Livingston County Court Docket
Livingston County court docket records are maintained by the 11th Judicial Circuit Court Clerk in Pontiac, Illinois, serving a county of about 35,000 residents in north-central Illinois. You can search Livingston County court dockets for free through statewide online tools, or visit the clerk's office at 110 N. Main Street in Pontiac to access full case files and request certified copies of court documents.
Livingston County Quick Facts
Livingston County Circuit Court Clerk
Jacquelyn Gragson is the Livingston County Circuit Court Clerk. The office is at 110 N. Main St., Pontiac, IL 61764. Phone: 815-844-2602. Fax: 815-844-2322. The clerk's office handles all filings, records, and copies for cases heard in Livingston County circuit court.
The circuit court clerk is your point of contact for everything related to court records in Livingston County. That includes finding a case number, getting a copy of a court order, requesting a certified judgment, or checking the status of a pending case. The staff can direct you to the right index or explain the process for requesting older archived records.
| Clerk | Jacquelyn Gragson |
|---|---|
| Address | 110 N. Main St., Pontiac, IL 61764 |
| Phone | 815-844-2602 |
| Fax | 815-844-2322 |
| Judicial Circuit | 11th Judicial Circuit |
Livingston County is part of the 11th Judicial Circuit, which is one of 24 circuits covering Illinois' 102 counties. The 11th Circuit also includes McLean County and Logan County among others. Each circuit has a chief judge and local rules that apply to all cases filed within the circuit. If you are filing in Livingston County, check the 11th Circuit's local rules for specifics about document formatting and deadlines.
Livingston County Court Docket Online Search
Livingston County participates in Judici.com, the free public case search platform that covers 82 Illinois counties. Through Judici, you can look up Livingston County cases by party name or case number and see a summary of events, scheduled court dates, and basic party information. The service is free and requires no login.
At the state level, the Illinois Courts website is the official gateway for court information. It links to the e-filing system, self-help resources, and the circuit clerk directory. The re:SearchIL portal opened for free public document review in May 2025. That system covers appellate and supreme court records. If a Livingston County case was appealed, appellate documents may be available there.
There are limits to what you can access remotely. Illinois rules bar online access to eviction cases, family law matters, foreclosure proceedings, guardianship, probate, small claims, traffic cases, and orders of protection. These records may be public at the courthouse, but they are not available through online docket systems. Records that are permanently restricted include juvenile cases, adoptions, sealed files, expunged records, and documents with confidential information like Social Security numbers.
The screenshot below was taken from the Illinois Legal Aid website, which provides a plain-language guide to getting copies of Illinois court records including those filed in Livingston County.
The Illinois Legal Aid guide explains what records are public, how to request them, and what to expect when you contact the circuit court clerk's office.
Case Types in the Livingston County Court Docket
The Livingston County circuit court handles civil, criminal, family, probate, and traffic matters. Civil cases include contract claims, personal injury suits, property disputes, and small claims. Family law covers divorce, child custody, support enforcement, and adoption. Probate deals with estates and wills. Criminal cases at the circuit level include felonies and misdemeanors.
Each case type has its own filing requirements and procedures. Some are handled on the same court call; others are scheduled separately. If you are looking for a specific case and are not sure which division it falls under, a call to the clerk at 815-844-2602 can save you time. The staff can tell you if the case is active, how it is indexed, and whether it is accessible online or only in person.
Electronic filing is mandatory for civil cases in Illinois. The statewide system is eFileIL at efile.illinoiscourts.gov. Illinois has 17 approved Electronic Filing Service Providers. Attorneys and self-represented parties alike use this system to submit documents to any Illinois circuit court. The Illinois Courts self-help page walks through the process for people filing without an attorney.
How to Get Livingston County Court Records
You have a few ways to get records from the Livingston County circuit court. In person is the most direct. Go to 110 N. Main St. in Pontiac during office hours. You can look up the case, review the file, and request copies on the spot. Certified copies cost more than plain paper copies. The clerk's office sets the fee schedule.
Mail requests are also accepted. Write to the clerk's office with the case number, party names, what you need, and return postage. Call the clerk at 815-844-2602 before mailing to confirm the current fee and what to include. For older archived cases, the clerk can tell you if the file needs to be retrieved from storage and how long that takes.
Illinois court records do not show arrests that did not lead to charges. That is spelled out in the Illinois Legal Aid court records guide. Also worth knowing: the judicial branch is not subject to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140). The right way to get court records is through the clerk's office, not a FOIA request. Most civil records are open to the public under Illinois court rules.
Electronic Filing and the Livingston County Court Docket
Illinois mandates electronic filing for civil cases statewide. Livingston County, like all Illinois counties, uses the eFileIL system. Filers choose from 17 approved Electronic Filing Service Providers. Once submitted, documents go into the court's case management system and become part of the official docket. The clerk's office processes e-filed documents during regular business hours.
For attorneys, e-filing is straightforward through the EFSPs. For self-represented parties, the process takes a bit more setup. The self-help page on the Illinois Courts site covers what you need to know to get started. It also explains what types of documents you can file electronically and any exceptions that apply in specific case types.
The eFileIL portal is shown below, captured from efile.illinoiscourts.gov. All civil case filings in Livingston County, including new cases and subsequent filings, go through this system.
The eFileIL system handles electronic submissions for all 102 Illinois counties and links directly to each circuit court's case management platform.
Cities in Livingston County
Pontiac is the county seat and the largest city in Livingston County. Other communities include Dwight, Odell, Streator (which crosses into LaSalle County), and Chenoa. None of these cities meets the population threshold for individual pages on this site. All court docket records for Livingston County communities go through the circuit court clerk in Pontiac.
Nearby Counties
Livingston County borders several other Illinois counties in north-central Illinois.