Illinois Courthouses Safe for Uber & Transit Riders (2026)

Short answer: At Cook County (Chicago), McHenry County (Woodstock), Winnebago County (Rockford), Madison County (Edwardsville), security will deny you entry if you have a phone and no car to store it in. Arriving late to traffic or criminal court due to a rejected phone can result in a Failure to Appear (FTA) bench warrant. Updated 2026-11-04

4 of 20 county courthouses in Illinois are safe for visitors arriving by Uber, Lyft, or public transit (either allowing phones inside or providing lobby lockers). However, 16 courthouses are an "Uber Trap"—they ban cell phones at the door and have zero lockers on site. 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	Uber & bus rider safe (no car)	Phone Lockers	Juror Parking
DuPage County DuPage County Judicial Center (Wheaton) “DuPage County Judicial Center Entrance Notice: "Complimentary small phone lockers are located in the entrance vestibule prior to passing through security screening. Once full, visitors must return phones to their vehicles."”	Wheaton	Safe for Uber/bus (lobby lockers: Free)	Yes (Free)	Free Validated
Lake County Lake County Courthouse & Babcox Justice Center (Waukegan) “Security Checkpoint Notice (Lake County Courthouse & Babcox Justice Center (Waukegan)): "Small personal electronics lockers are available in the main lobby (free of charge); capacity is limited and Court Security assumes no liability."”	Waukegan	Safe for Uber/bus (phones allowed inside)	Yes (Free)	Free Validated
Will County Will County Courthouse (Joliet) “Bailiff / Sheriff Security Directive (Will County Courthouse (Joliet)): "Court security officers will not hold, store, or safeguard cell phones or electronic devices at the entrance checkpoint. Visitors arriving via rideshare must make off-site arrangements."”	Joliet	Safe for Uber/bus (phones allowed inside)	No lockers	Free Validated
Kane County Kane County Judicial Center (St. Charles) “Security Checkpoint Notice (Kane County Judicial Center (St. Charles)): "Small personal electronics lockers are available in the main lobby (free of charge); capacity is limited and Court Security assumes no liability."”	St. Charles	Safe for Uber/bus (lobby lockers: Free)	Yes (Free)	Free Validated
Cook County Richard J. Daley Center & Suburban Municipal District Courthouses (Skokie, Bridgeview, Maywood, Rolling Meadows, Markham) “Cook County Sheriff Court Services Notice: "Deputy Sheriffs at courthouse security checkpoints will NOT store, hold, or safeguard cell phones. Visitors arriving via rideshare (Uber/Lyft) or CTA bus at banned facilities without lockers will be denied entry until the device is stored off-site."”	Chicago	TRAP: Phones banned & NO lockers at door!	No lockers	Free Validated
McHenry County McHenry County Courthouse (Woodstock) “Bailiff / Sheriff Security Directive (McHenry County Courthouse (Woodstock)): "Court security officers will not hold, store, or safeguard cell phones or electronic devices at the entrance checkpoint. Visitors arriving via rideshare must make off-site arrangements."”	Woodstock	TRAP: Phones banned & NO lockers at door!	No lockers	Free Validated
Winnebago County Winnebago County Courthouse & Criminal Justice Center (Rockford) “Bailiff / Sheriff Security Directive (Winnebago County Courthouse & Criminal Justice Center (Rockford)): "Court security officers will not hold, store, or safeguard cell phones or electronic devices at the entrance checkpoint. Visitors arriving via rideshare must make off-site arrangements."”	Rockford	TRAP: Phones banned & NO lockers at door!	No lockers	Free Validated
Madison County Madison County Courthouse (Edwardsville) “Bailiff / Sheriff Security Directive (Madison County Courthouse (Edwardsville)): "Court security officers will not hold, store, or safeguard cell phones or electronic devices at the entrance checkpoint. Visitors arriving via rideshare must make off-site arrangements."”	Edwardsville	TRAP: Phones banned & NO lockers at door!	No lockers	Free Validated
St. Clair County St. Clair County Courthouse (Belleville) “Bailiff / Sheriff Security Directive (St. Clair County Courthouse (Belleville)): "Court security officers will not hold, store, or safeguard cell phones or electronic devices at the entrance checkpoint. Visitors arriving via rideshare must make off-site arrangements."”	Belleville	TRAP: Phones banned & NO lockers at door!	No lockers	Free Validated
Champaign County Champaign County Courthouse (Urbana) “Bailiff / Sheriff Security Directive (Champaign County Courthouse (Urbana)): "Court security officers will not hold, store, or safeguard cell phones or electronic devices at the entrance checkpoint. Visitors arriving via rideshare must make off-site arrangements."”	Urbana	TRAP: Phones banned & NO lockers at door!	No lockers	Free Validated
