Frequently Asked Questions...
When is my next
court date?
Court dates can be retrieved from this website by clicking on the “Public Access to Court Records” button on the main page, then either:
click the type of case and enter your first and last name,
or enter your case number (two digit year, one or two letter case type, number with no punctuation and no spaces)
l Click either:
Name Search if you entered your name and case type, or
Case Search if you entered your case number
l Underneath the Defendant and Plaintiff names is an Information Section containing:
File Date
Courtroom
Next Appearance Date, and
Offense Date
Where is Courtroom
___ ?
All of the
courtrooms are located at the Champaign County Courthouse,
Can I get a copy
of my birth certificate or a death certificate from the Circuit Clerk's Office?
The
Circuit Clerk's Office only has judicial records. To receive a copy of your birth certificate
or a death certificate you need to contact the County Clerk's Office,
Where do I go to
get a Marriage License?
Marriage Licenses are issued by
the
Can I pay traffic
tickets at the Circuit Clerk’s Office?
Yes. Any traffic ticket for an offense committed
in
Can I pay parking tickets at the Circuit
Clerk’s Office?
Parking
tickets must be paid to the city that issued them.
I got a traffic ticket and gave the officer
my driver’s license as bond. Now I need
a picture id for the airport. What can I
do?
For a minor
traffic offense, if you originally gave the officer your Driver’s License as
bond, you may come into our office and leave a cash bond in its place.
What forms of payment do you accept?
You
can pay with cash or money order for the amount of the fine. You may pay with a personal check, but you
will have to pay an additional $1.25 fee.
Checks must have the signer’s name pre-printed. Your address and telephone number must be on
the check. If the check is over $150,
your driver’s license number must also be on the check. You can also pay with a credit card, but it
has an additional fee of at least $5.00.
Credit card fees are based on a sliding scale depending on the amount of
the charge.
I just received a
jury summons and I can't serve, what do I do?
If
jury service will result in undue hardship or extreme inconvenience because of
grave illness in your family or a similar serious problem, and you want to be
excused from service, you (or someone on your behalf) must appear before the
Jury Commission prior to your report date.
The Jury Commission meeting date will be on your jury summons. If you cannot serve the requested week, but
you can serve at a later time, call (217) 531-7408 and ask to be set over to a
later date.
Where is the jury
commission?
The
Jury commission is located in
What do I do to
get a passport?
We
have forms located in our office to get a passport. There is also a link on our web page to the State Department
where you fill out the forms online, print them out to bring into our office,
along with a valid photo ID and proof of
Does my child need
to be with me to apply for a passport for him / her?
Actually, both
parents and the child should be present.
If both parents cannot be present, parental application permission
documentation will need to be presented. In addition, you
will need to submit proof of your child's
How much does it
cost to get a passport?
Passports
have the following fees:
l
Application Fee ($110
age 16 and older, $80 under age 16)
l
Execution Fee ($25)
l
Cost of Passport
Photos (we charge $10 for a set of 2)
If it needs
to be expedited:
l
Expedite Fee ($60)
l
Optional overnight
delivery fee: $14.96.
For
more information see the United States Department of State website at http://travel.state.gov/
What is the cost
for filing for a court case?
Court
costs vary, depending on the type of court case. Actual costs are listed on our main web page
under Fee
Schedule.
What do I do to
get an Order of Protection?
Forms
requesting an Order
of Protection are available from our office or in our Forms section on our
main web page. Please fill out both the
Petition and the Order. You must fill
out the form to the best of your ability either with or without a lawyer’s
assistance and bring it into our office.
You must go before a judge for the Order of Protection to be initiated. Order of Protection hearings are normally
heard every weekday morning at 11:00. If
you arrive early, it is possible to have the Order of Protection entered the
same day. If you need assistance, please
call our office (384-3725) and we will give you further direction.
What is the cost
for a copy of court documents?
Photocopies
of files are available for $1 for the first page, 50¢ per page for the next 19
pages, and 25¢ for each additional page beyond that. If the copies need to be certified then there
is an additional $2.00 charge per certification. We cannot take requests for copies over the
phone. All requests must be done in
person or in writing.
Can I get a record
of all of my child support payments?
Yes. Computer printouts of child support payments
made through our office are available for $6.00 per case. These are only released to the payee, the
payer, or to an attorney of record in the case. Please bring a valid state or
federal photo identification card with you.
Is there a charge
for filing a Will?
There are
no charges incurred for the filing of a will with our office. Wills can only be filed after a person is
deceased.
Could you give me
the phone number for the child support State Disbursement Unit (SDU)?
The
phone number for SDU is (877) 225-7077.
I need to change
my mailing address for child support, what do I do?
You can do it in person
with a valid picture ID or you can write a letter to the Circuit Clerk's
Office,
I'd like to see if
any child support payments have been made.
Who do I need to speak to?
Please
utilize the REACH system at (217) 384-1286.
It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You should have received information on this
system when the payments were ordered.
If you did not receive information on how to access this system, please
call the Circuit Clerk Child Support Division at (217) 384-3730.
What is the cost
for a jury for my trial?
Costs vary by case type. Please see the Fee Schedule on the main page.
What are your
hours? Are you open during lunch hour?
