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 October 2, 2026.
Waukegan, Illinois, in Lake County, has about 89,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). The divorce record of a couple from Waukegan 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, directory links and common questions.
Related guides: Waukegan public records, Lake County divorce records, Waukegan arrest records, Waukegan warrants, Waukegan inmate search, Waukegan criminal records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Where a Divorce from Waukegan Is Filed and Kept
Divorce records are not vital records in Illinois. The decree and the file of a divorce from Waukegan are court records of the Circuit Court's domestic relations division, and certified copies come from the Circuit Clerk.
For Lake County the court records page SearchSystems verified is at ilsos.gov/departments/archives/databases/lake.html (page title: Lake County Circuit Court Case Files Index (1840-1898)), phone 815-753-1807, 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 Waukegan
A certified copy of the decree comes from the Circuit Clerk, the office that keeps the file, reached through the court at 815-753-1807.
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....
More Official Court Pages for Lake County
The SearchSystems directory, online since 1997, lists the official pages for Lake County and Illinois. These court pages from its Lake County listing were opened again on October 2, 2026 and each one still answers:
- Calendars, 19th Judicial Circuit Court, IL (19thcircuitcourt.state.il.us)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a copy of a divorce decree from Waukegan?
From the Circuit Court's domestic relations division, through the Circuit Clerk (ilsos.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 Waukegan?
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 Waukegan 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.