How to Search St. Clair County Court Records
The official starting point is the St. Clair County Circuit Clerk page. The Court Record Search link on that page opens the county case-lookup portal at clericusmagnus.com. The Circuit Clerk says the portal covers all civil and criminal court dates. The office warns users to recheck the site because cases are continued and reset often.
Have your search inputs ready before you open the portal. A name is the most flexible filter. A case number works best when you have it. The Circuit Clerk copy form breaks each case number into a year, a two-letter type code, and a sequence number. The type code is the case category, such as CF for felony or DC for divorce with children.
- Open the Circuit Clerk page and click Court Record Search to load the county portal.
- Pick a search type: party name or case number broken into year, type, and sequence.
- Use the case category code to narrow large name results, such as CF, CM, DC, DN, PR, or TR.
- Open the case to view docket entries, court dates, and the courtroom assignment.
- Order any document through the Circuit Clerk Copy Request form, marking certified or plain.
The Circuit Clerk's Case Categories page is the best companion to the search. 
The case-categories page lists the codes that appear in St. Clair County court records and what each code covers.
St. Clair County Court Records Search Fields
The county's main case-lookup portal is the Court Record Search linked from the Circuit Clerk page. The county Copy Request form mirrors the inputs the portal uses, so the table below lines up with how a researcher will fill out the search.
| Field Label | Type | Required | Notes / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Text / 4 digits | Conditional | The year the case was filed; required when searching by case number. |
| Type | Text or dropdown | Conditional | Two-letter category code such as CF, CM, DC, DN, PR, or TR. |
| Number | Text | Conditional | Sequence number for that year and type. |
| Party / Participant Name | Text | Conditional | First-party name; second-party search uses the separate participant field. |
| Participant 2 | Text | Optional | Opposing party name when known. |
| Certified Copy | Radio (Yes/No) | Yes | Sets the fee tier on the copy request flow. |
| Document Names / File Dates | Textarea | Yes | Used to describe which filings should be pulled. |
Types of St. Clair County Court Records
The Circuit Clerk separates St. Clair County court records into case categories using two-letter codes set by Illinois Supreme Court rules. The categories are listed on the Case Categories page. A user who knows the right code can move past name-collision noise quickly.
The Circuit Clerk also keeps a Documents and Forms library that groups blank forms by case type. The forms library covers child support, civil, family, juvenile, miscellaneous, probate, small claims, and traffic. 
The library is the source for the categories described below.
- Criminal - CF for felony, CM for misdemeanor, DT for DUI, DV for domestic battery, and MX for warrants, grand jury matters, and other criminal-process filings.
- Civil - LA and LM for tort or contract claims over and under $50,000, plus AR, CH, MR, GC, and TX for related actions.
- Family - DC and DN for divorce with or without children, FA for parent-child cases, and AD for adoption.
- Probate - PR for decedent estates and GR for guardianship of a minor, an adult, or an estate.
- Small claims and evictions - SC for small claims up to $10,000 and EV for residential or commercial eviction and ejectment.
- Traffic and ordinance - TR for minor traffic, MT for major traffic, and OV for ordinance violations.
What a St. Clair County Court Record Shows
A St. Clair County court record is a file held by the Circuit Clerk. It contains the pleadings, motions, orders, court dates, and the final judgment in a case. The online view a public user sees is usually the docket. Documents in the file are requested through the Circuit Clerk Copy Request form.
| Field | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Case Number | Year + type code + sequence number. |
| Filing Date | The date the case was first filed with the Circuit Clerk. |
| Parties | Plaintiff and defendant, or petitioner and respondent, depending on case type. |
| Charges or Cause | The criminal counts, civil claim, or family-law relief asked for. |
| Docket Entries | Each filing and order, listed in date order. |
| Court Date / Courtroom | Upcoming setting and the assigned courtroom. |
| Disposition | Final outcome such as dismissed, plea, guilty, judgment, or supervision. |
| Sentence or Judgment | Fine, jail or prison time, probation, money judgment, or restitution. |
Court dates can change. The Circuit Clerk asks users to recheck the case before relying on a posted date. Daily docket views give a same-day picture of cases set for hearing, and the St. Clair County court dockets page covers that flow in detail.
Public Access Framework
Illinois court records are open to the public unless a statute, rule, or court order limits access. The Illinois Freedom of Information Act at 5 ILCS 140 governs administrative records held by public bodies. Court case files held by the Circuit Clerk are governed by court rules and case-specific statutes. A FOIA request to the Circuit Clerk for case documents is usually redirected to the Copy Request process.
The Illinois Supreme Court Electronic Access Policy controls what court records are visible online. Some records appear at the courthouse counter but are not posted to the public web view. The Illinois Courts May 2025 news item announced free remote public access to non-confidential reviewing-court cases filed on or after April 1, 2025. 
The news item explains the change tied to the Supreme Court's remote-access policy and re:SearchIL.
Note: A record visible at the courthouse counter is not always available online; the electronic access policy filters what reaches the public web view.
Records That Are Sealed or Confidential
Several case categories are restricted by statute. Juvenile abuse and neglect files (JA), juvenile delinquency files (JD), and other juvenile matters (JV) fall under 705 ILCS 405 and are not open in the same way adult criminal files are. Adoption files (AD) are impounded under 750 ILCS 50/18 and opened only by a specific court order. Mental-health cases (MH) contain protected health details. Search warrants, grand jury proceedings, and eavesdropping records in the MX category may be sealed before execution.
Sealing and expungement of adult criminal records are governed by 20 ILCS 2630/5.2. A petitioner files in the circuit court where the arrest happened or where charges were brought. The petition must include name, date of birth, current address, case number, and arrest details. The State's Attorney, the Illinois State Police, and the arresting agency get notice and a chance to object. Fees apply unless the court grants a waiver. Once a case is sealed, agencies treat it as if no record exists, except in narrow statutory cases.
eFiling and Remote Access
Illinois Supreme Court Rule 9 requires eFiling for all civil case types for attorneys and self-represented litigants. The Circuit Clerk's eFiling page explains how to set up an account, what providers are approved, and how to use the public eFiling terminals at the office. 
The eFiling page is the routing point for new civil filings in St. Clair County court records.
For statewide remote access to cases that have been eFiled, the re:SearchIL portal at researchil.com is the state-level tool. The Illinois Courts site says re:SearchIL implements the Supreme Court's remote-access policy. It is not a replacement for the local Circuit Clerk record in St. Clair County, but it can help track cases that have moved between Illinois courts.
In-Person Court Record Requests
The Circuit Clerk's counter at 10 Public Square is the in-person stop for St. Clair County court records, copies, payments, and forms. The first-floor criminal cashier booth handles criminal payments during set hours. Mail-in payments go to the Circuit Clerk's P.O. Box 691 mailing address.
St. Clair County Circuit Clerk
10 Public Square
Belleville, IL 62220
(618) 277-6600
Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Cashier booth 8:15 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Troubleshooting a Missing Case
If a search does not return a case that should exist, the Circuit Clerk lists a few likely reasons. The most common is timing: a new filing may not have posted yet, or a docket entry may lag the actual hearing. Some categories, such as juvenile or sealed cases, are not visible at all in the public view. Older paper or microfilm records may live only at the courthouse.
The Circuit Clerk page tells users who cannot find a case while eFiling to call (618) 825-2334. The office notes that some lookup trouble is tied to a continued system conversion. For a name search, try a maiden name or a different spelling. For a case-number search, double-check the year and the type code. The Circuit Clerk office can confirm whether a file exists and what is in it.