Frequently Asked Questions

You can pay a fine at any of our locations:

• Main Courthouse
  18 North County Street
  Waukegan, IL 60085
• Park City Branch Court
  301 Greenleaf Street
  Park City, Illinois 60085
• Round Lake Branch Court
  1792 Nicole Lane
  Round Lake Beach, Illinois 60073
• Mundelein Branch Court
  105 E Route 83
  Mundelein Illinois 60085

Payment on Juvenile cases can be made at the following facilities:

• Main Courthouse
  18 North County Street
  Waukegan, IL 60085
• Juvenile Branch Court
  24647 N Milwaukee Avenue
  Vernon Hills, IL 60061

Our office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5 PM.

Payments may also be paid online through our Online Payment Portal or through the call center at 888-604-7888

No, a court date cannot be changed. Only a judge can change a court date. The only exception would be if you are planning to plead not guilty and asking for a trial prior to your first court date on an applicable case. Please follow the instruction of Avoid Multiple Court Appearances on the traffic citation you received.

To find out exactly why you driver's license may be suspended, you should contact the Illinois Secretary of State. Their number is 217-785-8619.

The primary number to the Illinois Secretary of State is 217-785-8619. If you need to speak with someone in Administrative Hearings, please call 217-782-7065.

For applicable cases, you will need to complete the Court Diversion Form, asking for Supervision and requesting Traffic School without appearing before the Court. Upon receipt of your paperwork and payment in full, our office will notify the College of Lake County - Traffic Safety Division. You should hear from them regarding the scheduling of your class, whether in person or online.

If you were ordered to complete a Traffic School Course or other Course offered through the College of Lake County - Traffic Safety Division, you should have received a referral form when in Court. Complete that form and mail any payment for the class directly to the College of Lake County at the address provided on the form.

Should you have any questions regarding the scheduling of your class, or have not received anything from the College of Lake County, please call them at 847-543-2185.

Information on traffic school courses at the College of Lake County is also available on College of Lake County's Court-Ordered Programs Page.

If you do not complete your traffic school and you were placed on supervision, your sentence may be revoked and your citation will become a conviction on your driving record.

Please contact CLC Judicial Services at 847-543-2185 to determine if you have taken a traffic course in Lake County in the past 12 months.

You may look up your court case information through our Online Portal or by contacting the Branch Location your case is assigned to.

The Divisions Tab - Civil on the banner at the top of the page.

The Divisions Tab - Criminal on the banner at the top of the page will take you to information on Criminal.

The Divisions Tab - Traffic on the banner at the top of the page will take you to information on Traffic.

On the homepage, there is a circle titled eFiling. 

The Online Portal Tab on the banner at the top of the page.

The Contact US & Hours Tab on the banner at the top of the page.

You must file a Motion and Notice of Motion with the Clerk of the Circuit Court and then appear in front of a judge. Child support can only be terminated by court order.

You must file a Motion and Notice of Motion with the Clerk of the Circuit Court and then appear in front of a judge. Child support can only be modified by court order.

Contact the State Disbursement Unit at 877-225-7077.

For payments made before 6/1/23, you can request a payment record from the Child Support Division. Requests can be made in person or through the mail. The fee for the payment record is:

$.25 per page

Forms of Payment:

• Cash (in-person payment)
• Card (in-person payment)
• Certified Cashier's Check or Money Order (in-person payment or via mail)

Our office does not accept personal checks 

If you plan on requesting the payment record through the mail, please call 847-377-3324 first to find out the fee amount.

For payments made after 6/1/23, please contact the Illinois State Disbursement Unit at 877-225-7077.

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You can obtain the Supreme Court-approved forms here:

Small Claims Forms

There are three ways you can attempt service.

• Certified mail through the Clerk of the Circuit Court (only to an address within the State of Illinois)
• Sheriff of Lake County
  • You may even include the Sheriff Service Fee in your eFiling envelope along the the Sheriff Service Instruction Notice found in our Court Forms if you would like the Clerk's Office to forward your documents to the Lake County Sheriff for service. 
• Private Process Server (Our office cannot provide any recommendations)

If your server does not have a license, they must be appointed.  The Motion and Order to Appoint a Process Server may be obtained from our website or in person at our office.  If your server has a license, they do not need to be appointed.

Court dates - also referred to as a "Return Date" when the date is included in a Small Claims Summons - vary depending on the type of service and the location of the service address. The Supreme Court Approved Summons has information on how far out the date needs to be.

You may also contact our Small Claims Department at 847-377-3226 for more information.

You may check our Online Portal to see if the Affidavit of Service has been filed.

You may also contact our office at 847-377-3226.

You may visit the Post Judgment Collection section of the Supreme Court Forms website or you may contact the Small Claims Department at 847-377-3226 for information on common collection proceedings.

If the defendant is not served with the first summons, the Judge may order another summons be issued.  This is called an Alias Summons.  The fee for issuance is $5.00 and is paid at the time you eFile (or file) the Alias Summons.

When asking for a judgment of $10,000 or less. The Small Claims Court can order a judgment only for money.

It cannot require a person or business to perform a service or stop a certain action or to return property.

Generally, you must file in the county where:

• The defendant resides
• Where the events happened which you believe give you the right to sue, e.g., where the accident occurred, a contract was signed or leased premises were located.

Please note that our office cannot provide legal advice and cannot make a decision on where your case should be filed.

If you are sued, you will be notified when you receive a copy of the Small Claim Complaint and Summons.

The Complaint will contain the details of the case, and the Summons will contain the instructions on where/when you must appear in court. Please note, the court date cannot be changed by our office.

No, there is no fee to file a Will.

Yes, the original Will can be filed by mail.  Please make copies 
of the Will for yourself before mailing the original.

Probate Cases: 

• Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday - 9:00AM

Guardianship of Minor:

• Attorney Cases - Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday - 9:00AM
• Self-Represented Litigants (SRL) - Friday - 9:00AM

All Guardianship of Disabled Persons:

• Wednesday at 9:00AM

We will need the original Will, the date of death, and identification from the person or attorney filing the Will. 

As of January 1, 2018, all civil filings must be submitted electronically through a certified Electronic Filing Service Provider (EFSP).  For more information, please visit our e-Filing page.

Yes, all dates must be called in. You may call our Probate Department at 847.377.3260 to schedule. 

The original petition and the fee.

Yes, the fee is $25.00.

Letters of Office are $2.00 each.

• Amount of claim less than $150 = no fee
• Amount of claim $150 to $499.99 = $20
• Amount of claim $500 to $9,999.99 = $40
• Amount of claim $10,000 or more = $60

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• Phone: 847-427-4671 - Daily Herald Legal Advertising 
• Daily Herald Website