Grundy County, Illinois Court Records

Located southwest of Chicago in an area traditionally defined by coal mining, Grundy County is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area with a population of about 52,000. Nearby counties include Kendall, Kankakee, LaSalle, Livingston, and Will. Notable employers include Wal-Mart, Morris Hospital, and ALDI.

A quiet, largely suburban or rural community, Grundy County is on the outskirts of the Chicago metropolitan area. Recent decades have seen more growth with the arrival of newcomers from elsewhere within the metro area. When hiring in the metro area, it is a good idea to check surrounding areas and counties where your candidates may once have lived.

Though you can use background checks effectively when hiring, you cannot use them indiscriminately. You must obey local and federal laws to use these tools appropriately.

All companies that employ 15 or more people inside Illinois must abide by the state's fair chance law. This law includes enforcement actions such as hefty fines for violating the law. The rules you must follow include the following:

• Job applications cannot include questions about criminal histories. You must provide a conditional job offer to a candidate or invite them to participate in an initial interview before any such questions become legal.

• A serious safety risk or a "substantial relationship" between a past crime and the job in question must exist for an employer to deny a job because of a prior conviction. 
• Each candidate must receive an individualized assessment using the EEOC's factors for background check evaluation. These include considering efforts towards rehabilitation, how long ago the crime occurred, and other factors.

As always, you must abide by federal law, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act. This law stipulates that you must provide candidates with a statement of their rights and a standalone disclosure of your intent to use consumer reports. Their written consent is also a requirement. As for drug tests, Illinois and Grundy County do not currently place any restrictions on testing.

Once you've satisfied your legal obligations under Illinois law, you may resume screening and vetting candidates. Now is the time to begin ordering the reports you need. To start, a broad look at records compiled nationwide provides a good starting point, and the US ONeSEARCH delivers that information with ease. 

Our online coverage map details all our sources for this solution, which include Grundy County. Records include felony, misdemeanor, and traffic records from 1999 to the present day.

State-level databases can be slow to update and may not always reflect the most up-to-date information. When hiring within the Chicago metropolitan area, it may be wise to check nearby counties, such as Grundy, for criminal records. Our county court searches provide up-to-date information in these circumstances.

Background reports sourced from county court records may include the subject's:

• Name
• Offense/Charge
• Sentence
• Disposition

Hiring in Grundy County should be straightforward, letting you secure help from the best candidates. Explore more today about how background checks can make that possible.