Sangamon County Sangamon County Courthouse (Springfield) “Bailiff / Sheriff Security Directive (Sangamon County Courthouse (Springfield)): "Court security officers will not hold, store, or safeguard cell phones or electronic devices at the entrance checkpoint. Visitors arriving via rideshare must make off-site arrangements."”	Springfield	TRAP: Phones banned & NO lockers at door!	No lockers	Free Validated
Peoria County Peoria County Courthouse (Peoria) “Bailiff / Sheriff Security Directive (Peoria County Courthouse (Peoria)): "Court security officers will not hold, store, or safeguard cell phones or electronic devices at the entrance checkpoint. Visitors arriving via rideshare must make off-site arrangements."”	Peoria	TRAP: Phones banned & NO lockers at door!	No lockers	Free Validated
McLean County McLean County Courthouse (Bloomington) “Bailiff / Sheriff Security Directive (McLean County Courthouse (Bloomington)): "Court security officers will not hold, store, or safeguard cell phones or electronic devices at the entrance checkpoint. Visitors arriving via rideshare must make off-site arrangements."”	Bloomington	TRAP: Phones banned & NO lockers at door!	No lockers	Free Validated
Rock Island County Rock Island County Courthouse (Rock Island) “Bailiff / Sheriff Security Directive (Rock Island County Courthouse (Rock Island)): "Court security officers will not hold, store, or safeguard cell phones or electronic devices at the entrance checkpoint. Visitors arriving via rideshare must make off-site arrangements."”	Rock Island	TRAP: Phones banned & NO lockers at door!	No lockers	Free Validated
Tazewell County Tazewell County Courthouse (Pekin) “Bailiff / Sheriff Security Directive (Tazewell County Courthouse (Pekin)): "Court security officers will not hold, store, or safeguard cell phones or electronic devices at the entrance checkpoint. Visitors arriving via rideshare must make off-site arrangements."”	Pekin	TRAP: Phones banned & NO lockers at door!	No lockers	Free Validated
Kankakee County Kankakee County Courthouse (Kankakee) “Bailiff / Sheriff Security Directive (Kankakee County Courthouse (Kankakee)): "Court security officers will not hold, store, or safeguard cell phones or electronic devices at the entrance checkpoint. Visitors arriving via rideshare must make off-site arrangements."”	Kankakee	TRAP: Phones banned & NO lockers at door!	No lockers	Free Validated
DeKalb County DeKalb County Courthouse (Sycamore) “Bailiff / Sheriff Security Directive (DeKalb County Courthouse (Sycamore)): "Court security officers will not hold, store, or safeguard cell phones or electronic devices at the entrance checkpoint. Visitors arriving via rideshare must make off-site arrangements."”	Sycamore	TRAP: Phones banned & NO lockers at door!	No lockers	Free Validated
Kendall County Kendall County Courthouse (Yorkville) “Bailiff / Sheriff Security Directive (Kendall County Courthouse (Yorkville)): "Court security officers will not hold, store, or safeguard cell phones or electronic devices at the entrance checkpoint. Visitors arriving via rideshare must make off-site arrangements."”	Yorkville	TRAP: Phones banned & NO lockers at door!	No lockers	Free Validated
LaSalle County LaSalle County Courthouse (Ottawa) “Bailiff / Sheriff Security Directive (LaSalle County Courthouse (Ottawa)): "Court security officers will not hold, store, or safeguard cell phones or electronic devices at the entrance checkpoint. Visitors arriving via rideshare must make off-site arrangements."”	Ottawa	TRAP: Phones banned & NO lockers at door!	No lockers	Free Validated
Macon County Macon County Courthouse (Decatur) “Bailiff / Sheriff Security Directive (Macon County Courthouse (Decatur)): "Court security officers will not hold, store, or safeguard cell phones or electronic devices at the entrance checkpoint. Visitors arriving via rideshare must make off-site arrangements."”	Decatur	TRAP: Phones banned & NO lockers at door!	No lockers	Free Validated

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I take an Uber to court in Illinois and phones are banned?

At Cook County (Chicago), McHenry County (Woodstock), Winnebago County (Rockford), Madison County (Edwardsville), security will deny you entry if you have a phone and no car to store it in. Arriving late to traffic or criminal court due to a rejected phone can result in a Failure to Appear (FTA) bench warrant.

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.