Circuit Court of Boone County, Illinois (17th Judicial Circuit) Electronic Filing Rules

CRITICAL

Applies to

Remote emergency protective order request

A request for a remote emergency protective order may be filed from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through illinoisprotectionorder.org or another chosen electronic filing system.

A request for an remote emergency protective order may be filed during the business hours of 8:00am to 4:30pm using illinoisprotectionorder.org or another electronic filing system of choice.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Protective order petition

A protective-order petition may be filed in person, by email, or online.

In accordance with the amendment of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963, the Stalking No Contact Order Act, the Civil No Contact Order Act, and the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986, the 17th Judicial Circuit establishes policies and procedures to allow a person to file a petition for a protection order, stalking no contact order, civil no contact order, or order of protection (“protective order”) either in-person, by email, or online.

CRITICALCivil cases

Applies to

Brief or memorandum of law

Briefs and memoranda of law filed with the Winnebago County Circuit Court must be filed through Winnebago County’s Electronic Filing System.

No briefs or memoranda of law may be filed with the Clerk of the Winnebago County Circuit Court except for filings made through Winnebago County’s Electronic Filing System.

CRITICAL

Courtesy copies for the judge must be submitted through eFileIL as separate documents in the same e-filing envelope unless an e-filing waiver is granted.

Courtesy copies for the judge shall be submitted/delivered through eFileIL, as separate documents in the same e-filing envelope, unless an E-Filing Waiver is granted.

CRITICAL

Prove-up packets must be filed through eFileIL as separate documents in one e-filing envelope and exchanged by 4:30 p.m. three business days before the hearing, unless an e-filing waiver is granted.

Prove-up packets shall be submitted through eFileIL as separate documents in the same e-filing envelope and exchanged by 4:30 pm three business days before the hearing, unless E-Filing Waiver is granted.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Agreed or proposed order

Agreed and proposed orders in civil and family cases must be submitted electronically through the process established by the respective Circuit Clerk.

Effective immediately, submission of agreed or proposed orders on all civil and family cases is to be accomplished electronically via the process established by the respective Circuit Clerk.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Order

Orders should no longer be submitted, whether in paper form or by email, to the Judge, Trial Court Administration, or the Clerk.

Orders should no longer be submitted, whether in paper form or by email, to the Judge, Trial Court Administration, or the Clerk.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Civil case filing

Electronic filing is authorized for civil cases except Will Filing cases.

This Court hereby authorizes all civil case types with the exception of W (Will Filing) as permissible electronic filing case types.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Listed documents

Wills, specified documents, and documents filed directly with the judge must be filed conventionally, not electronically, subject to the stated notices and county-specific rules for exhibits and photographs.

With exception to the Notice of Personal Identity Information Within Court Filing per Supreme Court Rule 15 effective January 1, 2012, and the Notice of Confidential Information With Court Filing per Supreme Court Rule 138, effective July 1, 2013, wills (or other testamentary documents), documents required to be maintained in original form pursuant to the Manual on Recordkeeping, and notices in entirely impounded, sealed, expunged, or confidential cases, in addition to individual documents to be sealed or impounded or documents that are filed directly with the judge (e.g. proposed orders) shall be filed in the conventional manner of filing and not by e-filing.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Exhibits and photographs

Exhibits and photographs must be filed conventionally in Winnebago County and electronically in Boone County.

Exhibits and photographs shall be filed in a conventional manner in Winnebago County and electronically in BooneCounty.

CRITICAL

The Clerk of the Circuit Court shall accept and approve electronic filings submitted through a Vendor or the Clerk’s computer workstation.

The Clerk of the Circuit Court shall accept and approve filings electronically through a Vendor or through the Clerk’s computer workstation.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Valid pleading

Electronic filing must not prevent or exclude filing a valid pleading in conventional paper format.

At no time shall the e-filing program prevent or exclude the ability to file any valid pleading with the Clerk of the 17th Judicial Circuit Court in conventional paper format.

CRITICAL

Users must register with the Clerk and the authorized e-filing Vendor before electronically filing a document.

Prior to filing any document electronically, users are required to register with the Clerk of Court and the Court’s authorized e-filing Vendor.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Valid pleading

Electronic filing must not prevent or exclude conventional paper filing of a valid pleading.

