My attorney is asking me for a copy of my Court Purposes Driver’s Abstract. What is it, and why are they asking me for it?
A Court Purposes Driver's Abstract (also called an “Affected” Abstract) is an official certified document that’s issued by the Illinois Secretary of State showing an individual’s complete driving history. An “abstract” means the same thing as a driving record by the way. There’s also another type of abstract that the Secretary of State can provide to you which is called a Public Driver’s Abstract.
A Court Purposes Driver’s Abstract is NOT the same as the Public Driver’s Abstract, because a Public Driver’s Abstract has less information about an individual’s driving history. The public version is the version that your insurance company is entitled to see (which is good, because the less your insurance company can see, the better for your insurance rates!). At Sexner & Associates LLC, we’ll almost always request that you obtain a copy of your Court Purpose Driver's Abstract so that we can see all the detailed notations on your driving history.
How Can I Get My Court Purposes Driver’s Abstract?
In Illinois there are two main ways to access your Court Purposes Driver’s abstract.
- You can visit your local DMV facility and request a printed copy, or
- You can go online to the Illinois Secretary of State website and print out a PDF copy.
Below is the link to the Secretary of State website. https://www.ilsos.gov/departments/drivers/drivers_license/driving_record_abstract/home.html - Mail a written request to Secretary of State, Driver analysis Section, 2701 S. Dirksen Pkwy., Springfield, IL 62723.
How Much Does a Court purposes Driver’s abstract Cost?
In person at your local DMV, the fee is presently $20, plus $1 for processing fee for all credit/debit card payments for each printed copy of your Court purposes Driver’s Abstract.
If you access and print your Court purposes Driver's Abstract online, you will be charged the $20, plus a $1 processing fee. This option allows you immediate access to your abstract, but requires you to have specific information from your physical Driver’s License.
If you mail in a written request, payments in the amount of $20 must be made by check or money order payable to Secretary of State. Allow at least 10 business days to process your request. When you mail in a written request, you will need to fill out and provide an Abstract Request Form. You can find a copy of the request form at: https://www.ilsos.gov/publications/pdf_publications/dsd_dc164.pdf
Where is the Secretary of State Facility Near Me?
If you don’t have your physical Driver’s License (or a photo of it) so you can’t properly download one online, and you don’t have time to order one in the mail and wait for it to be delivered, you’ll need to go in-person to a Secretary of State facility and get one in person. Remember that you’ll need proof of identification, along with some form of photo identification in order to obtain the abstract. Below is a list of DMV facilities throughout the Chicagoland area where you can go to get a printed copy.
Chicago and Vicinity Facilities:
- Aurora
339 E. Indian Trail, Aurora, IL 60505 - Bridgeview
7358 W. 87th St., Bridgeview, IL 60455 - Chicago Central
160 N. LaSalle, Chicago, IL 60601 - Chicago Diversey Express
4642 W. Diversey St., Chicago, IL 60641 - Chicago Heights
570 W. 209th St., Chicago Heights, IL 60411 - Chicago North
5401 N. Elston Ave., Chicago, IL 60630 - Chicago Public Service
17 N. State St., Ste. 1000, Chicago, IL 60602 - Chicago South
9901 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., Chicago, IL 60628 - Chicago West
5301 W. Lexington St., Chicago, IL 60644 - Deerfield
Deerfield Park Plaza, 405 Lake Cook Rd., A6-9, Deerfield, IL 60015 - Des Plaines
1470 Lee St., Des Plaines, IL 60018 - Elgin
595 S. State, Elgin, IL 60123 - Elk Grove Village
650 Roppolo Dr., Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 - Joliet
201 S. Joyce Rd., Joliet, Il 60435 - Lake Zurich
951 S. Rand Road, Lake Zurich, IL 60047 - Lockport
1029 – 31 E. 9th St., Lockport, IL 60441 - Lombard
837 S. Westmore B27, Lombard, IL 60148 - Melrose Park
