Search Chicago Court Docket Records
The Chicago court docket covers cases filed through the Cook County Circuit Court, which handles all criminal, civil, domestic relations, and probate matters for Chicago residents. This guide explains how to find case records, which courts serve the city, and what access options are available online and in person.
Chicago Court Docket: Cook County Circuit Court
Chicago does not run its own circuit court. All felony, misdemeanor, civil, divorce, probate, and domestic relations cases are handled by the Cook County Circuit Court. The main courthouse is the Richard J. Daley Center at 50 W. Washington Street, Chicago, IL 60602. The court clerk is Mariyana T. Spyropoulos. You can reach the clerk's office at (312) 603-5030 or visit the Cook County Clerk of Court website for case lookup tools and forms.
Cook County is the largest court system in Illinois. It has six district courthouses spread across the county, but the 1st Municipal District serving Chicago sits at the Daley Center. The court handles hundreds of thousands of new filings each year. Case types range from small claims to complex civil litigation, from traffic offenses to serious felonies.
One key thing to know: criminal case dockets in Cook County are not available online. If you need to look up a criminal court docket in Chicago, you must go to the clerk's office in person. This is different from most other Illinois counties, where at least some criminal dockets are accessible through public search tools.
Chicago Court Docket Online Search Options
The Cook County Clerk of Court offers online case lookup at cookcountyclerkofcourt.org. The online system covers civil/law/chancery cases, domestic relations, probate, traffic, county division, and court call information. You can search by case number, party name, or attorney name depending on the case type.
Keep in mind that the electronic docket shows brief summaries of court documents and court events. It is not the official paper record. If you need certified copies of actual court filings, you will need to request those from the clerk's office, either in person, by mail, or through the e-copy request system if available for your case type.
Cook County is not part of Judici.com, the third-party portal that covers many downstate Illinois counties. All Cook County searching is done through the county's own systems. The re:SearchIL portal is available for Illinois Supreme Court and Appellate Court documents, but it does not cover trial-level Cook County Circuit Court cases.
Note: The Illinois Supreme Court Remote Access Policy limits what the general public can view online. Case types excluded from online public viewing include eviction cases, family cases, foreclosures, guardianship, probate, small claims, traffic, and orders of protection. Attorneys and parties to those cases may have broader access than the general public.
Chicago Administrative Hearings Division
Chicago handles parking tickets, traffic camera violations, building code issues, and other city ordinance matters through the Department of Administrative Hearings. This is separate from the Circuit Court. The hearings division is located at 400 W. Superior St, Chicago, IL 60654. You can reach them at (312) 742-1725 or check the Administrative Hearings Division page on the city's website.
If you got a parking ticket in Chicago, your case goes through this system, not through Cook County Circuit Court. The same applies to red light camera tickets, speed camera violations, and certain building code enforcement actions. Hearings are held at the Superior Street address or at satellite locations. You can request a hearing by mail, online, or in person. The docket for these hearings is separate from court dockets and managed by the city.
Fines and unpaid judgments from Administrative Hearings can result in license plate holds, vehicle boots, and collection actions. If you want to fight a ticket or ordinance violation, act quickly because deadlines are short and failure to respond leads to automatic default findings.
How to Get Chicago Court Docket Copies
For civil and non-criminal Cook County cases, you can print or save case history information from the online portal. To get certified copies of court documents, visit the Clerk of Court at 50 W. Washington, Suite 1001. The office is open Monday through Friday. You can also submit written requests by mail for copies, though in-person visits are faster.
Criminal dockets in Chicago require an in-person visit. The clerk's office can look up case information and provide copies of criminal filings for a per-page fee. There is no online option for criminal case dockets in Cook County. This is an important limitation to understand before making a trip downtown or submitting a records request remotely.
For appellate-level records related to Chicago cases, use re:SearchIL, which has been free for public access since May 2025. The 1st District Illinois Appellate Court covers Cook County and is headquartered in Chicago. Appellate opinions and docket entries for that court are available through the re:SearchIL system.
Note: Juvenile records, adoption records, sealed files, and expunged cases are never available to the public regardless of the search method used.
Chicago Court Docket: Electronic Filing
Civil cases in Cook County must be filed electronically through eFileIL, the state's mandatory e-filing system. This applies to most civil filings including lawsuits, motions, and responses. E-filing went statewide for most case types and court levels in recent years. Attorneys and self-represented litigants can both use the system, though self-filers may need to review the self-help resources available through eFileIL.
Once a case is e-filed, it typically appears in the court's electronic docket within one to two business days after acceptance by the clerk. Filers receive electronic confirmation notices. If you are a party to a case and want to track docket activity, logging into eFileIL with your account gives you access to filings on cases you are associated with.
The Illinois Courts website has guides for both attorneys and self-represented filers. There are also self-help resources at the courthouse for people who need assistance navigating the filing system.
Finding the Right Chicago Court Docket by Case Type
Cook County Circuit Court is divided into departments. Civil cases over $30,000 go to the Law Division. Smaller civil cases go to the Municipal Department. Divorce and family cases go to the Domestic Relations Division. Estate and probate matters go to the Probate Division. Criminal felonies are handled in the Criminal Division, while misdemeanors are in the Municipal Criminal Division. Traffic cases have their own traffic court division.
If you are searching for a specific court docket in Chicago, knowing the case type helps you find the right division. The online portal lets you filter by division in some searches. If you are unsure which division handled a case, the main clerk's office can help direct you. Searching by name or case number through the online system will generally surface the result regardless of division.
For federal cases involving Chicago parties, those are not part of the Cook County system at all. Federal cases are filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and federal dockets are accessible through the PACER system at pacer.gov.
Illinois Courts screenshot from the official state portal
The Illinois Courts website provides a central hub for court information across the state.
This screenshot shows the Illinois Courts homepage, where users can find court locations, case search links, and information about filing procedures across all Illinois circuit courts including Cook County.
Nearby Cities with Court Docket Pages
Other qualifying Illinois cities near Chicago also have court docket pages with local courthouse details.