McHenry County Court Docket Records
McHenry County court docket records are maintained by the Circuit Clerk's office at 2200 North Seminary Avenue in Woodstock, Illinois. The 22nd Judicial Circuit serves more than 315,000 residents across McHenry County, handling civil, criminal, family, and traffic cases. McHenry County is one of only a few Illinois counties approved for the E-Record program, which provides enhanced digital access to court documents. You can search cases online through Judici.com or contact the clerk's office directly.
McHenry County Quick Facts
McHenry County Circuit Clerk
The McHenry County Circuit Clerk is Katherine Keefe. The clerk's office is in Room 352 at 2200 North Seminary Avenue, Woodstock, IL 60098-2837. Phone: 815-334-4310. Fax: 815-338-8583. The courthouse at 2200 N. Seminary Ave in Woodstock is the central filing location for all 22nd Circuit cases and the main point of contact for public records requests in McHenry County.
The clerk maintains a website at mchenrycountyclerk.com, though users should be aware that the site has experienced SSL certificate issues. Use the clerk's phone number or the statewide Illinois Courts directory to confirm current web access before relying on the site for important information. The Illinois Courts circuit clerk directory lists the McHenry County clerk's contact details and confirms the 22nd Circuit designation.
| Clerk | Katherine Keefe |
|---|---|
| Address | 2200 North Seminary Avenue, Room 352, Woodstock, IL 60098-2837 |
| Phone | 815-334-4310 |
| Fax | 815-338-8583 |
| E-Record Program | Yes |
McHenry County Court Docket Search Tools
McHenry County is included in the Judici.com free public case search platform, which covers 82 Illinois counties. Judici lets you search by party name or case number and returns basic case information including case type, filing date, and party names. It is a reliable free tool for looking up cases without needing to contact the clerk's office directly. The platform does not require registration to use for basic searches.
McHenry County also participates in the E-Record program, which is an enhanced digital records initiative available to a small number of Illinois counties. This program provides document-level access beyond what the standard online docket summary includes. If you need to review actual filings remotely rather than just case status information, it is worth checking whether the E-Record program covers the case type you need. Not all case types fall within the program's scope.
The Illinois Courts website provides general information about the court system and links to statewide tools. For McHenry County specifically, calling the clerk's office at 815-334-4310 is the most direct way to confirm what online access is currently available and whether the case type you need is searchable remotely. Online tools are helpful but do not always reflect the clerk's most current portal status.
The Illinois circuit court clerks directory is shown below, captured from the Illinois Courts clerk directory page.
The directory lists all 102 county clerks organized by district and circuit, including the McHenry County 22nd Circuit clerk contact information.
What McHenry County Court Docket Records Include
The 22nd Judicial Circuit handles the full range of case types for McHenry County. Civil cases cover contract disputes, personal injury, property matters, and small claims. Criminal cases include misdemeanors and felonies filed in the county. The family division handles divorce, custody, and support cases. Traffic cases, probate, and guardianship proceedings also come through the circuit court in Woodstock.
Some case types have limited or no online access under statewide Illinois court rules. Remote access excludes eviction, family, foreclosure, guardianship, probate, small claims, traffic, and orders of protection from standard online document access. These limits apply to all Illinois counties, not just McHenry. Records that are never public include juvenile cases, adoptions, sealed or expunged files, and documents with sensitive personal information like Social Security numbers, medical records, or bank account data.
Court records do not show arrests if no charges were filed. The docket reflects only what was formally filed in court. Illinois Legal Aid makes this point clearly in their plain-language guide: you can look up most criminal and civil court records without paying for a background check, but the records are limited to what the court has. For McHenry County cases, that means the circuit court record in Woodstock is the authoritative source for what the court knows about a case.
Note: The judicial branch is not subject to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act at 5 ILCS 140. Public access to court records comes from court rules and separate statutes, not from FOIA. Requests go to the clerk's office under court procedures, not the FOIA process.
Electronic Filing in McHenry County
Like all Illinois counties, McHenry requires electronic filing for civil cases. Filers must use the statewide eFileIL portal at efile.illinoiscourts.gov. Illinois has 17 approved Electronic Filing Service Providers. You can pick any one of them to submit documents to the 22nd Circuit. The process is the same whether you are filing in McHenry, Cook, or any other county in the state, though local court rules may add specific requirements.
Self-represented parties who need guidance on e-filing can visit the Illinois Courts filers without lawyers page. That resource covers the basics of electronic filing for pro se litigants across all circuits. The Illinois Legal Aid site also covers how to get copies of court records in clear, straightforward language. Both are free resources available to anyone researching McHenry County court records or planning to file.
The re:SearchIL portal, which opened for free public access to Supreme and Appellate Court documents on May 1, 2025, covers appeals. McHenry County cases that went through the appellate process may have documents available through that system. Trial-level records from the 22nd Circuit remain with the McHenry County clerk in Woodstock.
In-Person Access to McHenry County Records
Visiting the courthouse in Woodstock is the most direct way to access complete case files. The clerk's office is in Room 352 at 2200 N. Seminary Ave and is open during regular business hours. In-person requests allow you to view the full case file, not just the summary information available online. Certified copies can be requested at the counter or by mail.
Bring case-identifying information when you visit: a case number, the full names of the parties, and the approximate filing year all help staff pull the right record. For older cases that may be in storage, the clerk may need additional time to retrieve the file. Calling ahead at 815-334-4310 before your visit is a good practice, especially for records that may not be immediately on file in the clerk's office.
Fee information for certified copies and other clerk services is available through the clerk's office directly. The clerk's website has had SSL issues, so the most reliable way to confirm current fees is to call the office or check the Illinois Courts statewide site for general guidance on what circuit courts charge for copies.
The Judici.com portal shown below provides free case search for McHenry County and 81 other Illinois counties, with the screenshot captured from judici.com.
Judici is a reliable free tool for searching McHenry County cases by name or case number without needing to contact the clerk's office first.
Cities in McHenry County
McHenry County does not have any cities that meet the population threshold for individual pages on this site. All court cases in the county are handled by the 22nd Circuit Court clerk's office in Woodstock.
Larger communities in McHenry County include Woodstock (the county seat and courthouse location), Crystal Lake, McHenry, Algonquin, Cary, Fox Lake, Harvard, Huntley, Island Lake, Johnsburg, Lake in the Hills, Marengo, Richmond, and Spring Grove. None of these cities currently exceed the population threshold for a dedicated page, but residents of all these communities file cases through the McHenry County clerk in Woodstock.
Nearby Counties
McHenry County borders six other counties in northern Illinois. Each has its own circuit court and clerk's office handling local case filings.