Illinois Courthouse Dress Code & Attire Rules (2026)

Short answer: Clean, non-ripped dark jeans are generally accepted for jurors and traffic court visitors, but shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, and slides are prohibited across nearly all 20 courthouses in Illinois. Updated 2026-11-04

All 20 county courthouses in Illinois enforce judicial decorum dress codes: shorts, flip-flops, tank tops, halter tops, pajamas, and hats are prohibited in courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may refuse entry or reset your hearing if you are improperly dressed. Illinois has some of the strictest courthouse cell phone bans in the United States (48 of 102 counties ban general public phones). In Cook County suburban districts, DuPage County, Will County, and Winnebago County, non-juror visitors arriving by Uber or bus without a car are turned away if no lockers exist.

County Courthouse	City	Courtroom dress code	Phone Lockers	Juror Parking
Cook County Richard J. Daley Center & Suburban Municipal District Courthouses (Skokie, Bridgeview, Maywood, Rolling Meadows, Markham) “Courtroom Decorum Order (Cook County): "Business casual required. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, pajamas, or clothing with offensive graphics. Hats must be removed upon entering courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may deny entry or reschedule appearances for inappropriate attire."”	Chicago	Strict decorum: No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats	No lockers	Free Validated
DuPage County DuPage County Judicial Center (Wheaton) “Courtroom Decorum Order (DuPage County): "Business casual required. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, pajamas, or clothing with offensive graphics. Hats must be removed upon entering courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may deny entry or reschedule appearances for inappropriate attire."”	Wheaton	Strict decorum: No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats	Yes (Free)	Free Validated
Lake County Lake County Courthouse & Babcox Justice Center (Waukegan) “Courtroom Decorum Order (Lake County): "Business casual required. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, pajamas, or clothing with offensive graphics. Hats must be removed upon entering courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may deny entry or reschedule appearances for inappropriate attire."”	Waukegan	Strict decorum: No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats	Yes (Free)	Free Validated
Will County Will County Courthouse (Joliet) “Courtroom Decorum Order (Will County): "Business casual required. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, pajamas, or clothing with offensive graphics. Hats must be removed upon entering courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may deny entry or reschedule appearances for inappropriate attire."”	Joliet	Strict decorum: No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats	No lockers	Free Validated
Kane County Kane County Judicial Center (St. Charles) “Courtroom Decorum Order (Kane County): "Business casual required. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, pajamas, or clothing with offensive graphics. Hats must be removed upon entering courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may deny entry or reschedule appearances for inappropriate attire."”	St. Charles	Strict decorum: No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats	Yes (Free)	Free Validated
McHenry County McHenry County Courthouse (Woodstock) “Courtroom Decorum Order (McHenry County): "Business casual required. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, pajamas, or clothing with offensive graphics. Hats must be removed upon entering courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may deny entry or reschedule appearances for inappropriate attire."”	Woodstock	Strict decorum: No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats	No lockers	Free Validated
Winnebago County Winnebago County Courthouse & Criminal Justice Center (Rockford) “Courtroom Decorum Order (Winnebago County): "Business casual required. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, pajamas, or clothing with offensive graphics. Hats must be removed upon entering courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may deny entry or reschedule appearances for inappropriate attire."”	Rockford	Strict decorum: No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats	No lockers	Free Validated
Madison County Madison County Courthouse (Edwardsville) “Courtroom Decorum Order (Madison County): "Business casual required. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, pajamas, or clothing with offensive graphics. Hats must be removed upon entering courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may deny entry or reschedule appearances for inappropriate attire."”	Edwardsville	Strict decorum: No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats	No lockers	Free Validated
St. Clair County St. Clair County Courthouse (Belleville) “Courtroom Decorum Order (St. Clair County): "Business casual required. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, pajamas, or clothing with offensive graphics. Hats must be removed upon entering courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may deny entry or reschedule appearances for inappropriate attire."”	Belleville	Strict decorum: No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats	No lockers	Free Validated
