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 on September 23, 2026.
Stephenson County, Illinois, has about 43,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). The divorce record of a couple from Stephenson County 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: Stephenson County public records, Stephenson County arrest records, Stephenson County warrants, Stephenson County inmate search, Stephenson County criminal records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Where a Divorce from Stephenson County Is Filed and Kept
A divorce in Illinois is a court case, so the file and the final judgment of a divorce from Stephenson County stay with the Circuit Court's domestic relations division. The Circuit Clerk keeps it, and the case index tells whether a divorce was filed and when.
For Stephenson County the court records page SearchSystems verified is at stephensoncountyil.gov/government/circuit_clerk_and_court/index.php (page title: Stephenson County, IL), phone 815-235-8266, 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 Stephenson County
The copy another court or an agency asks for is a certified copy of the judgment, issued by the Circuit Clerk, reached through the court at 815-235-8266.
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 stephensoncountyil.gov/government/county_clerk_and_recorder/index.php, records deeds and liens, not divorces.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a copy of a divorce decree from Stephenson County?
From the Circuit Court's domestic relations division, through the Circuit Clerk (stephensoncountyil.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 Stephenson County?
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 Stephenson 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.