McHenry County Probate Court Records

Probate court records in McHenry County are kept by the Circuit Clerk's Office in Woodstock. The 22nd Judicial Circuit Court handles all probate cases filed in the county, including estate administration, will filings, guardianship petitions, and trust disputes. You can search these records online through the Judici public access portal or visit the clerk's office in person at the McHenry County Government Center. The Circuit Clerk maintains a full record of each case, from the first petition through final orders. McHenry County is one of the larger counties in northern Illinois, and its probate division processes a steady volume of cases each year.

Circuit Clerk and Probate Court Records

The McHenry County Circuit Clerk's Office is the main source for probate court records in the county. Katherine M. Keefe serves as the Circuit Clerk. Her office is in charge of filing, storing, and providing access to all court records, including probate cases. The office sits inside the McHenry County Government Center on Seminary Avenue in Woodstock. Staff in the civil division handle probate filings and can help you look up case information in person.

You can reach the Circuit Clerk by phone at 815-334-4310 for general questions. For probate-specific matters, call 815-334-4190 to speak with staff in the civil division. The fax number is 815-334-4275. The office is open Monday through Friday during regular business hours, though it is a good idea to call ahead if you plan to visit for probate court records. The McHenry County Circuit Clerk website has more details on services and hours.

The mailing address is:

• McHenry County Circuit Clerk's Office
• 2200 N. Seminary Ave
• Woodstock, IL 60098
• Phone: 815-334-4310
• Probate Division: 815-334-4190

Search Probate Court Records Online

McHenry County probate court records are available for online search through the Judici public access portal. This is a free tool. You do not need to create an account. Judici lets you search by party name, case number, or date range. Once you find a case, you can view the docket entries, filing dates, and party names. The system covers civil, criminal, and probate cases in the 22nd Judicial Circuit.

The Illinois Courts website also lists McHenry County in its statewide directory. That directory page shows the courthouse address, phone numbers, and links to local court resources. This is a good starting point if you need to confirm contact details before requesting probate court records.

The screenshot below shows the McHenry County listing on the Illinois Courts directory, which provides courthouse contact details and circuit information for those searching probate court records.

From this page, you can find links to the clerk's office and see which judicial circuit serves McHenry County.

Keep in mind that Judici shows docket information but may not display full document images for every probate case. If you need actual copies of wills, petitions, or court orders, you will likely need to request them from the clerk's office. Online search results are still useful for finding case numbers and confirming that a probate filing exists before you reach out to the office.

Types of Probate Court Records Filed

Several types of probate court records are filed in McHenry County. The most common is a decedent's estate case. This begins when someone dies and a family member or attorney petitions the court to open probate. The court then appoints a representative to manage the estate. All documents in the case become part of the public probate court records, and the Circuit Clerk keeps them on file. These records include the initial petition, letters of office, inventory filings, claims against the estate, and final distribution orders.

Guardianship cases make up the next largest group. These involve petitions to appoint a guardian for a minor child or a disabled adult. The Illinois Probate Act (755 ILCS 5) sets out the rules for these cases. A guardianship file in McHenry County will typically contain the petition, any reports from a guardian ad litem, medical evidence for adult cases, and the court's orders. These are also public records, though some documents in guardianship cases may have restricted access to protect the ward.

Other probate court records in McHenry County include will deposits (where someone files a will for safekeeping while still alive), small estate affidavits for estates valued under $100,000, and name change petitions handled through the probate division. Trust-related disputes sometimes end up in probate court as well, though those are less common.

Electronic Filing for Probate Cases

Illinois requires e-filing for most court cases. McHenry County is no exception. Attorneys and self-represented litigants use the eFileIL portal to submit documents for probate cases. This system is run by Tyler Technologies and covers all Illinois Circuit Courts. Once you file a document through eFileIL, it becomes part of the official probate court records for that case in McHenry County.

E-filing has changed how quickly documents show up in the court's system. Paper filings used to take longer to process. Now, most e-filed documents appear in the docket within a business day or two. But certain items still need to be filed in person. Original wills, for instance, must be submitted as physical documents in most Illinois counties. If you have an original will to deposit in McHenry County, bring it to the Circuit Clerk's office on Seminary Avenue. The staff will accept the physical will and enter the filing into the electronic system so that it shows up in online searches of probate court records.

The Judici portal below is the main public-facing search tool used by many Illinois counties, including McHenry County, for looking up probate court records and other case types.