1903 N. Mannheim Rd., Melrose Park, IL 60160 - Midlothian
14434 S. Pulaski, Midlothian, IL 60445 - Naperville
931 W. 75th St., Ste. 161, Naperville, IL 60565 - Orland Township
14807 S Ravinia Ave, Orland Park, IL 60462 - Plano
236 Mitchell Dr., Plano, IL 60545 - Schaumburg
1227 E. Golf Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60173 - South Holland
41 W. 162nd St., South Holland, IL 60473 - St. Charles
3851 E. Main St., St. Charles, IL 60174 - Waukegan
617 S. Green Bay Rd., Waukegan, IL 60085 - West Chicago
721 Kress Rd.,West Chicago, IL 60185 - Woodstock
428 S. Eastwood Dr., Woodstock, IL 60098
Northern Illinois Facilities:
- Belvidere
425 Southtowne Dr., Ste. 200.,Belvidere, IL 61008 - Bradley
111 Village Square Shopping Plaza, Bradley, IL 60915 - Chadwick
236 Main St., Chadwick, IL 61014 - Dekalb
1360 Oakwood St., Dekalb, IL 60115 - Dixon
925 S. Peoria, Dixon, IL 61021 - Freeport
1054 N. Riverside, Freeport, IL 61032 - Galena
987 Galena Square Dr., Galena, IL 61036 - LaSalle
536 Third St., LaSalle, IL 61301 - Mendota
Rt. 34 East, Mendota, IL 61342 - Morris
425 East Route 6, Morris, IL 60450 - Oregon
1302 Pines Rd., Oregon, IL 61061 - Ottawa
4111 Progress Dr., Ottawa, IL 61350 - Rockford Central
3720 E. State St., Rockford, IL 61108 - Rockford CDL
4734 Baxter Rd., Rockford, IL 61109 - Rockford Express
3214 Auburn St., Rockford, IL 61101 - Roscoe
Roscoe Village Hall, 10631 Main St., Roscoe, IL 61073 - Sterling
1224 W. 4th St., Sterling, IL 61081 - Streator
201 Danny's Dr., Ste. 6, Streator, IL 61364
Why Does my Attorney Want to See my Court Purposes Abstract?
The Court Purposes Driver’s Abstract includes more detailed information than the public version about your driving history. An experienced attorney will know how to read an Illinois Driving Abstract. Things that are on this Court version, but not on the other version include information about:
- Accidents that you were involved in, even if they were not your fault
- Suspensions you had in the past but were later removed
- Various notations and codes
- Tickets for which you received a sentence of supervision
State, local, and federal governmental agencies have access to your Court Purposes Driver’s Abstract. For this reason, it is essential that your attorney have access to the same information to properly represent you, because these government agencies will use the information on your driving record against you in both pending traffic and criminal cases. An experienced criminal defense and traffic attorney will therefore ask for a copy of your Court Purposes (“affected”) Driver’s Abstract for a variety of reasons including:
- To determine whether you are eligible for Court Supervision. Supervision is a sentence that is not considered to be a conviction, doesn’t count as a strike against you on your driving record, and doesn’t contribute to suspensions on your license. Certain specific laws dictate whether you are eligible for supervision, and an attorney cannot properly determine whether you’re eligible without looking at your driving record. For instance, if you’ve received supervision for an aggravated speeding ticket anytime in the past, you may be ineligible for another one.
- To determine whether you may be charged with a more serious offense based on your past history (even if it’s very old history). For instance, if you’re charged with driving on a revoked license based upon a previous DUI related offense, and you’ve been found guilty of a similar offense in the past, your case might be upgraded from a misdemeanor to a felony charge.
- To determine whether and how your driving privileges can be restored. For instance, sometimes fixing a suspended license is as simple as paying a reinstatement fee or obtaining SR-22 insurance. The record is also used to determine whether you’re eligible for an Informal Hearing or require a Formal Hearing with the Secretary of State when you’re trying to reinstate your driving privileges after a suspension or revocation.
The experienced traffic and criminal attorneys at Mitchell S. Sexner & Associates LLC are available for a free consultation to discuss your situation at (312) 644-0444.