Reviewed and updated October 9, 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 23, 2026 and October 2, 2026.
Lake County, Illinois, has about 719,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). Its court cases are filed in the Circuit Court of Lake 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, directory links, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Lake County public records, Lake County arrest records, Lake County warrants, Lake County inmate search, Lake County criminal records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
The Courts That Hear Cases from Lake County
Court cases from Lake County are filed in the Circuit Court of Lake 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 Lake County
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county 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.
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 Lake County
Together, the 31 agencies in Lake County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 7,816 arrests to the FBI that year; the State's Attorney decides which of those arrests become cases in the Circuit Court of Lake County.
The State's Attorney's page SearchSystems verified is at lakecountyil.gov/513/States-Attorneys-Office (page title: State's Attorney's Office | Lake County, IL), a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 429), so open it in a browser.
The Kinds of Court Files
Criminal cases, divorces, traffic tickets and evictions all end up as files of these courts, and the file is what the public sees of each.
The other Lake County guides take the kinds of file one at a time: Lake County criminal records, Lake County divorce records, Lake County traffic tickets, Lake County DUI and Lake County property records.
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)
Cities in Lake County
Wherever in the county a case arises, it is filed in the Circuit Court of Lake County.
SearchSystems has a guide to the offices of these cities in Lake County, with the 2024 Census Bureau population; a city with its own court records guide opens there:
- Waukegan (88,570)
- Mundelein (32,641)
- North Chicago (30,639)
- Gurnee (30,546)
- Round Lake Beach (27,091)
- Vernon Hills (27,002)
- Zion (24,583)
- Grayslake (21,262)
- Lake Zurich (19,960)
- Lake Forest (19,642)
- Antioch (15,108)
- Beach Park (14,212)
- Wauconda (14,055)
- Park City (7,940)
- Round Lake Park (7,836)
- Lake Bluff (5,600)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look up a court case in Lake County?
The court records page SearchSystems verified for the county is at ilsos.gov, phone 815-753-1807.
Which court hears felonies in Lake County?
The Circuit Court of Lake County, which hears every civil, criminal, family, probate, traffic and juvenile case.
Who keeps the court records in Lake 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 Lake 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.