If your family law, criminal, traffic, or DUI matter is being heard in Will County, it is almost certainly being heard here. This guide covers what to know before you go: the address, the hours, what happens at security, where to park, and how e-filing and remote appearances work.
Where Is the Will County Courthouse?
The Will County Courthouse is at 100 W. Jefferson Street, Joliet, IL 60432, at the corner of Jefferson Street and Ottawa Street in downtown Joliet. The main courthouse line is (815) 727-8592.
What Is the Building Like Inside?
Will County's courthouse is a ten story tower that opened in 2020, with about 393,000 square feet of space and 38 courtrooms. The Law Library on the third floor houses both a self-help center for people representing themselves and public e-filing kiosks. If you are unsure where to go once you are inside, ask at the nearest counter rather than guess which elevator bank to take.
What Are the Courthouse Hours?
The courthouse is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and closed on official court holidays. On Saturdays the building opens at 8:30 a.m. for bond court and weddings only, not for general court business.
What Happens at Security?
Visitors enter through the Northeast or Southeast doors only, and everyone goes through a screening similar to an airport checkpoint. Leave weapons, pepper spray or mace, scissors, recording devices, and outside food or drink behind. Firearms are barred from the building under Illinois law, 430 ILCS 66/65(a)(4), with no exception for a valid concealed carry license.
Cell phones are allowed. That rule changed in February 2022, so an older article that says otherwise is out of date. Cameras generally are not permitted without separate permission.
What Cases Are Heard at the Will County Courthouse?
This is Will County's one main courthouse, and it is a full-service building. Civil, criminal, family, probate, and traffic matters are all heard here, and DUI cases move through it on two tracks at once, a criminal case and a separate license suspension handled administratively. A short list of case types can also be filed at the Will County Court Annex on North Ottawa Street, but if you were told to appear at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet, this building is where your hearing is.
Where Do I Park?
There is a free parking lot at Marion and Ottawa Street, west of the Will County Adult Detention Facility. There is also a paid lot immediately east of the courthouse, eight dollars per entry, with handicapped spaces available. Both put you a short walk from the entrance. Give yourself a few extra minutes on a busy morning docket.
Can I File Documents Electronically?
Nearly every civil case type in Will County has to be e-filed through the state's eFileIL system rather than handed across a counter. Self-represented litigants can register with an e-filing service provider and file the same way attorneys do, or ask the court for an exemption for good cause. Attorneys cannot claim that exemption.
One exception matters here: an original will still has to be filed in person, even inside an otherwise e-filed probate case. If you need help filing, the courthouse has e-filing kiosks and a self-help center in the Law Library on the third floor.
Criminal and traffic cases work a little differently. Those case types can only be e-filed once a case already exists in the system, since new criminal charges are filed by the State's Attorney, not by the public. If you are a defendant, you generally will not be the one e-filing the charge, though your attorney may e-file motions and other documents into an existing case.
Can I Appear by Zoom Instead of in Person?
The 12th Judicial Circuit, which covers Will County, runs remote hearings through its iZoom Rooms system. Not every hearing qualifies, and whether yours does depends on the judge and the type of appearance. Remote appearances tend to be more common for short status calls and routine case management dates than for evidentiary hearings or trials, where a judge is more likely to want everyone in the room. Ask the clerk's office or your attorney before assuming a court date can be handled from home.
What If My Hearing Isn't at the Main Courthouse?
Most Joliet-area family, criminal, traffic, and DUI matters are heard at the main courthouse on Jefferson Street, but Will County runs a few other locations. The Will County Court Annex on North Ottawa Street accepts a limited set of civil filings and emergency motions. The River Valley Justice Center is a full-service branch office. Smaller branch courts in Bolingbrook, Braidwood, Lockport, Peotone, Plainfield, Frankfort, and Wilmington are court-only, meaning hearings happen there but clerk's office services do not. If your notice does not say which building, call the number on it or ask your attorney before you drive downtown.
What About Accessibility and ADA Accommodations?
The courthouse has a Court Disability Coordinator who handles requests for accommodations, such as an interpreter or documents in an accessible format. Illinois courts ask that these requests go in before your court date rather than the morning of, since some accommodations take time to arrange.
What Should I Bring, and How Early Should I Arrive?
Bring a government-issued photo ID, your case number if you have one, and any paperwork specific to your hearing, whether that is a summons, a citation, or documents your attorney gave you. Beyond that, general practical advice: build in time for parking and the security line instead of cutting it close, and if you are not sure which courtroom you need, the lobby directory board and the deputies near the entrance can point you there. If you already have a case number, mentioning it to a deputy usually speeds things up. None of this is official court policy. It is simply what makes a stressful morning go easier.
Inspired Law Group at the Will County Courthouse
Jeff McCarthy has practiced in the Will County courts for more than 30 years, and family law, criminal, DUI, and traffic clients of Inspired Law Group appear at this courthouse regularly. If you have a hearing coming up here, whether it involves a divorce, a parenting matter, an order of protection, or a criminal or DUI charge, call (815) 838-5297 to talk through what to expect before you go.
Related: Criminal & DUI Defense in Joliet · DUI Defense · Illinois family law FAQ
Sources: Circuit Clerk of Will County · Illinois Courts · Illinois Compiled Statutes
Questions People Ask
Where exactly is the Will County Courthouse?
100 W. Jefferson Street, Joliet, IL 60432, at the corner of Jefferson and Ottawa in downtown Joliet. The main line is (815) 727-8592.
What can I not bring into the Will County Courthouse?
Weapons of any kind, pepper spray or mace, scissors, recording devices, cameras without permission, and outside food or drink are all prohibited, and firearms are barred under Illinois law regardless of a concealed carry license. Cell phones are allowed.
Do I have to file my court documents online?
For most civil case types, yes. Will County requires e-filing through the state's eFileIL system, with a narrow exemption process for self-represented litigants and an exception for original wills, which still have to be filed in person.
Is parking free at the Will County Courthouse?
There is a free lot at Marion and Ottawa Street, and a paid lot immediately east of the courthouse at eight dollars per entry, with handicapped spaces available.
