In this modern era when technology requires speed and efficiency, it is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County’s (Clerk’s Office) web site. This site was created to provide Clerk’s Office customers with easy to use and clearly organized access to Clerk’s Office information, forms and services.
In 2000, I promised to modernize the Clerk’s Office’s archaic technology and communication base, which was stagnating on a legacy system that made things move at a snail’s pace. A manifestation of our march into the 21st century is this web site, which features bilingual translations; a senior citizens center; self-help center; glossary of terms; brochures; search engines for mortgage surplus information, an online Order of Protection service, an electronic filing option, an Online Traffic Ticket System, a host of external links and a number of user friendly features.
As the official keeper of records for all judicial matters brought into one of the largest unified court systems in the world, the Clerk’s Office serves the 5.2 million people of Cook County, more than 400 judges and maintains offices in Chicago, Skokie, Rolling Meadows, Maywood, Bridgeview and Markham.
To handle day-to-day responsibilities, the Clerk’s Office has a workforce of approximately 1,800 employees and an annual operating budget of more than $80 million.
In 2008, the Clerk’s Office collected a total of $195,000,000 in revenue from filing fees, interest on accounts and other sources, of which 80% was sent to the Cook County Treasurer’s Office. The additional 20% in revenue was paid to state and local agencies.
In 2008, there were 1,705,413 new cases filed with the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court, and 19,773,061 case activity transactions were performed by Clerk’s Office personnel. Our staff also handled 6,273,766 public inquiries.
As the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, my objective is making the Clerk’s Office a customer service focused organization. I proudly bring you this web site to provide information and facilitate your interaction with the Clerk’s Office and the court system. We will continue to improve this web site to ensure the highest level of customer service. Please check back periodically to see what’s new. If you have questions, you may email us using the Email Us link in the directory on the left side of the screen.
