Access Tazewell County Family Court Records
Tazewell County family court records are maintained at 342 Court Street in Pekin, Illinois by the Circuit Clerk's office. The county has a population of about 130,290 and is located in central Illinois, just south of Peoria. Records include divorce filings, custody cases, child support orders, and protective order petitions. You can search Tazewell County family court records through state online portals or by visiting the courthouse in Pekin. The clerk's office processes record requests in person, by mail, and through digital tools.
Tazewell County Quick Facts
Tazewell County Circuit Clerk Office
The Tazewell County Circuit Clerk's office is at 342 Court Street, Pekin, IL 61554. The phone number is (309) 346-8840. This office manages all court records for Tazewell County, including every family law case filed here. Staff take new filings, maintain case files, and handle requests for copies of documents.
Visiting in person gives you the most direct access. Bring a case number or party names and the clerk will search the system for you. Tazewell County handles a good number of family cases each year, so having your case number ready will speed things up. Most active case files can be copied while you wait. Older archived cases may need extra time to retrieve.
You can also make requests by mail. Send a letter to the Tazewell County Circuit Clerk at 342 Court Street, Pekin, IL 61554. Include the case details, the documents you want, and payment for the fees. The full list of Illinois circuit clerks is on the Illinois Courts website.
Search Tazewell County Records Online
The Re:SearchIL portal is the primary online tool for Tazewell County family court records. This state-run system connects to filings made through eFileIL. Register for a free account to get started. Search by party name or case number. Documents cost $0.10 per page up to $3 per document. Parties to a case can see their own filings for free.
Restricted records do not appear online. The Illinois Supreme Court Remote Access Policy excludes adoption, juvenile, and mental health cases from remote access. Some family law documents may also have online restrictions. For those, a trip to the Tazewell County courthouse in Pekin is needed.
The eFileIL system is required for all civil cases in Illinois now. Family law filings in Tazewell County enter the digital system as soon as they are submitted. Older cases filed on paper before mandatory e-filing may not show up in online searches.
The image below shows the Illinois Courts website, which connects to the tools used for searching Tazewell County records.
Navigate to Re:SearchIL from this page to look up Tazewell County family court filings.
Tazewell County Court Record Fees
Copy fees in Tazewell County follow 705 ILCS 105, the Clerks of Courts Act. The first page is $2. Pages two through twenty are $0.50 each. Every page after twenty costs $0.25. Certification adds $6 per document. These rates are set by state law and are the same across Illinois.
If the clerk has to search by name, the fee is up to $6 per year searched. Providing a case number usually avoids this charge. Viewing records on a public terminal at the Tazewell County courthouse is free. Printed and certified copies are the only things that cost money.
Family Law Filings in Tazewell County
The Tazewell County circuit court processes divorce, allocation of parental responsibilities, child support, and protective orders. Divorce cases follow the rules in the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (750 ILCS 5). A Tazewell County divorce file usually contains the petition, any response from the other spouse, financial disclosures, and a parenting plan when kids are involved.
Illinois replaced the word "custody" with "allocation of parental responsibilities" in 2016. These cases determine parenting time and decision-making authority for children. Child support records document payment amounts, modifications, and enforcement. Each case type generates its own file in the Tazewell County court system. Orders of protection from domestic violence situations also go through the family court process here.
Certain records are restricted. Juvenile cases and adoption files are not public. Judges can seal documents or entire cases for privacy or safety reasons. Sealed records are off limits to everyone except the parties involved.
Public Access to Tazewell County Records
Under the State Records Act (5 ILCS 160), most family court records in Tazewell County are open to the public. You do not need to be a party to the case. No reason is needed for your request. Final judgments, orders, and docket entries from divorce and custody cases are almost always public.
Exceptions include juvenile records, adoption files, sealed cases, and documents that contain Social Security numbers, financial account details, or medical information. These are sealed or redacted before public access. The Remote Access Policy means some records viewable in person may not appear on Re:SearchIL.
Note: Online systems may not be fully up to date for all Tazewell County cases, so visiting in person gives the most complete picture.
Legal Resources for Tazewell County
Illinois Legal Aid Online has free information on family law topics like divorce, custody, and child support. Their court records guide covers how to get copies of documents from the Tazewell County clerk.
The Illinois Court Help portal offers chat support for people without lawyers. It helps you find the right forms and understand how courts work. These tools are useful for Tazewell County residents handling family court matters on their own. The Illinois Courts website has additional self-help content and downloadable forms.
Nearby Counties
Tazewell County borders several other central Illinois counties. Each maintains its own family court records through its Circuit Clerk.