All Clerk's offices are closed on Saturdays and Sundays and all court holidays.
Court calls commence each day at 9 a.m., and court remains in session until all cases for that date have been concluded. Court usually recesses between 12 noon and 1 p.m. for lunch.
Download the document and forward your selection to the Clerk of the Circuit Court at the courthouse where your case is pending. Please mark "court diversion" on the envelope.
If you do not receive a response from the clerk within 21 days of the date you mailed your response, please call the clerk at the courthouse where your case is pending. Court Locations
Failure to promptly respond to the citation may result in an ex parte judgment of guilty being entered and a fine assessed against you in the amount set by the Illinois Supreme Court.
YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR FOLLOWING THE PROGRESS OF YOUR CASE.
If a request for a continuance is not granted, the procedure outlined in the section entitled Failure to Appear in Court on Violations Punishable by Fines will be followed.
Persons also have the option of seeking a new court date by appearing on the motion call before the scheduled court date. The case will be called in court the same day the motion is scheduled and the person whose motion is being heard will have the option of requesting a continuance or pleading guilty and resolving the case.
Persons with tickets issued in Chicago who wish to have their case placed on the traffic court motion call should be aware of the following:
However, if you have been charged with a misdemeanor traffic offense, your initial court date is not the trial date and your witnesses will normally not testify. In a misdemeanor traffic court case, the judge will schedule the trial date when you appear in court. Q. Should I bring my evidence? A. Bring any photos, diagrams, reports or any other exhibits you wish to present to the judge on your trial date. Photographs may be helpful if you are contesting the placement or visibility of a sign or other road conditions which resulted in the issuance of the ticket. Q. Will the officer who wrote the ticket be in court? A. The officer will be notified to appear in court by the prosecution. In some cases, unavoidable circumstances prevent or delay the officer's appearance. In cases where a personal injury crash occurred, the case may be continued to allow the prosecution to investigate the circumstances of the accident.
The Circuit Clerk's office hours at the Richard J. Daley Center are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Please contact the specific courthouse where your case is pending for further information regarding office hours for the Circuit Clerk at other locations. Court Locations
All Circuit Clerk's offices are closed on Saturdays and Sundays and court holidays.
In most instances, you may pay your fine by mail before your court date. Send your check or money order payable to the Clerk of the Circuit Court to the address of the courthouse where your case is pending. Please make certain that your ticket number(s) is indicated on the check or money order. DO NOT SEND CASH.
If your fine cannot be paid by mail, your payment will be returned to you and a court date will be scheduled, or you will receive instructions on how to pay your fine. Q. Why did I get a $110.00 fine amount on my second postcard? A. The second post card indicates an order of failure to appear was entered against you and a notice was sent to the Illinois Secretary of State to suspend your driver's license until the ticket is resolved. The Illinois Supreme Court has set a $75.00 fine for this violation. There is a $35.00 fee required by Supreme Court rule to process the release of the failure to appear notice sent to the Illinois Secretary of State. This results in a total fine and fees of $110.00. Q. What happens if I do not pay my fine? A. If you were placed on supervision for an offense punishable by fine only, a judgment of conviction will be entered and forwarded to the Illinois Secretary of State for entry on your driving record. In some cases the fine amount will be increased to the statutory minimum plus court costs. You will receive a notice from the Clerk of the Circuit Court for the amount of the fine. If the fine is not paid within 45 days, the Illinois Secretary of State will be notified and you will not be allowed to renew, replace or re-classify your driver's license until the fine is paid in full. In addition, the prosecutor may file a petition to hold you in indirect criminal contempt for failure to pay the fine. This may result in the issuance of a warrant for your arrest. If you cannot establish to the court's satisfaction that your failure to pay the fine was due to circumstances beyond your control, you may be incarcerated for a period not to exceed 30 days or until the fine is paid. (see ILCS 5/5-9-3) Q. When do I get my bond money back? A. You will receive a check for your bond deposit by United States mail approximately 10 days after your case is concluded as long as there are no outstanding financial obligations. Please note: If you were placed on supervision, the case remains pending until the termination date. You will not receive bail money until the order of supervision is terminated satisfactorily.
Q. How do I register for Traffic Safety School?
A. Once the National Safety Council receives notification from the Circuit Court of Cook County that you have paid your fines, mandatory court costs, and Traffic Safety School fees, NSC will send you a letter as your notice of your Traffic Safety School course assignment. The letter should reach you within two to three weeks of your payment to the Circuit Court of Cook County – it will be sent via email OR postal service depending on the contact information provided to the Court when the ticket is paid. The letter will include the date by which you must complete the course.
If you have questions about your traffic case, please contact the local Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County in your District or visit https://services.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org/TrafficTickets.
Chicago
First Municipal District
Skokie
Second Municipal District
Rolling Meadows
Third Municipal District
(312) 603-2000
(847) 470-7250
(847) 818-3000
Maywood
Fourth Municipal District
Bridgeview
Fifth Municipal District
Markham
Sixth Municipal District
(708) 865-6040
(708) 974-6500
(708) 232-4551
Q. I missed my Traffic Safety Class, can I reschedule? A. For information regarding rescheduling your Traffic Safety School class please call (888) 245-8450. Q. If I completed Traffic Safety School, do I have to come to court? A. No, when you have successfully completed your assigned Traffic Safety School course, your attendance is reported to the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County by the Traffic Safety School, and you are not required to attend court to show completion. There is one exception to this rule: If you were required to attend the Defensive Driving Course as a condition of supervision or conditional discharge, you must return to court on the date indicated by the judge and present proof you attended Traffic Safety School.
Q. When do I get my driver's license back? A. You will receive your driver's license when your case is concluded and all of your financial obligations have been satisfied. Q. I sent in a check to pay my fine(s), when should I expect you to return my driver's license back? A. Your driver's license will be returned once your check is received and processed. This takes approximately seven to ten working days. Q. My license is suspended, what do I do? A. Driver's License Suspension and Reinstatement Procedures Q. I have an old ticket, how do I clear it up? A. If you have the ticket number and you know the courthouse location where the ticket was pending, you may go to the Special Service Section of the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court at the courthouse to receive complete and accurate information regarding the disposition of the ticket. If you do not know the ticket number you can go to any of the Circuit Court Clerk's office locations and request a search for a ticket number. Alternatively, you may go to the local office of the Secretary of State and obtain a copy of your driving record. Your driving record will contain the following information:
After you obtain this information, go to Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court where the ticket was pending to receive information on how to resolve the ticket. Warning: Seek legal advice before acting. You may unknowingly damage your driving record. The staff of the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court are not allowed to give legal advice. They may only provide information concerning the disposition of the ticket and what fines are due.