At no time shall the ability to file electronically prevent or exclude the ability to file any valid pleading with the Clerk of the 17th Judicial Circuit Court in conventional paper format.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Proposed order

Proposed orders must be submitted through eFileIL as separate documents in the same e-filing envelope unless e-filing is unavailable for the case type.

Proposed Orders shall be submitted or delivered through eFileIL, as separate documents in the same e-filing envelope, unless e-filing is not available for the case type.

CRITICAL

Applies to

Fee petition

Fee petitions must include a detailed invoice and proposed fee order, and must be e-filed when e-filing is mandated or submitted over the counter when it is not.

Fee Petitions, accompanied by a detailed invoice and proposed Order for Attorneys Fees, shall be e-filed in those cases where e-filing is mandated and be submitted over-the-counter in those cases where e-filing is not mandated.

WARNING

Applies to

Report of proceedings

A report of proceedings for uncontested grounds may not be filed unless a party requests it or the court orders it.

The report of proceedings for uncontested grounds shall not be filed unless requested by a party or ordered by the court.

WARNING

Applies to

Order

An order may be submitted only once and must not be submitted electronically as well as tendered in open court.

An order may be submitted only once (e.g., do not submit an order electronically and also tender one in open court)

WARNING

Applies to

Unapproved document type

The Clerk may reject electronically filed document types that have not been approved, including original wills.

The Clerk of the Court may reject any unapproved document type filed electronically by a subscriber, including but not limited to original wills.

WARNING

The Court authorizes and encourages electronic filing in the designated cases.

The Circuit Court hereby authorizes and encourages electronic filing in each of the designated cases as identified in Section C above.

WARNING

Applies to

Hearing scheduling message

A filer cannot set a hearing solely by sending a message with an e-filing.

Hearings may not be set solely by the Filer by use of a message accompanying an e-filing.

WARNING

Applies to

Hard copy of electronically filed document

If the Clerk requests a hard copy of an electronically filed document, the filing party must provide it within five business days upon reasonable notice.

At any time, the Clerk of the Court may request from the filing party a hard copy of an electronically filed document which shall be provided upon reasonable notice within five business days.

WARNING

Applies to

Document filed by pro se party

The Court must review a pro se party’s noncompliant-format document before rejecting it.

Documents filed by pro se parties that do not comply with the formats set forth by the applicable statute or rule shall be reviewed for acceptance by the court prior to rejection.

WARNING

When e-filing is unavailable for a case type, papers must be delivered to Court Administration or by another method ordered by the presiding judge.

In the event e-filing is not available for the case type, papers shall be delivered to the Court Administration Office or by any other means ordered by the presiding judge.

WARNING

If an e-filing waiver is on file, the Circuit Clerk's Office must accept the documents and submit them for the filer.

In the event there is an e-filing Waiver on file, the Circuit Clerk’s Office shall accept the document(s) and submit on the filer’s behalf.

INFO

Applies to

Notice of appeal or post judgment enforcement document

Notices of appeal and post-judgment enforcement documents may be e-filed and served under the Supreme Court Rules.

Any notice of appeal or post judgment enforcement proceeding documents may be e-filed and served in accordance with Supreme Court Rules.

INFO

Self-represented litigants may e-file through an internet Vendor as prescribed by the Clerk.

Pro se litigants may utilize e-filing through a Vendor on the internet in the manner prescribed by the Clerk.

INFO

The Clerk may accept subsequent electronic filings through an approved online Vendor or the Clerk’s workstation.

The Clerk of the Circuit Court may accept subsequent filings electronically through an approved Vendor online or through the Clerk’s computer workstation.

INFO

Applies to

Scheduling request

A filer may use the e-filing system to request that matters be scheduled.

Filer may use the e-filing system to request the scheduling of matters.

INFO

Applies to

Exhibits not readily available electronically

In Boone County, exhibits not readily available electronically may be filed conventionally.

In Boone County, file exhibits not readily available in electronic form (e.g. blueprints, large maps) may be filed conventionally.

INFO

Applies to

Paper exhibit

When possible and subject to size and scanning limits, a filing party should scan and electronically file a paper exhibit.

If possible, however, a filing party should scan a paper exhibit and file it electronically, in accordance with the size and scanning limitations.