Search Will County Background Check
Background check records in Will County are managed by the Circuit Clerk's office in Joliet. Will County is the fourth largest county in Illinois with a population over 708,000 and sits southwest of Chicago. The 12th Judicial Circuit covers all cases here. The Circuit Clerk stores criminal, civil, family, and traffic court records that are used in background checks. Will County also offers free public access to court records through an online portal, which makes it one of the easier counties in Illinois to search remotely. You can combine a local Will County court search with the Illinois State Police CHIRP system for a more complete criminal history background check.
Will County Quick Facts
Will County Background Check Records
Andrea Lynn Chasteen is the Will County Circuit Clerk. Her office handles all court records for the 12th Judicial Circuit. That includes criminal cases, civil lawsuits, family court filings, and traffic matters. These records are what show up when you run a background check on someone with a case history in Will County. The clerk's office maintains physical files at the courthouse and provides electronic access through a public portal.
Under 705 ILCS 105, the Clerks of Courts Act, the Circuit Clerk is the official custodian of court records in each Illinois county. Andrea Lynn Chasteen and her staff are required by law to maintain, store, and provide access to case files in Will County. This includes issuing certified copies for people who need official documents for a background check. You can request copies at the main courthouse in Joliet or at one of the branch court locations.
The Will County Circuit Clerk website shows all available services and provides links to the online records search tool.
From this site you can reach the public access portal, find forms, check fees, and get contact information for the clerk's office in Will County.
Will County Clerk Office Details
The main Will County Circuit Clerk office is at the Will County Courthouse in downtown Joliet. The courthouse is at 100 W. Jefferson Street. Walk-in visitors can search records, file papers, and request copies during business hours. The staff is familiar with background check requests and can help you find what you need in the system. Call ahead if you want to confirm hours or ask about specific documents.
| Office | Will County Circuit Clerk |
|---|---|
| Clerk | Andrea Lynn Chasteen |
| Address | 100 W. Jefferson Street, Joliet, IL 60432 |
| Phone | 815-727-8592 |
| Website | circuitclerkofwillcounty.com |
Will County also has three branch court locations for residents who live further from Joliet. These branches handle certain case types and can be more convenient if you live in the western or southern part of the county.
Will County Branch Court Locations
Not everyone in Will County lives close to Joliet. The county runs three branch courts to make it easier for people to access the court system without driving to the main courthouse. Each branch handles specific types of cases. If you need court records from a case heard at a branch location, you can still search for them through the main public access portal or contact the Joliet office.
The Plainfield branch is at 14300 S. Coil Plus Drive in Plainfield, IL 60544. The Frankfort branch is at 11008 W. Lincoln Hwy in Frankfort, IL 60423. The Bolingbrook branch is at 375 West Briarcliff Road in Bolingbrook, IL 60440. All three branches are part of the 12th Judicial Circuit and their records feed into the same system. For a background check in Will County, the search tools cover all locations. You do not need to visit each branch separately to get a full picture of someone's case history in the county.
Will County Background Check Online Search
Will County provides free public access to court records through an online portal. This is one of the standout features of the Will County court system. Many counties in Illinois charge for online access or limit what you can see. Will County lets you search at no cost. The tool covers criminal, civil, family, and traffic cases. You can look up records by name or case number.
The Will County public access page is where you start your online background check search. Here is what the portal looks like.
The portal displays case details, charges, hearing dates, and dispositions. Sealed and expunged records do not appear in the public search results.
This online tool only shows Will County court records. It does not pull in data from other counties or from the state criminal history database. For a statewide search, use the CHIRP system from the Illinois State Police. Running both a Will County search and a CHIRP search gives you a broader background check. The Criminal Identification Act under 20 ILCS 2630 requires the ISP to maintain the state's central criminal history repository, and that data includes records from Will County courts.
State Background Check Tools for Will County
The Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification runs the state's criminal history system. It is actually based in Joliet, the same city as the Will County seat. The BOI keeps over five million fingerprint cards on file. A name-based search costs $10 through the CHIRP electronic system or $16 by mail. Fingerprint checks start at $15 through Live Scan. These searches pull data from all 102 Illinois counties, so they cover Will County records too.
To get fingerprinted for a background check, use a Live Scan vendor. The state vendor directory helps you find one near Will County. Several vendors operate in Joliet, Bolingbrook, and other parts of the county. The vendor takes your prints and sends them to the BOI right away. Results come back faster than paper submissions. Check the BOI fee schedule for current rates before you go.
Under 5 ILCS 140, the Freedom of Information Act, you have the right to request certain public records from Illinois state and local agencies. That can include criminal history data, arrest records, and other documents tied to a background check. Not all records are available through FOIA since some are restricted by privacy laws. But the Act provides a path to get many types of public information in Will County and across the state.
Expungement in Will County
Certain records that appear on a Will County background check can be removed through expungement or sealing. Expungement destroys the record entirely. Sealing hides it from public access but keeps it in the system for limited law enforcement use. The petition to expunge or seal gets filed in the 12th Judicial Circuit Court. There is no fee to file the petition.
Once the court issues an order, the Illinois State Police charges $60 to carry it out. The Will County Circuit Clerk also updates the local records so the case drops off the public access portal. The Office of the State Appellate Defender has a guide on the process. It explains which offenses qualify, what paperwork you need, and how long it takes. Not every record can be cleared, but for those that can, it changes what people see when they run a background check in Will County.
Will County Public Safety Records
The Illinois Sex Offender Registry covers Will County and the whole state. You can search it free of charge. Look up a name or search by address to see who is registered in a specific part of Will County. The registry shows names, photos, home addresses, and offense information. Updates happen on a regular basis.
Will County law enforcement agencies keep their own records as well. The Joliet Police Department, Will County Sheriff's Office, and municipal departments across the county handle arrest reports and incident records. You can request some of these through FOIA to the specific agency. They may provide useful context alongside court records for a background check. Response times vary by department, but agencies must reply within five business days under Illinois law.
Background Check by City in Will County
Will County has two major cities with dedicated background check resource pages on this site. Both cities file through the Will County Circuit Court system, and the same clerk's office in Joliet handles their records.
Other towns in Will County include Plainfield, Romeoville, Lockport, New Lenox, Frankfort, and Crest Hill. Residents of all these communities use the Will County Circuit Clerk for court record searches. The Bolingbrook branch court serves that part of the county, while the Plainfield and Frankfort branches cover their surrounding areas. The online public access portal works for all locations within Will County.
Nearby Counties
Will County shares borders with several other counties in the Chicago metro area and beyond. A thorough background check may require searching records in more than one county if the person has lived in different areas of Illinois.