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Sangamon County Expungement Process Guide
Last Reviewed & Updated: July 18, 2026
By: W. Scott Hanken | Former Sangamon County Prosecutor | Springfield Criminal Defense & DUI Attorney |
Voted “Best Attorney” — Illinois Times Best of Springfield & State Journal-Register Reader’s Choice | Springfield, IL • Sangamon County • (217) 544-4057 • hankenlaw.com
Direct Answer
In Sangamon County, expungement and sealing petitions are filed with the Circuit Clerk’s Office at 200 South Ninth Street, Springfield, Illinois 62701, located on the fourth floor of the Sangamon County Building. Filing generally requires a Request form, a Notice of Filing form, and an Order form, along with the required number of copies unless the documents are e-filed. The standard filing payment is $120, split between a $60 fee paid to the Circuit Clerk and a separate $60 money order payable to the Illinois State Police, though qualifying low-income petitioners may ask the court to waive these fees using the standard Illinois fee waiver process. After filing, the Circuit Clerk’s Office sets a court date for the case; a court appearance may or may not actually be required depending on whether the State’s Attorney or another agency files an objection.
- File with the Sangamon County Circuit Clerk, 200 South Ninth Street, Room 405, Springfield, IL 62701.
- Standard fee is $120 ($60 to the Circuit Clerk, $60 money order to the Illinois State Police); fee waivers are available for qualifying low-income petitioners.
- You’ll generally need a Request form, Notice of Filing form, and Order form — plus specific copy counts unless you e-file.
- A court date is set after filing, but a hearing is only required if an objection is filed.
- Even with the Clean Slate Act’s coming automatic sealing, filing a petition now still gets many people relief faster.
The rules for who qualifies for expungement or sealing are the same statewide, but the paperwork, fees, and local practice can vary by county. If you’re filing in Sangamon County — whether your case originated in Springfield or one of the surrounding communities — here’s what the local process actually looks like.
Where and How to File an Expungement or Sealing Petition in Sangamon County
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Sangamon County Circuit Clerk, Room 405, Sangamon County Building |
| Address | 200 South Ninth Street, Springfield, IL 62701 |
| Phone | 217-753-6674 |
| Hours | Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. |
| Forms needed | Request form, Notice of Filing form, Order form |
| Copies (non-eFiled) | Original + 4 copies of the Request and Notice forms; original + 1 copy of the Order |
| Copies (eFiled) | 1 original copy generally sufficient |
| Total fee | $120 ($60 to the Circuit Clerk, plus a $60 money order to the Illinois State Police) |
| Accepted payment | Cash (in person), certified check, or money order |
| Fee waiver | Available for qualifying low-income petitioners via the statewide Fee/Assessments Waiver for Criminal Cases form |
Required Forms, Copies, and Fees for Sangamon County Filings
- The Sangamon County Circuit Clerk’s Office, which handles expungement and sealing filings, is located at 200 South Ninth Street, Springfield, Illinois 62701.
- The Circuit Clerk’s Office is on the fourth floor of the Sangamon County Building and can be reached at 217-753-6674.
- Filing an expungement or sealing request in Sangamon County generally requires a Request form, a Notice of Filing form, and an Order form.
- For non-eFiled paperwork, petitioners generally must submit the original plus four copies of the Request and Notice forms, and the original plus one copy of the Order.
- If the petition is filed electronically, one original copy is generally sufficient rather than the multiple paper copies required for in-person filing.
- The standard filing payment in Sangamon County is $120, consisting of a $60 fee paid to the Circuit Clerk’s Office and a separate $60 money order payable to the Illinois State Police.
- Qualifying low-income petitioners can request a fee waiver using Illinois’s standardized Fee/Assessments Waiver for Criminal Cases form, which is accepted by the Sangamon County Circuit Clerk.
- The Circuit Clerk’s Office accepts cash for in-person filings, along with certified checks or money orders.
- After a petition is filed, the Sangamon County Circuit Clerk’s Office sets a court date, though a hearing is only required if an objection is filed.
- All court records not sealed by the court are available for public viewing at the Circuit Clerk’s Office, while sealed, expunged, and impounded cases are excluded from public access.
- Sangamon County has periodically hosted free expungement and record-sealing summits, with volunteer attorneys and Circuit Clerk staff on-site to help eligible participants file at no cost.
- The Office of the State Appellate Defender provides statewide instruction booklets and forms accepted by the Sangamon County Circuit Clerk for expungement and sealing filings.
- The Sangamon County Circuit Clerk’s online records lookup system allows the public to search non-confidential case records, though adoption, juvenile, mental health, impounded, sealed, and expunged cases remain unavailable.
- Residents of Springfield and the surrounding Sangamon County communities file expungement and sealing petitions in the same Circuit Clerk’s Office regardless of which municipality the arrest occurred in, as long as the case was filed in Sangamon County.
- Under the Clean Slate Act (P.A. 104-0459), automatic sealing is set to phase in starting 2029, but filing a petition now still gives Sangamon County residents faster relief and more control over timing than waiting for the automatic process.
What Happens After You File in Sangamon County
Filing the petition is just the start. Here’s what typically happens next:
- The Circuit Clerk sets a court date for the petition once it’s filed.
- Notice is sent to the State’s Attorney, the arresting agency, and any other agency the statute requires.
- Those agencies have a window to object to the petition if they believe the record doesn’t qualify.
- If no objection is filed, the court may grant the petition without requiring you to appear at a hearing.
- If an objection is filed, a hearing is scheduled and you (or your attorney) will need to appear and address it.
- Once granted, the Circuit Clerk sends the order to the Illinois State Police and arresting agency, who must execute it within the statutory deadline.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Expungement and sealing petitions in Sangamon County are filed with the Circuit Clerk’s Office at 200 South Ninth Street, Springfield, Illinois, on the fourth floor of the Sangamon County Building.
Filing an expungement or sealing request in Sangamon County generally requires a payment of $120, made up of a $60 fee to the Circuit Clerk’s Office and a separate $60 money order payable to the Illinois State Police.
Petitioners generally need a Request form, a Notice of Filing form, and an Order form, along with the required number of copies, unless the documents are filed electronically.
Sangamon County has periodically hosted free expungement summits with volunteer attorneys and Circuit Clerk staff on-site, where filing fees and attorney fees for eligible participants have been waived.
A court date is set for every case, but a court appearance may or may not actually be required depending on whether the State’s Attorney or another agency files an objection to your petition.
Yes, for paper filings. You generally need the original plus four copies of the Request and Notice of Filing forms, and the original plus one copy of the Order, unless the petition is e-filed.
The $120 total fee is split into two payments because two different agencies process the request: $60 goes to the Sangamon County Circuit Clerk for filing, and a separate $60 money order goes to the Illinois State Police for their part of the record-clearing process.
Yes. Qualifying low-income petitioners can ask the court to waive the filing fee using Illinois’s standardized Fee/Assessments Waiver for Criminal Cases form, available through the Illinois Courts website or the Circuit Clerk’s Office.
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About the Author: W. Scott Hanken, Attorney at Law
Scott Hanken is a Springfield, Illinois criminal defense attorney with over 37 years of experience, including service as a former Sangamon County prosecutor. He has been voted Best Attorney by the Illinois Times and State Journal-Register, holds an Avvo 10.0 “Superb” rating, and has earned over 270 five-star Google reviews. His firm handles DUI defense, drug crimes, traffic violations, violent crimes, and weapons offenses throughout Sangamon County and Central Illinois.
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This article is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Every case is unique — contact an experienced Springfield criminal defense attorney for guidance on your specific situation.
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