Hancock County Court Case Categories
Understanding how cases are categorized helps litigants, attorneys, and the public navigate the court system more effectively. The Hancock County Circuit Clerk's Office assigns case numbers based on the type of action filed. The categories below are defined by the Circuit Clerk's Manual on Recordkeeping from the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts and are intended to illustrate the kinds of actions filed under each category, not to serve as a comprehensive legal reference.
Civil
A Chancery (CH) case number shall be assigned to a complaint for equitable relief in matters such as contract actions, trusts, and title to real property.
- Abandoned mobile home
- Appointment of Special Administrator
- Construction of inter vivos trust
- Construction of testamentary trust (After Probate case has been closed)
- Contract Actions – specific performance
- Detinue
- Equitable Lien
- Exhume a body
- Foreclosure of security interest in personal property
- Injunction (except in Tax and Dissolution cases)
- Mechanic’s lien foreclosure
- Partition
- Partnership dissolution
- Petition for Issuance of Marriage Certificate (Adult)
- Quiet title
- Rescission of contract
- Removal of private compromising image (take-down order)
- Restraining order
- Specific performance
- Structured settlement, original action to assign
- Trust Administration
An Eminent Domain (ED) case number shall be assigned to proceedings involving compensation to an owner for property taken for public use.
An Eviction (EV) case number shall be assigned to any commercial or residential eviction proceeding and for any proceeding for ejectment.
- Commercial
- Residential
- Ejectment
A Foreclosure (FC) case number shall be assigned to any residential or commercial foreclosure proceeding.
- Residential Real Estate
- Commercial Real Estate
- Residential Foreclosure/Termination of Lease
Each Governmental (GC) or Municipal Corporation (MC) shall have one permanent case number assigned containing such matters as organization, appointment of officers, approval of bonds, and routine orders confirming annexation. A new GC case shall be assigned to each petition filed seeking consideration by the court on new matters. Note: the MC case type was assigned the Government Corporation (GC) cases prior to January 1, 2022.
- Drainage Assessment (Except Tax Collection)
- Foreclosure of Lien for Special Assessment
- Petition for annexation for election
- Petition for the creation of a drainage district
- Petition to change form of government
- Petition to disconnect from fire district
- Petition to dissolve government corporation
- Retailer’s Occupation Tax
- Special Assessment (To Change or Restrain Collection)
A Guardianship (GR) case number shall be assigned for any case involving guardianship of a minor, person with a disability, or an estate of any person under the Probate Act of 1975, as amended.
- Guardianship of Minor
- Guardianship of Person with Disability
- Guardianship of Estate of a Living Person
A Law (LA) case number shall be assigned to tort, contract, and a variety of other actions in which the damages sought are greater than $50,000. The amount of damages contained in the complaint pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 222, excluding interest and costs, determines the category, not the amount of the verdict or judgment. If no specific amount is claimed, an LA number shall be assigned. Note: The L case type was assigned to cases prior to January 1, 2022.
- Arbitration and award
- Asbestos
- Civil Remedies for Nonconsensual Dissemination of Private Sexual Images Act
- Contract – money damages only
- Confession of judgment
- Distress for rent
- Recover support/contribution
- Replevin
- Statutory action by state or political subdivision to recover support or contribution
- Tort – money damages
- Trover
- Wrongful Death
A Law Magistrate (LM) case number shall be assigned to tort, contract, and a variety of other actions in which the damages sought are $50,000 or less. The amount of damages contained in the complaint pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 222, excluding interest and costs, determines the category, not the amount of the verdict or judgment. Note: A tort or contract case in which the damages sought are $10,000 or less is assigned a Small Claims (SC) number.
- Arbitration and award
- Civil Remedies for Nonconsensual Dissemination of Private Sexual Images Act
- Contract – money damages over $10,000 only
- Confession of judgment
- Distress for rent
- Recover support/contribution
- Replevin
- Statutory action by state or political subdivision to recover support or contribution
- Tort – money damages over $10,000
- Trover
- Wrongful Death
A Mental Health (MH) case number shall be assigned to proceedings involving hospitalization, discharge, or restoration to legal status. When a proceeding relative to a resident of Illinois is held in a county other than the county in which the person resides and a transcript of such proceeding (including change of status reports) is received by the circuit clerk of the county of such person’s residence, the clerk shall assign a new MH case number.
- Petition for hospitalization
- Petition for discharge
- Petition for restoration
- Petition to administer treatment
A Miscellaneous Remedy (MR) case number shall be assigned to complaints seeking review of administrative decisions (other than of a tax commission), and a variety of other actions that include change of name, demolition, and corporation dissolution.