Champaign County Champaign County Courthouse (Urbana) “Courtroom Decorum Order (Champaign County): "Business casual required. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, pajamas, or clothing with offensive graphics. Hats must be removed upon entering courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may deny entry or reschedule appearances for inappropriate attire."”	Urbana	Strict decorum: No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats	No lockers	Free Validated
Sangamon County Sangamon County Courthouse (Springfield) “Courtroom Decorum Order (Sangamon County): "Business casual required. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, pajamas, or clothing with offensive graphics. Hats must be removed upon entering courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may deny entry or reschedule appearances for inappropriate attire."”	Springfield	Strict decorum: No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats	No lockers	Free Validated
Peoria County Peoria County Courthouse (Peoria) “Courtroom Decorum Order (Peoria County): "Business casual required. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, pajamas, or clothing with offensive graphics. Hats must be removed upon entering courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may deny entry or reschedule appearances for inappropriate attire."”	Peoria	Strict decorum: No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats	No lockers	Free Validated
McLean County McLean County Courthouse (Bloomington) “Courtroom Decorum Order (McLean County): "Business casual required. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, pajamas, or clothing with offensive graphics. Hats must be removed upon entering courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may deny entry or reschedule appearances for inappropriate attire."”	Bloomington	Strict decorum: No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats	No lockers	Free Validated
Rock Island County Rock Island County Courthouse (Rock Island) “Courtroom Decorum Order (Rock Island County): "Business casual required. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, pajamas, or clothing with offensive graphics. Hats must be removed upon entering courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may deny entry or reschedule appearances for inappropriate attire."”	Rock Island	Strict decorum: No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats	No lockers	Free Validated
Kendall County Kendall County Courthouse (Yorkville) “Courtroom Decorum Order (Kendall County): "Business casual required. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, pajamas, or clothing with offensive graphics. Hats must be removed upon entering courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may deny entry or reschedule appearances for inappropriate attire."”	Yorkville	Strict decorum: No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats	No lockers	Free Validated
Tazewell County Tazewell County Courthouse (Pekin) “Courtroom Decorum Order (Tazewell County): "Business casual required. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, pajamas, or clothing with offensive graphics. Hats must be removed upon entering courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may deny entry or reschedule appearances for inappropriate attire."”	Pekin	Strict decorum: No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats	No lockers	Free Validated
LaSalle County LaSalle County Courthouse (Ottawa) “Courtroom Decorum Order (LaSalle County): "Business casual required. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, pajamas, or clothing with offensive graphics. Hats must be removed upon entering courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may deny entry or reschedule appearances for inappropriate attire."”	Ottawa	Strict decorum: No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats	No lockers	Free Validated
Kankakee County Kankakee County Courthouse (Kankakee) “Courtroom Decorum Order (Kankakee County): "Business casual required. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, pajamas, or clothing with offensive graphics. Hats must be removed upon entering courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may deny entry or reschedule appearances for inappropriate attire."”	Kankakee	Strict decorum: No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats	No lockers	Free Validated
Macon County Macon County Courthouse (Decatur) “Courtroom Decorum Order (Macon County): "Business casual required. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, pajamas, or clothing with offensive graphics. Hats must be removed upon entering courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may deny entry or reschedule appearances for inappropriate attire."”	Decatur	Strict decorum: No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats	No lockers	Free Validated
DeKalb County DeKalb County Courthouse (Sycamore) “Courtroom Decorum Order (DeKalb County): "Business casual required. No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, pajamas, or clothing with offensive graphics. Hats must be removed upon entering courtrooms. Judges and bailiffs may deny entry or reschedule appearances for inappropriate attire."”	Sycamore	Strict decorum: No shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or hats	No lockers	Free Validated

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can you wear jeans or shorts to court in Illinois?

Clean, non-ripped dark jeans are generally accepted for jurors and traffic court visitors, but shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, and slides are prohibited across nearly all 20 courthouses in Illinois.

How is this courthouse policy data verified?

We verify every county against official Court Administrative Orders (.gov), Jury Commissioner instructions, and Sheriff Court Security directives. Last verified 2026-11-04.