Reviewed and updated October 9, 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.
Des Plaines, Illinois, in Cook County, has about 59,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). The divorce record of a couple from Des Plaines 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: Des Plaines public records, Cook County divorce records, Des Plaines arrest records, Des Plaines warrants, Des Plaines inmate search, Des Plaines criminal records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Where a Divorce from Des Plaines Is Filed and Kept
Divorce records are not vital records in Illinois. The decree and the file of a divorce from Des Plaines 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 Des Plaines
A certified copy of the decree comes from the Circuit Clerk, the office that keeps the file.
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 Des Plaines?
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 Des Plaines?
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 Des Plaines 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.