You can search by name or case number on this portal without any login or fee.

How to Get Copies

There are a few ways to get copies of probate court records from McHenry County. The most direct is to visit the Circuit Clerk's office in Woodstock. Bring the case number or the full name of the deceased person. The clerk's staff will pull up the file and make copies for you. Copy fees in Illinois generally run about $2.00 for the first page and $0.50 for each additional page. Certified copies cost more. Letters of Office typically cost $2.00 per copy. Fees can change, so it is worth calling 815-334-4310 to confirm current rates before you visit.

You can also request copies by mail. Send a written request to the Circuit Clerk at 2200 N. Seminary Ave, Woodstock, IL 60098. Include the case number (if you have it), party names, and a description of the documents you need. Enclose a check or money order for the estimated copy fees, made payable to the McHenry County Circuit Clerk. The staff will process your request and mail the copies back to you. Processing time for mail requests varies depending on how busy the office is.

For fax requests or questions about specific probate court records, the fax line is 815-334-4275. The Circuit Clerk contact page lists all phone numbers and fax info. You can use this page to find the right division for your request.

Probate Court Records Fees

Filing fees for probate cases in McHenry County follow the state schedule set by the Illinois General Assembly. Opening a full estate administration case costs roughly $256 to $376, depending on the type of estate and any added filing charges. A small estate affidavit costs less. Guardianship petition filing fees are in a similar range. These fees apply at the time of filing and are separate from any copy fees you might pay later when requesting probate court records.

Copy fees are straightforward. Most Circuit Clerk offices in Illinois charge $2.00 for the first page and $0.50 per page after that, up to page 20. Pages beyond 20 cost $0.25 each. A certified copy of a court order or judgment generally runs about $10.00. If you need copies of Letters of Office for banking or real estate purposes, those are typically $2.00 per copy. Call the clerk's office or check the civil division page for the most current fee schedule on probate court records.

There is no charge to search probate court records online through Judici. The free search covers docket entries and basic case information. You only pay when you request physical or certified copies from the clerk.

Legal Rules for Probate Cases

Probate court records in McHenry County are governed by the Illinois Probate Act of 1975 (755 ILCS 5). This state law sets the rules for who can file a probate case, what goes into the court file, and how estates are administered. The act applies to all 102 counties in Illinois, so the same basic rules apply in McHenry County as in any other part of the state. Under this law, anyone named in a will or any interested party can petition the Circuit Court to open a probate case.

The Illinois Courts system treats probate as part of the Circuit Court's civil jurisdiction. There is no separate probate court in McHenry County. Instead, the 22nd Judicial Circuit assigns probate cases to judges within the civil division. This means probate court records sit alongside other civil filings in the clerk's system, though they use a distinct case type prefix to make them easy to find. Probate cases use "P" or "PR" as a prefix in most Illinois counties.

Court records in Illinois are generally public. That means anyone can look up probate court records without needing to show a reason. Some documents within a probate case may be sealed by the judge, but this is rare and usually only happens in guardianship cases where there is sensitive information about a minor or disabled person. The default is open access.

Visiting the Courthouse

The McHenry County Government Center sits at 2200 N. Seminary Ave in Woodstock. This is where the Circuit Clerk's office is located and where probate court records are filed and stored. Woodstock is the county seat of McHenry County. If you plan to visit in person, parking is available on site. The building houses several county offices and courtrooms, so you may need to go through a security check at the entrance.

Once inside, head to the Circuit Clerk's civil division for probate matters. Staff can help you look up case files, request copies, and file new documents. If you are filing a new probate case, the staff will walk you through the process. You can also use the public access terminals in the clerk's office to search for probate court records on your own. Having the case number or party name ready will speed things up quite a bit.

The courthouse is open on weekdays during business hours. Some offices close for lunch or have shortened hours on certain days. Call 815-334-4310 ahead of time to confirm hours, especially around holidays or during winter weather when closures can happen. The 22nd Judicial Circuit serves both McHenry County and its neighbors, so the courthouse can get busy on days when multiple court calls are scheduled.

Nearby Counties

McHenry County borders several other counties in northern Illinois. If the probate case you are looking for was filed in a neighboring county, you can check those clerk offices as well. Probate court records are kept in the county where the deceased person lived at the time of death, so cases sometimes end up in a county you might not expect.