The
Circuit Clerk's Office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 A.M. to 4:30
P.M. and operates continuously throughout the lunch hour. We are closed on the following holidays:
l
New Year's Day January
1
l
Martin Luther King's
Birthday (observed) Third
Monday in January
l
President's Day Third
Monday in February
l
Spring
l
Memorial Day Last
Monday in May
l
Independence Day July
4
l
Labor Day First
Monday in September
l
Christopher Columbus
Day Second
Monday in October
l
Veteran's Day November
11
l
Thanksgiving Day Fourth
Thursday in November
l
Thanksgiving Friday Day
after Thanksgiving
l
Christmas Eve December
24
l
Christmas Day December
25
In
the case of inclement weather, check local news to see if the Champaign County
Courthouse is closed or closing early.
Why will you not
give me legal advice?
Circuit Clerk employees are barred by statute from
providing legal advice.
I want to
represent myself. How can I get help?
There is a Self-Help Desk located near Courtroom L on the first floor of the Champaign County Courthouse. There you will find some legal documentation that may help you in representing yourself in front of the court. The Self-Help Desk is typically open from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday and 9 a.m. to noon on Friday mornings. For more information call them at (217) 356-1351.
I need a
background check, what do I need to do?
You can do your own record search on this
website, which has criminal records of
However, if you need a formal statement from this office about a record search or lack of a criminal record, we will need the name and date of birth for whom you're searching, along with the years you would like us to search. The cost of a search is $6.00 per year searched. The first year is free, if you request the search in person. Once we have the information and the money, one of our office staff will conduct the search, and print out a form with any retrieved information on it. If you mail in your request, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope.
How do I get a
criminal case off of my record?
The Illinois Office of the
Appellate Defender is required by law to provide information and forms for the expungement process, which is the legal term for the
removal of criminal records. They can be
found at http://state.il.us/defender/exp.html. They can also be reached at 866-431-4907.
Not all criminal cases can be expunged. You will need to determine if your case is eligible for expungement. Information sheets and forms are available either from the Appellate Defenders Office or in our office. Once you determine whether or not your case is eligible for expungement, fill out the forms and return them to our office with the correct filing fee (see Fee Schedule). Various entities will have 60-90 days to object. If no one objects, the judge will approve your request and we will notify you. If some one objects, a court date could be set for you to present your case.
What items cannot
be brought into the courthouse?
Always attempt to arrive at the courthouse at least 15 minutes before your scheduled business. Security often has a line, especially at the beginning of a day and immediately after lunch. By order of the Sheriff, the following items are prohibited in the Champaign County Courthouse:
Cell Phones
Guns or ammunition
Knives, swords, razors, or box cutters
Personal protective spray, (i.e. pepper spray, mace, etc.) or aerosol sprays of any kind
Items perceived as threatening (i.e. manicure kits, scissors, laser pointers, kitting needles, etc.)
You also will be asked to drink from any open beverage containers.
What are my
options if I am charged with a minor traffic violation?
A minor traffic violation is one that does not require a court appearance. At the bottom of a traffic ticket, just above the officer’s signature are two boxes, one of which must be checked: “Court Appearance Required” or “No Court Appearance Required”. If your ticket has No Court Appearance Required, you have three options:
1. Plead guilty and pay the fine, by mail or in person, without going to court. (A conviction will be entered on your driving record).
2. Plead not guilty and request a trial.
3. Request the Traffic Safety Program. You do not have to appear in court, and a conviction is not entered on your driving record if you:
a. Sign the “Plea of Guilty” portion of your traffic ticket,
b. Pay the $75 fine ($120 after 9/15/10) and $45 nonrefundable program fee,
c.
Attend the National Safety Council’s Defensive
Driving course offered by
d. Avoid further violations in the following six months.
There are some qualifications that must be met in order to take the Traffic Safety Program:
1) In the 12 months prior to
this ticket, you have not been charged with any traffic offense that resulted
in a conviction anywhere in the
2) In the 4
years preceding this ticket, you have not been on court supervision or had a moving
violation amended to a non-moving violation, or attended traffic safety school
anywhere in the
3) You were not traveling 21 or more miles per hour over the speed limit at the time of your current offense,
4) The current violation was not against a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL),
5) Your ticket can not be marked as a must appear,
6) Your ticket, monies, and application for TSP are received by our office no later than 10 days prior to the court date written on your ticket,
7) You were not under the age of 18 at the time of the offense.
Can you change my
court date?
The Circuit Clerk’s Office does not have the ability to change your court date. In a criminal matter, you should consult your attorney. In a minor traffic matter, you could file a “Motion to Continue”, that is, ask for a later court date. However, there is no guarantee that the judge will approve such a request. You can also consult an attorney. In civil cases, it would be wise to contact the opposing party to see if an arrangement can be made. You could also talk to an attorney.
Can you pass a
message to someone in the courtroom?
We cannot pass messages to the courtrooms.
Can the Circuit Clerk’s
Office notarize documents for me?
To notarize a document is to attest to the authenticity of the signature. We do not notarize documents. It can be done at the Urbana Free Library and other places in town.
We are commonly asked to certify a document. To certify something is to verify that it is a true and accurate copy of a court record. To certify a document is $2 plus the cost of copying.
My child is an
adult now. How long must I continue to
pay child support?
In