Illinois - Disputing Public Records

Criminal Records

Sealing/Expunging Records

In Illinois, the Office of the State Appellate Defender (OSAD) produces several publications to help people understand the process of expungement and sealing records and whether or not they qualify:

• Expungement and Sealing a Record
• Do I qualify to expunge or seal my record?
• For additional questions, contact If you still answer "No" to Questions #1 and #2, contact the OSAD by email at [email protected] or call toll free 866-787-1776.

Forms are available for download for requesting a seal or expungement:

• Adult Expungement
• Juvenile Expungement (arrested not charged, found not guilty, received supervision, found delinquent for certain Class B misdemeanor, Class C misdemeanor or a petty or business offense
• Juvenile Expungement (all other scenarios)
• Sealing Records (arrest record or received court supervision and never convicted of a criminal offense)
• Sealing Records (sealing a conviction)
• Sealing Records (sealing a felony drug conviction)

Fixing Errors

If you are a victim of identity theft, you can complete and submit a special expungement form for this purpose:

• Identity Theft Expungement

Civil Records

Civil records generally include judgments, liens and evictions, as well as other family and small claims cases.

Obtaining an Official Record

Fixing Errors

The most efficient way to dispute a civil record in Illinois is to contact the appellate court in the district in which the record was filed.

• List of all appellate courts and their contact information

Bankruptcies

Bankruptcies can stay on your credit record for as long as 10 years. The most important place these records can affect you is on your credit report. To dispute a bankruptcy record that is inaccurate, contact each of the three major U.S. credit bureaus. Each has a process online for disputing records that appear on your file.

• TransUnion
• Experian
• Equifax

Disputing the actual public record can be much more challenging since the consumer is the one who files for the bankruptcy in the first place. More information can be found on the United States Courts website.

General Contact Information

Administrative Office of the Courts
3101 Old Jacksonville Road
Springfield, IL 62704
(217) 558-4490
(217) 785-3905 (fax)

State Appellate Defender
203 N. LaSalle Street, 24th Floor
Attn: Expungement Unit
Chicago IL 60601
Toll-Free: (866)787-1776

Circuit Courts
State Apellate Defender Offices

U.S. Court Locator

Locate any court in the United States:

• Court Locator Search