Document Retrieval

Cook County Courts, Recorder's Office, State Archives — One Call Gets It All

Email Us Your Request

Our Document Retrieval Services

Retrieving Records from Cook County Courts, the Recorder of Deeds, and Beyond

Common Places

Below are a list of locations and types of documents we retrive on a daily basis 

Circuit Court of Cook County — Chicago (District 1)

  • Richard J. Daley Center — 50 W. Washington St., Chicago, IL 60602
  • George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse — 2650 S. California Ave., Chicago, IL 60608
  • Domestic Violence Courthouse — 555 W. Harrison St., Chicago, IL 60607
  • Juvenile Justice Division — 1100 S. Hamilton Ave., Chicago, IL 60612

Circuit Court of Cook County — Suburban Districts

  • District 2 – Skokie Courthouse — 5600 Old Orchard Road, Skokie, IL 60076 Cook County Sheriff
  • District 3 – Rolling Meadows Courthouse — 2121 W. Euclid Ave., Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 Cook County Sheriff
  • District 4 – Maywood Courthouse — 1500 Maybrook Drive, Maywood, IL 60153 Cook County Sheriff
  • District 5 – Bridgeview Courthouse — 10220 S. 76th Ave., Bridgeview, IL 60455 Cook County Sheriff
  • District 6 – Markham Courthouse — 16501 S. Kedzie Parkway, Markham, IL 60426 Cook County Sheriff

Federal Courts

  • Dirksen U.S. Courthouse (N.D. Ill.) — 219 S. Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 60604
  • Everett McKinley Dirksen Federal Building (Bankruptcy Court) — same address

Other Key Offices

  • Cook County Recorder of Deeds — 118 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60602
  • Illinois Secretary of State — 213 State Capitol, Springfield (or Chicago office at 69 W. Washington)
  • Illinois State Archives — Margaret Cross Norton Building, Springfield



More about us

How It Works

Step 1:

Start the process by emailing your legal documents to info@nationwide-investigations.com or submitting through our Secure Portal

Step 2:

Your legal documents will be assigned to a licensed Illinois process server. Depending on the service level they will begin attempting to serve the documents. You will receive email status updates with photos and server notes.

Step 3:

Once your documents are served you will be provided an affidavit to file with the court. In many courts including Cook County Court they require affidavits to be e-filed. We can assist.

Areas We Cover

State Wide Coverage

Covering All of Illinois


From Cook County courthouses to downstate circuit courts, we retrieve records from courts, clerks' offices, and public agencies across the entire state — so your firm doesn't have to coordinate multiple vendors or send staff hours away. Whether you need a certified copy of a court order from a rural circuit court, a UCC filing pulled from Springfield, or a corporate record from the Secretary of State, we handle the legwork start to finish.


We don't just retrieve — we file too. Need to submit documents to the Illinois Secretary of State, a downstate circuit court clerk, or a state agency? We handle filings on your behalf, confirm acceptance, and get you proof of filing fast. One call handles it all, no matter where in Illinois the work needs to happen.


Key Statewide Offices We Retrieve From and File With: We regularly retrieve records from and file documents with Illinois state-level offices on behalf of law firms and corporate clients, including:

  • Illinois Secretary of State — 213 State Capitol, Springfield, IL 62706
  • Illinois State Archives — Margaret Cross Norton Building, Springfield, IL 62756
  • Illinois Department of Public Health (Vital Records) — 525 W. Jefferson St., Springfield, IL 62761
  • Illinois Appellate Court Clerk — First District, 160 N. LaSalle St., Chicago, IL 60601
  • Illinois Supreme Court Clerk — 200 E. Capitol Ave., Springfield, IL 62701


Submit A Job

FAQs

Got a question? We’re here to help.

  • How Much Does it Cost to Serve Papers?

    The cost of process service depends on the type of service you need and the timeline required, but here's a general breakdown:


    Routine Service — $85.00 flat statewide. Whether your documents need to be served in Chicago's Gold Coast, a suburb like Naperville or Joliet, or downstate in Springfield or Champaign — the price is the same.


    Rush Service — Priced based on urgency and location. Contact us for a quick quote.


    Same-Day Service — Available for emergency serves throughout Chicago and Cook County. Contact us for pricing.


    No hidden fees. No surprises. You'll know the cost upfront before we ever dispatch a server.

    Volume discounts are available for law firms and legal departments with ongoing process serving needs. If your firm handles a high volume of serves across Cook County or statewide, give us a call — we'll put together a package that works for your caseload.

  • Are you Licensed ?

    Yes — Nationwide Investigations is fully licensed through the State of Illinois. Our Illinois Private Detective Agency license number is 117-001790, issued by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR).


    In addition to our agency license, our individual process servers are licensed through the State of Illinois as well — so every serve is handled by a credentialed professional, not a contractor pulled off a list.

    We carry our licensing seriously. Illinois is one of the stricter states when it comes to process server regulation, and every member of our team operates in full compliance with the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure. When you work with Nationwide Investigations, your affidavits will hold up in court — whether that's the Cook County Circuit Court at the Daley Center, the Dirksen Federal Courthouse, or anywhere else in the state.

  • How Many Attempts Do you Do?

    We make up to 4 attempts to serve your subject, strategically scheduled at different times of day to maximize the chances of a successful serve. Our process servers don't just show up at the same time every visit — we vary our attempts across mornings, evenings, nights, and weekends to catch the subject when they're most likely to be home.


    Our Illinois-licensed servers use their knowledge of Chicago neighborhoods and surrounding Cook County communities to make smart decisions about timing and approach — whether that's a high-rise in River North, a bungalow on the Southwest Side, or a residence out in the suburbs.


    Have additional information about the subject? Send it over with your documents. Any details help — work schedules, vehicle descriptions, alternate addresses, or known hangout spots. The more we know, the better our chances of a successful serve on the first attempt.

  • What Happens After Service ?

    Once service is complete, you'll receive a court-ready Affidavit of Service documenting the date, time, location, and method of service. If our process server was unable to complete service after all attempts, you'll receive an Affidavit of Non-Service detailing each attempt made — which is equally important for your case record.


    From there, you have two options:


    File it yourself — We'll deliver the affidavit directly to you and your firm can file it with the appropriate court


    We file it for you — Simply authorize us and we'll handle the eFiling on your behalf. We file regularly with the Cook County Circuit Court, the Daley Center, and courts across Illinois — so your proof of service gets where it needs to go without any extra legwork on your end


    All affidavits are prepared to meet Illinois court standards and are accepted by judges across Cook County and the surrounding collar counties.

  • Do you serve outside of Illinois?

    Yes — while Chicago and Cook County are our home base, Nationwide Investigations is a full-service process serving company with the ability to serve legal documents anywhere in the United States.


    Through our trusted network of licensed process servers, we handle out-of-state serves in all 50 states. So whether you need a summons served in Indiana, a subpoena delivered in Wisconsin, or documents served across the country in California or Florida, we have you covered — all coordinated through our Chicago office so you never have to track down a different vendor.


    We're also more than just process serving. As a one-stop shop for legal support, Nationwide Investigations offers:


    Process Serving — Illinois statewide and all 50 states

    Skip Tracing — Locate hard-to-find defendants anywhere in the country

    eFiling — Cook County Circuit Court and Illinois statewide

    Document Retrieval — Court records, case documents, and filings across Illinois


    One call, one company, one invoice. Whether your case is in the Loop, downstate Springfield, or across state lines — we handle it all.