Randolph County Public Records /Randolph County Court Records

Randolph County Court Records

How To Find Court Records in Randolph County in 2026

Members of the public seeking court records in Randolph County may access publicly available case information through several official channels, including the Clerk of the Circuit Court, courthouse public terminals, and statewide judicial search tools. RandolphRecords.org provides a directory of resources that may assist individuals in locating publicly available court-related information. The records accessible through official sources may include, depending on case type and applicable access rules:

Civil case filings and judgments
Criminal case dockets and disposition records
Family law matters, including divorce and custody proceedings
Probate filings and estate records
Traffic and ordinance violation records
Small claims case information

Court records in Randolph County may be searched through the following five methods:

1. Clerk of the Circuit Court. The Clerk of the Circuit Court for Randolph County is the official custodian of all trial court records filed within the county. Members of the public may present a request in person at the clerk's office, providing the full name of a party, a case number, or the approximate filing date to assist staff in locating the record. The clerk's office maintains both active and archived case files.

2. Courthouse Public Access Terminals. Public access computer terminals are available at the Randolph County Courthouse for in-person case searches. These terminals allow members of the public to search case index information without charge during regular business hours.

3. Online Court Search. The State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts maintains statewide judicial resources, and case information for Randolph County circuit court matters may be accessible through available electronic systems. Online access may be limited to index-level data and does not always include full document images.

4. State-Level Judicial Search Tools. The 24th Judicial Circuit serves Randolph County and provides information about court personnel, local rules, and available case resources. Statewide tools administered by the Illinois Courts may supplement local search options.

5. Written or Mail Requests. Members of the public who are unable to appear in person may submit written requests to the Circuit Clerk's office. Requests should include the party name, case number if known, and the type of record sought. Fees for copies and certified documents apply and must be submitted with the request.

Circuit Clerk – Randolph County, Illinois
1 Taylor Street, Room 4
Chester, IL 62233
Phone: (618) 826-5000 x194
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Are Court Records Public in Randolph County

Court records in Randolph County are presumptively public under Illinois law, subject to specific statutory and judicial exceptions. The Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS § 140) establishes the general right of public access to government records, and the Illinois Supreme Court's Electronic Access Policy for Circuit Court Records governs the availability of court documents in electronic form. As noted by the Illinois Courts, court records maintained by circuit clerks are subject to both statutory access rights and judicial rules governing confidentiality.

Records that are at present open to public inspection include:

Case docket entries and index information
Party names and case numbers
Hearing dates, continuances, and scheduling orders
Filed motions, complaints, petitions, and answers
Court orders and final judgments
Sentencing entries and disposition records in criminal matters

Records that may be confidential, sealed, redacted, or otherwise restricted include:

Juvenile delinquency and abuse/neglect proceedings
Adoption records
Mental health and substance abuse treatment records
Sealed filings ordered by the court
Expunged or judicially sealed criminal records
Protected personal identifiers such as Social Security numbers and financial account data

A distinction exists between courthouse inspection and online access. Under the Illinois Supreme Court's Electronic Access Policy, certain categories of records that are available for in-person inspection at the courthouse may not be accessible through electronic or remote systems. Members of the public seeking full document images may be required to appear in person at the clerk's office.

What Are Court Records in Randolph County?

Court records are the official documents, filings, and entries created and maintained by a court or its clerk in connection with judicial proceedings. In Randolph County, the Clerk of the Circuit Court serves as the official custodian of all trial court records arising from cases filed in the 24th Judicial Circuit.

A docket entry is a chronological log of all actions taken in a case, while a full case file contains the actual documents filed by parties and issued by the court. Civil court records arise from disputes between private parties or between a party and a government entity, while criminal court records document proceedings initiated by the State of Illinois against an individual charged with a criminal offense. Filed pleadings are the initial and responsive documents submitted by parties, whereas final judgments represent the court's conclusive resolution of the matter.

Public filings are documents accessible to any member of the public under applicable law, while sealed or restricted filings are those the court has ordered withheld from general access pursuant to statute or judicial rule. Trial court records are those generated at the circuit court level, while appellate records arise from review proceedings before the Illinois Appellate Court or the Illinois Supreme Court, which are maintained separately by those tribunals.

Court records are created at the moment of initial filing and are updated continuously as the case progresses through pleadings, motions, hearings, orders, and final disposition. Upon conclusion of a case, the record remains in the custody of the clerk and is subject to applicable retention schedules.

What's Included in a Randolph County Court Record?

A court record in Randolph County may contain a range of documents and data entries depending on the case type and applicable public-access rules. The following information may appear within a court record:

Case identification: Case number, court name and division, and filing date
Party information: Names of plaintiffs, defendants, petitioners, respondents, and other named parties
Case classification: Case type (civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic, small claims) and current case status
Docket entries: A chronological log of all filings, hearings, orders, and actions taken in the case
Hearing information: Scheduled and past hearing dates, continuances, and minute entries
Filed documents: Complaints, petitions, answers, motions, responses, notices, and supporting exhibits where publicly filed
Court orders and judgments: Interlocutory orders, final judgments, decrees, custody rulings, probate orders, and sentencing entries
Outcome information: Dismissals, verdicts, pleas, convictions, acquittals, and appellate decisions
Financial and administrative data: Filing fees, assessed court costs, fines, restitution amounts, and bond information where reflected in the public record

Records that are excluded or restricted from the public case file include sealed filings, expunged matters, juvenile records, adoption files, protected personal identifiers, and certain exhibits containing sensitive information. The Randolph County, Illinois official website provides access to court resources and related county services.