- Abatement of Nuisance
- Administrative Review – Unemployment
- Adult Protective Services Act
- Appointment of Receiver
- Building Code Violation
- Burnt records
- Certiorari
- Change of name
- Confirmation of Election Judge
- Consumer Fraud/Deceptive Business Practice
- Contagious Disease
- Corporation dissolution
- Declaratory Judgment
- Demolition
- Election contest
- Escheat
- Fictitious Vital Record
- Lost goods or money
- Mandamus
- Ne exeat (original action)
- Petition to destroy evidence
- Petition for discovery or to depose
- Quo warranto
- Review of administrative proceedings (other than tax commission)
- Sexually transmissible disease control proceeding
A Probate (PR) case number shall be assigned to estates of decedents and missing persons. Note: The P case type was assigned to cases prior to January 1, 2022.
- Administration of Decedent’s Estate
- Missing Person
- Wrongful Death/Collection of Judgment
A Small Claim (SC) case number shall be assigned to “…a civil action based on either tort or contract for money not in excess of $10,000, exclusive of interest and costs” (Supreme Court Rule 281).
- Contract – money damages $10,000 or less only
- Tort – money damages $10,000 or less
A Tax (TX) case number shall be assigned to the annual tax sale, petition for tax deed, objections, and a variety of other actions relating to the collection of taxes.
- Annual tax sale (Assigned 1st case number each year)
- Drainage assessment tax collection
- Petition for tax deed
- Sale in error
- Scavenger tax sale
- Tax commission, review of decision
- Tax foreclosure
- Tax injunction
- Tax refund/objection
Family & Juvenile
An Adoption (AD) case number shall be assigned to every adoption case filed pursuant to 750 ILCS 50/0.01 et seq.
A Dissolution with Children (DC) case number shall be assigned to a complaint for dissolution of marriage, civil union, annulment, petitions for legal separation, or separate maintenance as defined in 750 ILCS 5/303 when at the time of filing there are minor children. NOTES: The D case type was assigned to these cases prior to January 1, 2022. Petitions for Order of Protection shall be assigned a separate OP case number.
- Invalidity
- Dissolution
- Legal Separation
- Dissolution of civil union
A Dissolution No Children (DN) case number shall be assigned to a complaint for dissolution of marriage, civil union, annulment, petition for legal separation or separate maintenance as defined in 750 ILCS 5/303 when at the time of filing there are no minor children. NOTES: The D case type was assigned to these cases prior to January 1, 2022. Petitions for Order of Protection shall be assigned a separate OP case number.
- Invalidity
- Dissolution
- Legal Separation
- Dissolution of civil union
A Family (FA) case number shall be assigned to a variety of matters including proceedings to establish the parent-child relationship, notice to putative fathers, and certain actions relating to child support. NOTE: The F case type was assigned to cases prior to January 1, 2022. Petitions for Order of Protection shall be assigned a separate OP case number.
- Abandoned baby
- Child of assisted reproduction
- Delayed record of birth
- Gestational surrogacy
- Notice to putative father under the Adoption Act (750 ILCS 50/12a) and Juvenile Court Act (705 ILCS
- 405(2-30, 3-31, and 4-28))
- Parentage
- Petition for confidential intermediary
- Petition for custody
- Petition for visitation frail/elderly adult
- Petition for parental responsibility (visitation or child support)
- Petition to request support
- Petition for visitation of child(ren)
A Juvenile Abuse and Neglect (JA) case number shall be assigned to all cases involving dependent, neglected, or abused minors as defined by 705 ILCS 405/2-1, et seq. of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. A JA case shall include only abuse, neglect, and dependency matters. A separate JA case number shall be assigned to each minor respondent.
A Juvenile Delinquent (JD) case number shall be assigned to all cases involving addicted minors as defined by the Substance Use Disorder Act (705 ILCS 405/4-1 et seq.) or delinquent minors as defined by the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 (705 ILCS 405/5-101 et seq.). A JD case shall not contain abuse, neglect, or dependency matters.
A Juvenile (JV) case number shall be assigned to all cases involving minors requiring authoritative intervention as defined by 705 ILCS 405/3-1 et seq. of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, or to any other proceedings initiated under 705 ILCS 405/1-1 et seq. of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987, except those defined by the JA or JD categories. A JV case shall not contain abuse, neglect or dependency matters, a JA case shall be assigned instead. NOTE: The J case type was assigned to cases prior to January 1, 2022.
- Truancy
- Sexting
- Emancipation of Minor
- Petition for Issuance of Marriage License/Civil Union Certificate (Minor)
Other
A Contempt of Court (CC) case number shall be assigned to any proceeding where there is a finding of indirect or direct contempt of court, for charges initiated against a person who is not a party to the action in which the contemptuous conduct allegedly occurred, including a juror who has been impaneled. The CC category shall be used in both civil and criminal contempt proceedings against non-parties. A Contempt of Court case number shall be assigned when a juror who has not responded to a juror summons has been found in contempt.
- Jurors who do not respond to summons or who are absent
- Civil Contempt of Court (direct or indirect)
- Criminal Contempt of Court (direct or indirect)
A Civil Law (CL) case number shall be assigned to all cases for civil law violations as defined by Supreme Court Rule 585.
