Saline County Court Records Search
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Saline County sits in southeastern Illinois, with Harrisburg as its county seat. All court proceedings in the county — felony criminal trials, small claims disputes, probate hearings, and everything in between — go through a single Circuit Court operating as part of the First Judicial Circuit of Illinois. Every case generates official records, from the initial filing to the final judgment, and those records are maintained by the Circuit Clerk's office.
If you're starting your search, IllinoisCourts.us offers statewide guidance on publicly available court case information. In Saline County, you can access records through the Circuit Clerk's office in person, at courthouse public terminals, through the Judici online platform, or by written request — each option is covered in detail below.
How to Look Up a Court Case in Saline County?
The Saline County Circuit Clerk's Office is the official record keeper for all court proceedings in the county. Circuit Clerk Mary Kuczynski and her staff maintain records for the entire court system, collect court-assessed fines and fees, and support judicial operations through computerized records management.
Saline County Circuit Court — Clerk's Office
Address: Saline County Courthouse, 10 East Poplar Street, Harrisburg, IL 62946
Phone: (618) 253-5096
Fax: (618) 253-3904
Email: mary_saline@yahoo.com
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
For in-person searches, the Circuit Clerk's office provides access to computerized case records at the courthouse. You can view records at no charge; fees apply for printed copies. Bring a party name or case number to help staff locate the relevant files.
Online, Saline County participates in the Judici court records platform, which lets you search case information by party name or case number at no cost. Basic case data — hearing dates, case minutes, charges, judgments, and litigant information — is freely available. Full document access requires a premium Judici account. The county's juror questionnaire can also be submitted electronically through the Judici jury portal.
Appeals from the Saline County Circuit Court go to the Fifth District Appellate Court of Illinois. The judges currently assigned to Saline County are:
| Role | Name | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Presiding Circuit Judge | Jayson M. Clark | (618) 253-8741 |
| Associate Judge | Kelly R. Phelps | (618) 253-8741 |
Are Court Records Public in Saline County?
Under the Court Records and Document Access Act (705 ILCS 86), court records in Illinois are presumed accessible to the public. The Circuit Clerk must make records and documents available unless they fall within a recognized exemption. That presumption of openness applies to all case filings, dockets, orders, and judgments held by the Saline County Circuit Clerk.
The following categories of records are restricted from general public disclosure by statute or court order:
- Juvenile records — protected under the Juvenile Court Act (705 ILCS 405)
- Adoption records — sealed under the Adoption Act (750 ILCS 50)
- Mental health and medical records — confidential under the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act (740 ILCS 110)
- Addresses of certain crime victims — protected under 750 ILCS 61
- Sealed or expunged records — inaccessible to the public by court order
It's also worth knowing that the Illinois Electronic Access Policy for Circuit Court Records limits remote online access to certain document types, even when in-person access at the courthouse is permitted. Some records you can view at a courthouse terminal cannot be retrieved over the internet.
Saline County Criminal Court Records
The Saline County Circuit Court has jurisdiction over all criminal matters in the county — misdemeanors, traffic offenses, and felony charges alike. Criminal case files, including charging documents, motions, orders, and dispositions, are maintained by the Circuit Clerk and are generally available to the public subject to the access rules described above.
To search for a criminal case, visit the Circuit Clerk's office at the Saline County Courthouse or use the Judici platform online. Judici indexes criminal charges, case minutes, hearing dates, and information about fines and fees associated with criminal proceedings.
If you want to petition for expungement or sealing of a criminal record, that petition must be filed through the Circuit Clerk's office. Once granted, the record becomes inaccessible to the public. Call the Clerk's office at (618) 253-5096 for procedural guidance on expungement filings.
Arrest Records and the Sheriff's Office
Arrest records — booking information, jail intake records, and arrest files — are maintained by the Saline County Sheriff's Office, the county's primary law enforcement agency, staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Saline County Sheriff's Office
Address: 1 North Main Street, Harrisburg, IL 62946
Phone: (618) 252-8661
Sheriff: Whipper Johnson
FOIA Requests: info@salinecosheriff.com
Arrest records are public documents available on written request under Illinois FOIA. To submit a request, email the address above or send a written request by mail. Specify the type of records you need and include relevant identifying details — names, dates, and case numbers where known.
The State's Attorney's Office handles criminal prosecutions in the county and is located at 1 North Main Street, Suite 3, Harrisburg, IL 62946, Phone: (618) 253-7169 The Public Defender's Office is at 113 East Logan Street, Harrisburg, IL 62946, Phone: (618) 518-5332
Saline County Civil Court Records
All civil matters in Saline County — personal injury claims, contract disputes, evictions, small claims cases, and other non-criminal proceedings — go through the Saline County Circuit Court. Civil case records are maintained by the Circuit Clerk and can be searched in person or through Judici.
