What are DeKalb County Public Records?
DeKalb County public records are documents created, maintained and stored by the county's government. DeKalb County Board has a transparency policy in which the government is expected to share its public records with its citizens. DeKalb County records currently open to the public include:
- County Officials Reports
- Online Records Database Search
- Financial Information
- Property Records
- Court Records
However, based on Illinois FOIA, DeKalb County excludes some records from public view; the records include:
- Case records declared confidential by a state or federal law
- Mental health records
- Trade secrets
- Law enforcement officer investigation record
- Identity of a confidential source in a criminal case
- Personal notes, email, calendar of judges, jurors, and court staff data
- Social security number
DeKalb County Crime Statistics
The Illinois Police Uniform Crime Reporting (IUCR) is in charge of collating, maintaining, and updating crime statistics in all counties. Crimes recorded in DeKalb County in 2018 were one homicide and human trafficking case, 70 rape offenses, 35 robberies, 187 aggravated assaults, and 199 burglaries. County law enforcement also reported 1,341 petty thefts, 54 motor vehicle thefts, and ten arsons. A five-year analysis shows a 14.4% decrease in the crime rate in DeKalb county.
Are DeKalb County Criminal Records Public?
As per the Illinois FOIA, DeKalb County criminal records are public and are accessible by parties interested. Parties can obtain DeKalb County criminal records online or in person at the County's Clerk's Office. Likewise, the Illinois State Police (ISP) also makes statewide criminal history records available for public access.
How To Obtain DeKalb County Police Reports And Arrest Records?
DeKalb County Sheriff's Office provides a web-based application, DeKalb County Sheriff's Warrant Information, for interested persons to search for active warrants in the county. The website also provides information on DeKalb County police reports and arrests records. Alternatively, searchers can obtain DeKalb County police reports and arrests records in person by visiting the Sheriff's Office during business hours:
DeKalb County Sheriff's Office
Public Safety Building - Sycamore Campus
150 North Main Street
Sycamore, IL 60178
Phone: (815) 895-2155
How To Find Sex Offender Information In DeKalb County
The Sheriff's Department of DeKalb County provides and maintains OffenderWatch as an online search tool for finding sex offenders. Searchers can use the sex offender's name, address, city, and compliance status to query the database. Besides providing a list of sex offenders in DeKalb County, interested parties can also register to receive a free email notification when a sex offender registers with DeKalb County Sheriff's Office.
Meanwhile, the ISP compiles and maintains a statewide Sex Offenders Registry, a database of sex offender information in Illinois. A sex offender registered on this database is anyone convicted of sex crimes. Searchers can query the database with the full name of the sex offender, the city, the zip code, the offender's compliance status, and the county sex offender was incarcerated.
How To Find DeKalb County Inmate Records
The Correction Division of the Sheriff's Office is in charge of the daily operations of the county jail. Parties interested in obtaining DeKalb County inmate records can do so in-person from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday to Friday, or by mail to:
DeKalb County Sheriff's Office
Public Safety Building - Sycamore Campus
150 North Main Street
Sycamore, IL 60178
Interested parties can also access DeKalb County inmate records using the online Offender Search provided by the Illinois Department of Correction. Researchers should have the offender's last name, IDOC number, or birth date to query the database.
How Do I Visit An Inmate In DeKalb County Jail?
The Sheriff's Office of DeKalb County grants family and friends visitation privileges to inmates incarcerated in the county jail. Visitors must confirm visiting times from the DeKalb County Visitation Schedule. Visitation days are Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday, and all visitations are regular and non-contact. All visitors 18 years and above must have a valid photograph government-issued ID. Approved IDs include:
- Passport
- Driver's license issued by the state of Illinois
- Any state-issued ID card
- Permanent resident card
Visitors cannot bring the following items to jail
- Food and beverages
- Cell phone.
- Cameras
Visitors must store all personal items in a secured locker before proceeding to the visitation area. Family and friends who violate the jail's visitation rules will be suspended from future visits.
DeKalb County Court Records
DeKalb County court records are the official record-keeping of a legal process in a court made under oath. Illinois FOIA makes court records available to the public on request. DeKalb County has a Circuit Court that presides over all civil and criminal cases in the county. The county also has an Administrative Adjudication in charge of ordinance violation cases and traffic and infractions. DeKalb County courts are located at:
DeKalb County Circuit Court
133 West, State Street
Sycamore, IL 60178
Phone Civil: (815) 895-7131
Phone Traffic: (815) 895-7138
Phone Criminal: (815) 895-7138
City of DeKalb Administrative Hearing Process
164, East Lincoln Highway
DeKalb, IL 60115
Phone: (815) 748-2000
Are DeKalb County Court Records Public?
The DeKalb County board operates a transparent government and makes its court records public. DeKalb County court records are available online and in-person request. However, the Illinois FOIA exempts some records from public view; they include:
- Investigation records from law enforcement agencies
- Inmate records requested by another inmate
- Juvenile records
- Personal records of individuals - social security numbers, financial records, vital records, and military records
- Trade secrets
- Records prohibited by state law from being disclosed by law
How To Obtain DeKalb County Civil Court Case Records
The DeKalb County Circuit Clerk maintains the court records for the county and provides an online search tool for civil court case records in the county. Parties interested in obtaining physical copies of DeKalb County civil court records can visit the Circuit Clerk's office in person during business hours at:
DeKalb County Circuit Clerk
133 West, State Street
Sycamore, IL 60178
Phone Civil: (815) 895-7131
How to Obtain DeKalb County Criminal Court Records
Criminal court records are documents created during a criminal case. In DeKalb County, a deputy clerk is present in all court cases and records the proceeding. These records are available to the public. Interested parties can obtain DeKalb County criminal court records from the Circuit Clerk's office at:
DeKalb County Circuit Clerk
133 West, State Street
Sycamore, IL 60178
Phone Criminal: (815) 895-7138
Alternatively, parties can utilize the Search Online Court Records tool provided by DeKalb County to access the county's criminal records. Searchers must have the full name of the participant or the case number.
