Bureau County Court Docket Search
Bureau County court docket records are maintained by the 13th Judicial Circuit Court Clerk in Princeton, Illinois, covering civil, criminal, traffic, family, and probate matters for this north-central Illinois county of about 32,500 residents. You can search the Bureau County court docket for free online through statewide platforms, or visit the clerk's office at 700 S. Main Street in Princeton to review case files and request copies in person.
Bureau County Quick Facts
Bureau County Circuit Court Clerk
Dawn Reglin serves as the Bureau County Circuit Court Clerk. The office is at 700 S. Main Street, Princeton, IL 61356. Phone: 815-872-2001. Fax: 815-872-0027. The clerk's office is responsible for all case filings, official records, and public record requests for cases heard in Bureau County circuit court.
The clerk maintains the docket for every Bureau County case from the day it is filed until it is closed. That record includes all motions, orders, judgment entries, and scheduled hearing dates. If you need a certified copy of a judgment or order, the clerk's office is where you go. Certified copies include the court's official seal and are required for most legal transactions involving court records.
| Clerk | Dawn Reglin |
|---|---|
| Address | 700 S. Main Street, Princeton, IL 61356 |
| Phone | 815-872-2001 |
| Fax | 815-872-0027 |
| Judicial Circuit | 13th Judicial Circuit |
Bureau County is part of the 13th Judicial Circuit, one of Illinois' 24 circuits covering counties outside Cook. The 13th Circuit has local rules that apply to all cases filed within its jurisdiction. Review the 13th Circuit's local rules before filing any case in Bureau County. Those rules govern document format, filing deadlines, and specific procedures for different case types handled by the circuit's judges.
Bureau County Court Docket Online Search
Bureau County is searchable through Judici.com, the free public case search platform for 82 Illinois counties. You can look up Bureau County cases by party name or case number without creating an account or paying a fee. Results show the case type, filing date, event log, and any upcoming hearing dates. Judici is widely used across northern and central Illinois as a first stop for court docket research.
The Illinois Courts website provides official court information for all 102 counties. It connects to e-filing resources, the circuit clerk directory, and public access guides. For appellate-level records, the re:SearchIL portal offers free document review access for Illinois Supreme Court and Appellate Court filings since May 2025. Bureau County cases that moved through the appellate system may have records there.
Online access has limits. Illinois rules exclude eviction, family law, foreclosure, guardianship, probate, small claims, traffic, and orders of protection from remote public dockets. Those cases may be fully public at the courthouse but cannot be viewed online. Records that are always off-limits include juvenile cases, adoptions, sealed files, expunged records, and documents containing protected personal data.
The screenshot below shows the re:SearchIL portal, captured from researchil.tylerhost.net. This free statewide system covers Illinois Supreme Court and Appellate Court records, including cases from Bureau County that have moved to the reviewing courts.
The re:SearchIL system launched free public document review in May 2025 and is updated as new documents are filed with the appellate and supreme courts.
Bureau County Court Docket: Types of Cases Filed
The Bureau County circuit court handles civil, criminal, family, probate, and traffic matters. Civil law cases cover contract disputes, personal injury claims, property issues, and debt collection. Chancery cases deal with equity matters including foreclosures. Domestic relations covers divorce, custody, support, and protection orders. Probate handles wills, estates, and guardianship.
Criminal cases include felonies and misdemeanors. Traffic offenses are also docketed in the circuit court. Each case type is indexed separately. When you search online through Judici, you can often filter by case type. At the courthouse, the clerk's staff can help locate any case with partial information like a party name and a rough timeframe.
Electronic filing is mandatory for civil cases in Illinois. The statewide platform is eFileIL. All civil filers in Bureau County, whether attorneys or self-represented parties, use this system. There are 17 approved Electronic Filing Service Providers. The Illinois Courts self-help page walks through the process for people who do not have an attorney and need to file their own documents.
Getting Copies of Bureau County Court Records
The easiest way to get records is to visit the clerk's office at 700 S. Main Street in Princeton. Staff can pull the case file, allow you to review it, and make copies. Bring a case number or party names. Certified copies include the court seal and cost more than plain paper copies. Call 815-872-2001 first to confirm the current fee schedule and office hours.
For mail requests, write to the office with the case number or party names, what you need, and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Include payment or ask the clerk first. If a case is archived, ask about retrieval time before you send anything. Older cases may take a day or more to retrieve from storage.
Illinois court records do not include arrests that did not lead to charges. The circuit court record only shows cases that were actually filed in the court. Also, Illinois courts are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140). You cannot FOIA court records. Contact the clerk directly. The Illinois Legal Aid guide to court records explains all of this in plain terms and is worth reading before you contact the clerk.
Bureau County Court Docket and Electronic Filing
All civil filings in Bureau County go through the eFileIL system at efile.illinoiscourts.gov. Filers use one of 17 approved Electronic Filing Service Providers to submit documents. Once the clerk's office accepts the filing, it becomes part of the official court record and shows up in the case docket. This system is the same across all 102 Illinois counties.
For attorneys, the e-filing system is routine. For self-represented parties, it requires setting up an account with a service provider and learning the submission process. The courts' self-help page covers each step. For Bureau County cases, the local rules of the 13th Circuit apply once the document is filed. Make sure your formatting and content meet 13th Circuit standards before you submit.
The Illinois Courts homepage is shown below, taken from illinoiscourts.gov. This site is the official state source for court information including Bureau County's 13th Judicial Circuit.
The site links to the e-filing system, the circuit clerk directory, and resources for self-represented litigants in all 102 Illinois counties.
Cities in Bureau County
Princeton is the county seat and largest city in Bureau County, with a population of around 7,000. Other communities include Spring Valley, Tiskilwa, and Wyanet. None of these cities meets the population threshold for individual pages on this site. All court docket records for Bureau County residents and businesses are maintained by the circuit court clerk at 700 S. Main Street in Princeton.
Nearby Counties
Bureau County borders five Illinois counties in north-central Illinois.