Accessing Civil Case Records
- Visit the Circuit Clerk's office at 10 East Poplar Street, Harrisburg, during regular hours (Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.)
- Provide party name(s) or a case number to staff
- View records at no charge at the courthouse terminal, or request printed copies for a fee
- Alternatively, search the Judici platform online for civil case index information and judgments
For property-related civil records — deeds, mortgages, liens, and land transfer documents — the Saline County Clerk and Recorder maintains a separate recording system. These are distinct from court case files and are handled by the County Clerk & Recorder's Office.
County Clerk & Recorder — Recording Office
Address: 10 East Poplar Street, Suite 17, Harrisburg, IL 62946
Phone: (618) 253-8197
Fax: (618) 252-3073
Clerk and Recorder: Jimi Williams-Cox
Email: jcox@salinecounty.illinois.gov
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Recording Fee Schedule
| Document Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Standard Flat Recording Fee | $88.00 |
| Non-Standard Recording Fee (non-letter size paper) | $121.00 |
| Government, School District, Utility, or Memorandum of Judgment | $70.00 |
| Additions and Subdivisions | $154.00 |
| Copies | $1.00 per page |
| Certified Copy of Recorded Document | $15.00 + $1.00 per page |
All recordings submitted by mail must include a self-addressed, postage-paid return envelope.
Saline County Family Court Records
Divorce, child custody, child support, domestic violence, guardianship, and adoption proceedings all fall within the Saline County Circuit Court's jurisdiction. These cases are filed with the Circuit Clerk and are searchable through the same courthouse and Judici resources described above.
Illinois is a no-fault divorce state, requiring only irreconcilable differences as grounds for dissolution of marriage. At least one spouse must have been an Illinois resident for a minimum of 90 days before filing. Divorce case records are generally public, though a court may seal portions of a file — most commonly to protect information concerning minor children.
Marriage Records
Marriage licenses are issued by the Saline County Clerk & Recorder and can be obtained as certified copies in person or by mail. To request a certified copy, complete the Vital Record Request Form and submit it with a copy of a current state-issued photo ID, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and payment by check or money order payable to the Saline County Clerk. Phone requests are not accepted.
Vital Record Fee Schedule — County Clerk's Office
| Record Type | First Copy | Additional Copies |
|---|---|---|
| Birth Certificate (certified) | $15.00 | $5.00 each |
| Death Certificate (certified) | $20.00 | $10.00 each |
| Marriage License (certified) | $15.00 | $5.00 each |
Mail requests to: Saline County Clerk, Attn. Vital Records, 10 East Poplar Street, Suite 17, Harrisburg, IL 62946.
The county's vital records holdings go back to: birth records from 1877, death records from 1877, and marriage records from 1855. For genealogical research, the County Clerk also accepts requests for records that have passed their confidentiality periods — birth records 100 years old or older, death records 50 years old or older, and marriage records 75 years old or older. Genealogical copies cost $5.00 per copy using the Genealogical Request Form.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) also maintains statewide vital records. Marriage and divorce verifications — confirming that an event occurred without issuing a certified copy — are available from IDPH for $5.00 each. Mail requests to: Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records, 925 East Ridgely Avenue, Springfield, IL 62702. The Application for Illinois Birth Record and Application for Illinois Death Record forms are available on the IDPH website for state-level certified record requests.
Under the Illinois Vital Records Act (410 ILCS 535), birth records are restricted for 100 years and death records for 50 years. Eligible requesters include the individual named on the record (if 18 or older), parents, legal guardians, next of kin, and authorized legal representatives.
Saline County Probate Court Records
Probate matters in Saline County — estate administration, will filings, will contests, trust administration, conservatorships, and guardianships — are heard by the Circuit Court. Illinois has no separate probate court; these cases run through a division of the Circuit Court, and their records are maintained by the Circuit Clerk.
Probate records are generally public and open to inspection, subject to the same access rules that apply to other civil case files. To locate a probate case, you have a few options:
- In person: Visit the Circuit Clerk's office at 10 East Poplar Street, Suite 2C, Harrisburg, during business hours (Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) and request the case file by the decedent's or ward's name or case number
- Online: Search the Judici platform by party name for probate case index information, including will indexes available through Judici's premium services
- Phone: Call the Circuit Clerk at (618) 253-5096 to confirm whether a specific probate file is available before making the trip to the courthouse
Copy fees for probate documents are assessed per page — contact the Circuit Clerk's office directly for the current rate. Note that the Saline County Probation Office, located at 10 East Poplar Street, Harrisburg, Phone: (618) 252-2701, handles probation supervision and is a completely separate function from probate court records.