A Miscellaneous Criminal (MX) case number shall be assigned to a variety of actions for civil processes relating to criminal proceedings such as search warrants, grand jury proceedings, statutory summary suspensions (when no DT case filed), probationer transfers, eavesdropping, seized property, sealing and expungement petitions, habeas corpus, and administrative subpoenas.
- Administrative Subpoena
- Application for order authorizing eavesdropping or electronic criminal surveillance
- Appointment of Special Prosecutor
- Asset forfeitures
- Attachment (Original Action)
- Certificate of Innocence
- Eavesdropping
- Expungement petition (for arrest without charge)
- Extradition
- Fugitive from Justice
- Grand Jury Investigator
- Habeas Corpus (civil or criminal)
- Interstate and Intrastate probationer transfer (each transfer is assigned a separate case number)
- Petition to Expunge (Governor’s Pardon)
- Petition for Rule to Show Cause against a Juror for Failure to Appear
- Petition to Seal (when no criminal case exists)
- Petition to Secure Testimony for Out-of-state Witness
- Peace Bond Fugitive/Probationer Transfers
- Rendition
- Search Warrant (complaint for search warrant not related to pending case; each search warrant assigned a separate case number)
- Sexually violent person commitment proceeding
- Statewide Grand Jury proceedings (prior to determination of venue for prosecution)
- Statutory Summary Suspension (when no DT case is filed)
An Order of Protection (OP) case number shall be assigned to any petition for an order of protection, petition for stalking no contact order, firearms restraining order, or civil no contact order. Nothing precludes local practices where an OP case may be combined with another civil, criminal or juvenile case, however, a separate OP case number shall be assigned to all order of protection proceedings.
- Order of Protection
- Civil No Contact Order
- Stalking No Contact Order
- Firearm Restraining Order
Criminal, Domestic violence, DUI, Traffic, Ordinance, Quasi-Criminal & Conservation
A Criminal Felony (CF) case number shall be assigned when a complaint, information, or indictment is filed in which at least one count charges a felony as defined by the Unified Code of Corrections (730 ILCS 5/5-1 et seq.)
- Any violation of the criminal code or other Illinois statute classified as a Murder, Class X, 1, 2, 3, or 4 felony, which provides for the imprisonment in the state penitentiary for more than one year.
A Criminal Misdemeanor (CM) case number shall be assigned when a case is filed in which the most serious charge carries a penalty of less than one-year imprisonment, limited to Class A, B, or C offenses as defined in the Unified Code of Corrections (730 ILCS 5/5-1 et seq.), which are not otherwise defined as CV, DV, DT, OV, QC, MT or TR cases.
- Any violation of the criminal code or other Illinois statute classified as Class A, B or C misdemeanor, that provides for a fine or imprisonment in a penal institution other than the state penitentiary for a term of less than one year.
A Conservation (CV) case number shall be assigned to any case defined by Supreme Court Rule 501(c).
- Any violation of the State Conservation Act or other ordinances relating to conservation.
A Driving Under the Influence (DT) case number shall be assigned to any case charging a violation of a statute, ordinance, or regulation governing driving or operating under the influence of alcohol, other drug, or combination thereof, under Section 11-501 of the Illinois Vehicle Code, Section 5-7 of the Snowmobile Registration and Safety Act, and Section 5-16 of the Boat Registration and Safety Act. If the offense is punishable upon conviction by imprisonment in a penitentiary, the case shall be assigned a CF case number.
- Driving Under the Influence – Illinois Vehicle Code
- Operating Under the Influence – Watercraft
- Operating Under the Influence – Snowmobile
A Domestic Violence (DV) case number shall be assigned to any case in which a violation of domestic battery under Section 12-3.2 of the Criminal Code (720 ILCS 5/12-3.2) is charged. If the offense is punishable upon conviction by imprisonment in a penitentiary, the case shall be assigned a CF case number.
- Any case in which a violation of domestic battery under Section 12-3.2 of the Criminal Code (720 ILCS 5/12-3.2). If the offense is punishable upon conviction by imprisonment in the penitentiary, the case shall be assigned a CF case number
A Major Traffic (MT) case number shall be assigned as any case defined by Supreme Court Rule 501 (f)(1)(i), except DUI cases.
- Any case defined by Supreme Court Rule 501(f)(1)(i), except DUI cases.
An Ordinance Violation (OV) case number shall be assigned to any case in which violation of a local ordinance is charged. Violations of traffic ordinance as defined by Supreme Court Rule 501(f) shall be given a MT, TR or DT case number, as appropriate.
A Quasi-Criminal (QC) case number shall be assigned to any offense classified as Petty or Business as defined in the Unified Code of Corrections (730 ILCS 5/5-1 et seq.), which is not otherwise defined as a DT, MT, TR, or CV case.
- Any offense classified as Petty or Business as defined in the Unified Code of Corrections (730 ILCS 5/5-1 et seq.), which is not otherwise defined as a DT, MT, TR or CV case
A Minor Traffic (TR) case number shall be assigned to any case defined by Supreme Court Rule 501(f)(1)(ii).
