This law has been in effect since 1991. It applies to all counties, including Cook. But the way you access those records still depends on the local system. In Cook County, that means in person.

Note: Criminal case files in Cook County are only kept in hard copy paper format at the courthouse or official Clerk repositories.

Cook County Criminal Records Online Options

The online case information page from the Clerk of the Circuit Court lets you search some case types on the web. You can look up civil, law, chancery, domestic relations, probate, traffic, and county division cases there. This tool is free. It shows basic case info like party names, case numbers, and court dates.

Criminal cases are not part of that system. The Illinois Supreme Court set a policy back in 2004 that blocks remote access to certain court documents. Criminal filings in Cook County fall under those rules. So even though there is an online portal, it does not cover what most people search for when they want criminal records. You have to show up at the right office.

The case lookup tool on the Clerk's site is still worth checking. It can tell you if a case exists and give you basic status info. That way, you know what to ask for when you go to the courthouse. It covers seven case categories but criminal is not one of them.

For statewide searches, the CHIRP system from the Illinois State Police lets you run name-based conviction checks. This covers all of Illinois, including Cook County. The fee is $10 for an electronic check. You need an Illinois driver's license or state ID to register. CHIRP only shows conviction data, not full case files. But it can confirm if someone has a criminal conviction on their state record.

Court Records in Cook County

Cook County also has a court records and archives page through the main Cook County government site. This page covers what records are kept and how to find older case files. Some files get moved to archives after a set time. The archives hold millions of documents going back decades.

If the case you need is old, it may be in storage. Staff can still get it for you but it takes more time. You might need to fill out a request form and wait for them to pull the file from the warehouse. Certified copies of criminal dispositions are also available. Fees for certified copies vary, so call first. The general number at (312) 603-5030 can point you to the right place.

The official court records in Cook County live in hard copy paper files. That is a direct quote from the Clerk's office. This means there is no way to get a full criminal case file sent to you by email or downloaded from a website. It is paper. You can get copies made at the courthouse for a per-page fee, and add certification if you need a stamped copy for legal use.

Criminal Records Access in Cook County

Beyond the local court system, there are state-level tools that cover Cook County criminal records. The Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification holds criminal history files for the whole state. Their database has more than five million fingerprint files. You can use the Bureau to run a check on someone or to get your own record through the Access and Review process.

Name-based checks through the Bureau cost $10 electronic or $16 for paper. Fingerprint-based checks run $15 to $20 for state only. If you add the FBI check, it goes up to $27 electronic or $32 for paper. The Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140) also gives you the right to request public documents from government agencies. Police departments in Cook County must respond to FOIA requests within five business days.

The re:SearchIL portal is another state tool. It provides access to filed documents through the state's eFiling system. Public users pay $0.10 per page with a cap of $3 per document under the Clerk of Courts Act (705 ILCS 105/27.1b). This portal covers some case types but has the same limits on criminal filings as the local Cook County system. Restricted records like sealed, expunged, and juvenile cases are not on it.

Note: State-level name-based conviction checks through CHIRP cover Cook County and all other Illinois counties.

Cook County Criminal Record Fees

Fees for criminal records in Cook County depend on what you need and how you get it. Certified copies of court documents cost more than plain copies. The per-page rate at the Clerk's office varies. Call (312) 603-5030 to confirm current fees before you go. Each division may also have its own fee schedule posted at the counter.

For state-level checks that cover Cook County, the Bureau of Identification charges the following:

• Name-based conviction check: $10 electronic, $16 paper
• State fingerprint check: $15 electronic, $20 paper
• State plus FBI check: $27 electronic, $32 paper
• Expungement or sealing court order: $60
• Access and Review (your own record): free from the state, though the fingerprint vendor may charge a fee

The Criminal Identification Act (20 ILCS 2630) sets the rules for how criminal history data is stored and shared in Illinois. It also controls when records can be sealed or wiped clean. Cook County follows the same fee rules as the rest of the state for these services. Court copy fees, though, are set at the local level.

Expungement of Cook County Criminal Records

If you have a criminal record in Cook County and want to clear it, you may qualify for expungement or sealing. Expungement wipes the record. Sealing hides it from most public view. The rules depend on the type of case and the outcome. Arrests that did not lead to a conviction are often eligible for expungement. Certain probation outcomes can qualify too.

Waiting periods apply. Under 20 ILCS 2630/5.2, you must wait two years after supervision ends or five years after qualified probation. You file a petition with the court in Cook County where the case took place. The court order fee is $60. Once the court grants the petition, the Clerk and the Illinois State Police update their records. The Office of the State Appellate Defender has a full guide on how this works, including forms and step-by-step instructions.

Sealed records are still visible to law enforcement and some licensing bodies. They just stay hidden from the general public. This is different from expungement, which removes the record from the system almost entirely. Both options have their place, depending on your situation and what the law allows for your specific case type in Cook County.

Legal Help for Cook County Criminal Records

Illinois Legal Aid has free guides on how to get copies of your court records. Their site walks you through the steps for Cook County and other parts of the state. They cover both how to pull records and how to read what you get back. This is a good place to start if you are not sure what forms you need or where to go.

The Chicago Police Department also keeps arrest records for crimes that happened in the city. Their search tool at publicsearch1.chicagopolice.org covers arrests from January 1, 2014 onward for adults. Only Chicago Police arrests show up there. If you want your full RAP sheet, you can visit CPD headquarters at 3510 S. Michigan Ave. The fee is $16. They do fingerprinting on Tuesdays through Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

For people who need help with expungement in Cook County, the State Appellate Defender and Legal Aid groups run clinics in the Chicago area. These clinics help with the paperwork and walk you through the filing process at no cost. Check the state expungement page from the Office of the State Appellate Defender for more details on how to start.

Note: Chicago Police arrest records only cover arrests made by CPD and only go back to 2014.

Criminal Records by City in Cook County

Cook County has more cities and towns than any other county in Illinois. Criminal records for all of them go through the Cook County Circuit Court Clerk. Each city has its own police force that keeps local arrest data, but the court records sit with the Clerk. Below are the major cities in Cook County that have their own pages with local details on how to search criminal records.

Nearby Counties for Criminal Records

Cook County shares borders with several other large Illinois counties. If the case you are looking for was filed in a neighboring area, you will need to contact that county's circuit clerk instead. Here are the counties that border Cook County.