Reviewed and updated October 11, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 30, 2026 and October 11, 2026.
Coles County, Illinois, has about 46,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Circuit Court of Coles County, and the file of each case, kept by the Circuit Clerk, is the public record of it. This guide says which court hears what, where to look a case up and who keeps the files.
This guide covers the courts, the records page, criminal cases, kinds of files, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Coles County public records, Coles County arrest records, Coles County warrants, Coles County inmate search, Coles County criminal records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Coles County
Court cases from Coles County are filed in the Circuit Court of Coles County, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic and juvenile case.
Divorces go to the Circuit Court's domestic relations division, and the file stays with the Circuit Clerk.
The Circuit Clerk keeps the files, and a copy of anything in a file comes from that office, under the court's own rules rather than the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.
Looking Up a Case from Coles County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at circuitclerk.colesco.illinois.gov (page title: Coles County Circuit Clerk (IL)), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 11, 2026.
Illinois has no single public index of every trial court case; each court's records are looked up through that court.
The Illinois court page SearchSystems verified is at illinoiscourts.gov.
What Reaches the Court from Coles County
Together, the three agencies in Coles County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 928 arrests to the FBI that year; the State's Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Circuit Court of Coles County.
The State's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at colesco.illinois.gov/jobs/assistant-states-attorney (page title: Assistant State's Attorney), phone (217) 348-0561, 651 Jackson Ave., Room 330 Charleston, IL 61920, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 2, 2026.
The Kinds of Court Files
The court file is one record with several readers: a criminal case from the arrest to the sentence, a divorce from the petition to the judgment, a traffic ticket from the citation to the conviction the court reports to the Illinois Secretary of State, and an eviction or a lien on land.
The other Coles County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Coles County criminal records, Coles County divorce records, Coles County traffic tickets, Coles County DUI and Coles County property records.
Cities in Coles County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Circuit Court of Coles County.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Coles County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population:
- Mattoon (16,602)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Coles County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at circuitclerk.colesco.illinois.gov.
Which court hears felonies in Coles County?
The Circuit Court of Coles County, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic and juvenile case.
Who keeps the court records in Coles County?
The Circuit Clerk. Copies come from that office under the court's own rules.
Is there a statewide court case search in Illinois?
No. Each court's records are looked up through that court.
Is this the official Coles County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.