What do I need to file a small claims case?

Your case number should have been provided to you on any paperwork you received in court. Your case number must include alpha characters (example 17TR1234567) and will NOT appear on your citation.  If you do not have this paperwork you may look up your case number information on our Public Access site.  Please note Juvenile case information is not displayed on our public access site. 

If paying multiple cases, each payment must be submitted individually for proper application to the cases. 

Payments may take up to 5 business days to post. If your court date is within the next week or within the past few days, you should pay in person at any one of our court locations. You may check the status of your outstanding balance on our Public Access site. 

You may visit our Public Access site and look up your case number or name. Once you find your case you will click on the Financials tab.  The assessments and outstanding balance on your case will be displayed on this page.  Please note any amount owed to restitution will not be displayed.  For Restitution information please contact our office at 847-377-3380.

Once your payment is posted, the Circuit Clerk’s Office will notify the Secretary of State that your case has been paid in full. However, it may take a few weeks for the Secretary of State to update their record. You may contact our office to obtain a copy of your Failure to Pay Receipt if you are visiting a Secretary of State Driver’s License Facility to renew.

To pay a criminal or traffic fee online, you must have already plead guilty to or been found guilty and owe an outstanding balance of Fines, Cost & Fees and/or Restitution. 

There is a small, non-refundable, convenience fee for using the online payment system, that is charged by our vendor.  The fee is neither charged, nor collected by the Circuit Clerk's Office and will be disclosed prior to you submitting your payment.