What are DeKalb County Vital Records?
DeKalb County vital records are government-issued documents of significant life milestones. DeKalb County vital records include birth records, death records, divorce decrees, and marriage records. The DeKalb Circuit Court is in charge of keeping, updating, and issuing divorce decrees; the DeKalb County Health Department administers the birth and death records in the county.
Where and How to Obtain DeKalb County Divorce Records
A divorce decree is the court document issued by a court legally ending a marriage. DeKalb County divorce records are available to the public. In Illinois, requesters can only obtain a divorce decree from the county that issued it. DeKalb County divorce records can be obtained from the county office 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM Monday to Friday at:
DeKalb County Circuit Court
133 West, State Street
Sycamore, IL 60178
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDHP) issues divorce verification letters that contain the couple's names, the couple's date of birth, the date the divorce was finalized, and the city and county that granted the divorce. Divorce verification letters cost $5.00, and interested parties can request in-person, fax, or mail. To order a divorce verification letter by mail, requesters can fill out the verification of dissolution of marriage records form and submit it with a valid ID and checks or money order to:
Illinois Department of Public Health
Division of Vital Records
925 East, Ridgely Avenue
Springfield, IL 62702-2732
To fax a DeKalb divorce verification letter, requesters should send a completed form and a valid ID to (217) 523-2648. Requesters should provide the following when requesting by fax.
- A return address
- Phone number
- Credit card information
Lastly, DeKalb divorce verification letters can be ordered in-person Monday to Friday from 10.00 AM to 3.00 PM at:
Illinois Department of Public Health
Division of Vital Records
925 East, Ridgely Avenue
Springfield, IL 62702-2732
Where and How to Get Public DeKalb County Marriage Records
Marriage records can only be accessed by the record holder, family members, or legal representatives of the birth record holder in DeKalb County. Requesters of a birth record must fill out the marriage request record form and possess a valid photocopy of a government-issued ID. Parties interested in getting a Public DeKalb County marriage record can do it in three ways:
- Online
- By mail
- In-person
Requesters can order DeKalb County marriage records by completing a mail order form and mailing the form, along with acceptable ID and payment, to the County Clerk and Recorder office at:
DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder
110 East, Sycamore Street
Sycamore, IL 601778
Phone Clerk: (815) 895-7149
Phone Recorder: (815) 895-7156
In-person requests can be made at the DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder's office Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Payment for birth records can be by cash, money order, or checks. Marriages over 50 years are genealogical records and can be accessed online for free at the DeKalb County Clerk.
A valid government-issued ID includes:
- Driver's license
- Passport
- A state-issued ID card
In the absence of these, two of the following are required, one from each category.
Category A
- A document showing the requester's current address - water, electricity, or cellular phone bill.
Category B
- Car insurance card
- Car registration paper
- Medical card
- Bank statement
- Credit card statement
- Public assistance card
- Voters registration card
- Military ID
- Paycheck stubs
Where and How to Get Confidential Marriage Records in DeKalb County
Confidential marriage records do not exist in Illinois; all marriages in DeKalb County are public marriages.
Where and How to Find DeKalb County Birth Records
The Illinois Department of Public Health issues birth records for persons born in the county, and interested parties can also access these records for the county's health department. Family members can obtain marriage records by filling out a birth certificate request form and submitting it in-person, by mail, fax, or email. Requesters can mail completed forms, money orders or checks, and a valid government-issued photo ID to:
DeKalb County Health Department
Attn: Vital Records
2550 North, Annie Glidden Road
DeKalb, IL 60115
Phone: (815) 748-2480
Fax: (815) 748-2485
Searchers can send email requests for DeKalb County birth records to vitalrecords@DeKalbcounty.org. Certified birth records cost $21.00, additional copies cost $17.00, and all checks and money orders should be payable to the Health Department. Illinois laws stipulate that only the birth record holder, if older than 18, parents of the birth record holder, and a legal representative can obtain a birth record. Genealogical birth records for DeKalb County - birth records 75 years or older - are available online.
Where and How to Find DeKalb County Death Records
Death records in DeKalb County are not public documents and are only available to persons with a personal or property interest. Ordering a death record costs $21.00, and additional copies cost $17.00 each. Family members interested in ordering a DeKalb County death record can fill out the death certificate request form and submit it with a valid photocopy of a government-issued photo ID and the check or money order to:
DeKalb County Health Department
Attn: Vital Records
2550 North, Annie Glidden Road
DeKalb, IL 60115
Phone: (815) 748-2480
Fax: (815) 748-2485
DeKalb County death records can also be obtained in-person at the County Health Department Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM or by email at vitalrecords@DeKalbcounty.org. Meanwhile, DeKalb County genealogical death records, which are death records 20 years or older, are available for access online.
