Mchenry County Court Records Lookup

The following is for information purposes only

McHenry County is home to 311,133 people and has a land area of 603.4 square miles. It was created from parts of LaSalle and Cook Counties in 1836, and its county seat is Woodstock. The court system in McHenry County consists of a circuit court and five adjudicative administration divisions. These courts serve the people by resolving disputes and providing just solutions to legal matters.

McHenry County Circuit Court, which is also referred to as the 22nd Judicial Circuit, is located in Woodstock. It is a trial court of general jurisdiction, capable of presiding over nearly all types of civil and criminal cases. Additionally, it handles juvenile, probate, domestic relations, traffic, and small claims cases. On average, the circuit court handles approximately 60,000 cases yearly with traffic cases accounting for the majority of its caseload. Furthermore, McHenry County is home to five Administrative Adjudication divisions located in Cary, Crystal Lake, Spring Grove, Algonquin, and Woodstock. These divisions are responsible for addressing various violations of municipal ordinances that were previously heard in the circuit court; excluding criminal cases. Penalties for cases heard in an administrative adjudication division typically include fines and other consequences, but no jail term.

In McHenry County, the reported violent crime rate per 100,000 population was 95.7 in 2022. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined to 23.2 per 100,000 population. This significant decrease can be attributed to the efficiency of the judicial system. All court records for cases filed and heard in McHenry County are kept in the custody of the Circuit Clerk. Notably, some court records are confidential according to state or court orders and not accessible to the public. Examples of such records are adoption and juvenile records. To access publicly available court records, interested individuals can use the public viewing terminals on the first and third floors of the Judicial Center in Woodstock. Also, the Circuit Clerk's website provides the public with basic case information; however, it is restricted from displaying court documents.

The McHenry County Court system comprises five administrative adjudication divisions and a circuit court. The circuit court handles most of the cases filed in the county, including traffic, civil, criminal, probate, and small claim cases. Each administrative adjudication handles ordinance violation cases transferred from the circuit court. The public has access to court records through the circuit clerk's website or at public viewing terminals.