Types of Courts in Randolph County

Randolph County is served by the Circuit Court of the 24th Judicial Circuit of Illinois, which is the court of general jurisdiction for the county. Under the Illinois Constitution and the Illinois Courts Act (705 ILCS § 35), circuit courts have original jurisdiction over all justiciable matters, including civil, criminal, family, probate, juvenile, and traffic cases. The Randolph County Courthouse houses the circuit court and its associated clerk's office.

The Circuit Court of Randolph County hears the following categories of cases:

Criminal matters: Felony and misdemeanor prosecutions brought by the State's Attorney
Civil matters: Contract disputes, personal injury actions, and other civil litigation
Family law: Dissolution of marriage, legal separation, child custody, support, and orders of protection
Probate: Estate administration, guardianship, and conservatorship proceedings
Juvenile matters: Delinquency, abuse, neglect, and dependency proceedings (records restricted)
Traffic and ordinance violations: Moving violations, DUI proceedings, and local ordinance matters
Small claims: Civil disputes involving amounts within the statutory small claims limit
Appeals: The Illinois Appellate Court, Fifth District, reviews appeals from Randolph County circuit court decisions

The Clerk of the Circuit Court maintains the official record for all matters heard at the trial court level. Appellate records are maintained separately by the appellate tribunal.

Randolph County Courthouse – 24th Judicial Circuit
1 Taylor Street
Chester, IL 62233
Phone: (618) 826-5000
24th Judicial Circuit – Randolph County

How to Search Randolph County Court Records for Free?

Members of the public may inspect court records at no charge through in-person review at the Clerk of the Circuit Court's office or through courthouse public access terminals during regular business hours. The following table summarizes free and fee-based access methods:

Access Method	Cost
In-person inspection of public case files	Free
Courthouse public access terminal search	Free
Online case index search (where available)	Free
Standard paper copies	Fee applies (per page)
Certified copies of court documents	Fee applies (per document)
Research by clerk staff	Fee may apply
Electronic document retrieval (where available)	Fee may apply

Under 705 ILCS § 105/27.1, the Clerk of the Circuit Court is authorized to collect fees for copies and certified documents. At present, standard copy fees in Illinois circuit courts are set by statute and may be confirmed directly with the Randolph County Circuit Clerk's office. Inspection of a record at the courthouse does not require payment; fees apply only when copies or certified documents are requested.

The Illinois.gov public records portal provides access to statewide archives databases and additional resources for locating public records maintained at the state level.

How Long Does Randolph County Keep Court Records?

The retention of court records in Randolph County is governed by the Illinois Supreme Court's judicial records retention schedules, which establish minimum retention periods by case type and record category. Retention periods vary as follows:

Felony criminal records: Retained permanently or for extended periods following final disposition
Misdemeanor and traffic records: Retained for a minimum period established by the applicable retention schedule, which may range from several years to permanent retention for certain offense categories
Civil case files: Retention periods vary by case type; major civil judgments may be retained for extended periods
Probate records: Retained for extended periods given the ongoing legal significance of estate and guardianship matters
Juvenile records: Subject to separate retention and confidentiality rules under Illinois law
Docket books and minute records: Retained permanently as the official record of court proceedings

Paper case files may be transferred to microfilm, digital imaging, or archival storage after the active retention period. Physical destruction of paper files may occur after imaging or archival transfer, but the record itself is preserved in the retained format. Sealing and expungement are distinct from destruction: a sealed record remains in existence but is withheld from public access, while an expunged record is ordered destroyed or returned pursuant to 20 ILCS § 2630/5.2. Older records may exist in paper files, microfilm, or county and state archives, and availability may vary based on the age and format of the record.

How To Find a Court Docket in Randolph County

A court docket is the official chronological index of all actions, filings, and proceedings in a specific case. It differs from the full case file in that it records what occurred and when, rather than containing the actual text of filed documents. The docket serves as the authoritative log of a case's procedural history from initial filing through final disposition and any subsequent proceedings.

Dockets for Randolph County circuit court cases may be accessed through the following means:

In-person at the Circuit Clerk's office: Staff can retrieve docket information for a specific case upon request. Providing the case number or the full name of a party expedites the search.
Courthouse public access terminals: Terminals located at the Randolph County Courthouse allow members of the public to search case index and docket information at no charge during business hours.
Statewide judicial systems: The Office of the Illinois Courts administers statewide electronic resources that may provide docket-level information for circuit court cases, subject to the Illinois Supreme Court's Electronic Access Policy.
24th Judicial Circuit resources: The 24th Judicial Circuit's Randolph County page provides information about court personnel, local rules, and available case resources that may assist in locating docket information.

A court docket entry contains hearing dates, continuances, motion filings, minute entries, orders entered, and status updates. A docket does not include the full text of filed documents, sealed entries, confidential attachments, or exhibits that have been restricted from public access. Hearing calendars and daily court schedules may be separately available through the clerk's office or posted at the courthouse. As a reference point for how other Illinois circuit clerks present online docket access, the Winnebago County Circuit Clerk's online case information portal and Cook County's court records and archives illustrate the range of electronic access tools available across the state's circuit courts. For federal cases with a nexus to the region, docket information is accessible through PACER, the federal courts' public access service administered by the Central District of Illinois.