Evanston Dissolution of Marriage Records
Divorce decree records for Evanston are filed with the Circuit Court of Cook County. Evanston residents searching for a dissolution of marriage case, requesting a certified copy of a final decree, or verifying that a divorce was recorded in Illinois will find the key steps and resources on this page.
Evanston Quick Facts
Where Evanston Divorce Cases Are Filed
Evanston is in Cook County, so all divorce filings go through the Circuit Court of Cook County. The clerk of that court is Mariyana T. Spyropoulos, and the central office is at 50 W. Washington Street in Chicago. However, Evanston is a north suburban community, and residents typically do not need to travel downtown for their filings.
North suburban Cook County divorce cases are often handled at the Skokie Courthouse, located at 5600 Old Orchard Road, Skokie, IL 60077. That location is geographically much closer to Evanston than the downtown Chicago facility. Before you drive downtown, call the circuit clerk's office at (312) 603-5030 and confirm which courthouse division handles cases from your Evanston address. The answer depends on exactly where in the county your case is assigned.
The Cook County circuit court system is large. Cases get routed based on the filing address, not just the city name. Confirming the right courthouse location at the start avoids confusion later. Once a case is assigned to a division, all hearings and filings for that case happen at the assigned location.
| Office | Cook County Circuit Court Clerk |
|---|---|
| Clerk | Mariyana T. Spyropoulos |
| Address | 50 W. Washington Street, Suite 1001, Chicago, IL 60602-1305 |
| Phone | (312) 603-5030 |
| Hours | Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. |
Searching Evanston Divorce Records Online
Cook County has its own online case search tool through the Cook County Clerk of Court website. You can search by party name or case number. The system displays case status, hearing dates, and basic filing history for civil cases including dissolution of marriage. It does not show the text of the actual documents, but it gives you the case number you need to request copies.
The Cook County Clerk of Court website handles online case lookups for Evanston divorce records along with all other Cook County civil and family law filings.
The Cook County Clerk website is the primary online resource for Evanston residents looking up divorce decree case numbers and filing history.
For multi-county searches, re:SearchIL lets you pull case information from different Illinois circuit courts in one search. If you are not sure which county a case was filed in, or if you need to look across jurisdictions, that tool can help narrow things down. It is free and does not require an account.
Judici.com covers over 80 Illinois counties but does not include Cook County. For Evanston cases, use the Cook County Clerk's portal directly rather than Judici. Cook County has its own system separate from the Judici platform.
Certified Copies of Evanston Divorce Decrees
A certified copy of a divorce decree has the court's official seal and the circuit clerk's signature. That is the version most government agencies require. The Social Security Administration, Illinois Secretary of State, and most banks will not accept a plain photocopy as proof that a marriage ended.
To get a certified copy of a Cook County divorce decree, you can visit one of the Cook County courthouse locations in person. For Evanston residents, the Skokie Courthouse may be the most practical option, though any Cook County courthouse can process the request. Bring a photo ID and the case number if you have it. If you don't have the case number, the clerk can search by party names and approximate year.
Fees apply per page. Cook County's fee schedule is available on the clerk's website. Mail requests are also an option. Send a written request with both party names, the approximate year of the divorce, and a check or money order for the estimated fee to the central clerk's office in Chicago. Allow several weeks for processing. Call (312) 603-5030 to confirm current fees before you send payment.
Illinois Statewide Divorce Verification
If you only need to verify that a divorce happened and don't need the full decree, the Illinois Department of Public Health offers a statewide divorce index. It covers divorces recorded in Illinois from 1962 to present. The IDPH record is a verification letter, not the actual court document. The fee is $5.
Mail requests go to IDPH at 925 E. Ridgely Ave., Springfield, IL 62702-2737. Include both party names, the county where the divorce was granted, and the year. Call (217) 782-6554 for questions. Processing takes four to six weeks. If you need the details of the settlement, custody arrangement, or asset division that were part of the decree, the IDPH record won't have that. You need the full document from the Cook County Circuit Court Clerk.
Illinois Divorce Law Basics
Illinois divorce law is set out in 750 ILCS 5/, the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. The only recognized ground for divorce is irreconcilable differences. Fault is not used. If both spouses have lived apart for six continuous months, that separation serves as an irrebuttable legal presumption that the marriage is irretrievably broken.
Illinois requires at least one spouse to be a state resident for 90 days before filing. For Evanston residents, that means 90 days of Illinois residency. Records are public under 735 ILCS 5/, with some restrictions on financial disclosures and records involving children.
Attorneys are required to file through eFileIL since July 2018. Self-represented filers can also use this system. Standard approved forms for divorce, child support, and maintenance are free through the Illinois Courts forms page. Free legal guidance is available at Illinois Legal Aid Online.
Related Records and Post-Decree Documents
A divorce case file includes more than just the final decree. It may contain the original petition, proof of service, financial disclosure statements, parenting plan agreements, interim court orders, and post-decree modification motions. All of those documents are part of the same case number and can be requested from the Cook County Circuit Court Clerk.
Post-decree modifications are common. Support amounts change. Parenting schedules get adjusted. Each modification is filed as a new motion within the original case number, so the full record of what happened in a divorce case lives in that one file over time. If you need a specific order or a specific set of documents from a case, be specific when you make your request. The clerk can pull individual documents rather than the whole file.
For property transfers made as part of the Cook County divorce, the Cook County Recorder of Deeds handles real estate records separately. Name change orders tied to the decree are in the Circuit Court file. Bring a certified copy of the name change order to the Illinois Secretary of State when updating a driver's license or state ID.
Nearby Cities
Other Illinois cities near Evanston with qualifying city pages are listed below.
Cook County Court Records
All Evanston divorce cases are filed and maintained through the Circuit Court of Cook County. Visit the county page for full clerk details, courthouse locations, and additional filing information.