Reviewed and updated October 7, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026.
Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County, has about 2.7 million residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). The divorce record of a couple from Chicago is a file of the Circuit Court's domestic relations division, kept by the Circuit Clerk, not a vital record. This guide says where the file is, how a certified copy of the decree is had and what the state issues.
This guide covers the court, copies, related records and common questions.
Related guides: Chicago public records, Cook County public records, Chicago warrants, Chicago inmate search, Chicago criminal records, Chicago court records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Where a Divorce from Chicago Is Filed and Kept
Divorce records are not vital records in Illinois. The decree and the file of a divorce from Chicago are court records of the Circuit Court's domestic relations division, and certified copies come from the Circuit Clerk.
For Cook County the court records page SearchSystems verified is at cookcountyil.gov/service/court-records-and-archives (page title: Court Records and Archives), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026. Most of a divorce file is open to the public; the papers the law keeps confidential and anything the court has sealed are not.
Illinois has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
Copies of a Divorce Decree from Chicago
The copy another court or an agency asks for is a certified copy of the judgment, issued by the Circuit Clerk.
The Illinois Department of Public Health keeps a divorce index from 1962 and issues verifications, not copies; the Circuit Clerk has the file.
The Illinois vital records page SearchSystems verified is at dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/birth-death-other-records/birth-re....
The County Recorder, whose page SearchSystems verified is at cookcountyclerkil.gov/recordings, records deeds and liens, not divorces.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a copy of a divorce decree from Chicago?
From the Circuit Court's domestic relations division, through the Circuit Clerk (cookcountyil.gov). The Illinois Department of Public Health keeps a divorce index from 1962 and issues verifications, not copies; the Circuit Clerk has the file.
Are divorce records public in Illinois?
Mostly. The court file is open except for the papers the law makes confidential and anything the court seals.
Which court hears divorces from Chicago?
The Circuit Court's domestic relations division. The file is kept by the Circuit Clerk.
Does Illinois issue divorce certificates?
The Illinois Department of Public Health keeps a divorce index from 1962 and issues verifications, not copies; the Circuit Clerk has the file.
Is this the official Chicago website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official city, county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.