Lake County, IL sheriff non-emergency number
This is the agency's main published line from the federal law-enforcement registry (BJS census of state and local law-enforcement agencies). No number labelled “non-emergency” was found on the agency's own site, so treat this as the general business line. See Methodology.
Lake County had 714,342 residents at the 2020 Census. The sheriff's office is the primary law-enforcement agency for unincorporated parts of the county and runs the county jail; cities and towns inside the county usually have their own police department, listed below.
When to call 911 instead
Call 911 if any of this is true right now:
- Someone is injured, unconscious, or threatening to hurt somebody.
- A crime is in progress, or the suspect is still nearby.
- There is a fire, a gas smell, or a crash with injuries or blocked traffic.
- You are not sure. A dispatcher would rather triage one unnecessary 911 call than miss a real one.
Use the non-emergency number for things that have already finished and nobody is in danger:
- A theft, burglary, or vandalism discovered after the fact, including when you need a report number for insurance.
- A car blocking a driveway or hydrant, an abandoned vehicle, a parking complaint.
- Noise, a loud party, fireworks, or a barking dog.
- A minor collision with no injuries where the vehicles have been moved.
- Found property, a follow-up on an existing case, or a general question for Lake County Sheriffs Office / Lake County Jail.
Non-emergency lines are usually answered by the same communications centre as 911, but at a lower priority — expect to hold, and expect to be asked whether anyone is in danger.
Sheriff's office details
Waukegan, IL 60085
Official services and forms
311 and 211
311 is for city services rather than policing — potholes, missed collections, street lights, parking, and in some cities non-emergency police reports. Where a city runs a 311 service, the page says so above.
211 is a free nationwide line for health and human services: housing, food, utility assistance, mental health, and crisis support. It is operated by local United Way and partner organisations and is available in most of the country by dialling 211 or through 211.org.
Questions about the Lake County sheriff
What is the non-emergency number for the Lake County sheriff?
(847) 377-4050 is the main published line for Lake County Sheriffs Office / Lake County Jail in the federal law-enforcement registry; the office does not publish a separately labelled non-emergency number that we could confirm.
Should I call the sheriff or the city police?
Whoever has jurisdiction where the incident happened. Inside a city or town with its own police department, call that department — the cities below link straight to their numbers. In unincorporated Lake County, on county roads, or at the county jail and courthouse, call the sheriff.
What else does a sheriff's office handle?
Beyond patrol in unincorporated areas: the county jail and inmate enquiries, serving civil process and evictions, court security and transport, sex-offender registration, concealed-carry permits in many states, and civil fees. A non-emergency line is usually the right first call for all of those.
Is this the same as calling 911 in Lake County?
No. 911 goes to the emergency communications centre and should be used only when there is a threat to life, injury, fire, or a crime in progress. The number above is for everything else.
Cities and towns in Lake County
Inside these jurisdictions, call the local police department rather than the sheriff.
- Waukegan89,321 residents
- Buffalo Grove43,212 residents
- Mundelein31,560 residents
- North Chicago30,759 residents
- Gurnee30,706 residents
- Highland Park30,176 residents
- Round Lake Beach27,252 residents
- Vernon Hills26,850 residents
- Zion24,655 residents · (847) 872-8000
- Grayslake21,248 residents
- Libertyville20,579 residents
- Lake Zurich19,759 residents
- Lake Forest19,367 residents
- Deerfield19,196 residents
- Round Lake18,721 residents
- Antioch14,622 residents
- Lindenhurst14,406 residents
- Wauconda14,084 residents
- Fox Lake10,978 residents
- Barrington10,722 residents
- Hawthorn Woods9,062 residents
- Lake Villa8,741 residents
- Island Lake8,051 residents
- Lincolnshire7,940 residents
- Park City7,885 residents
- Round Lake Park7,680 residents
- Winthrop Harbor6,705 residents
- Lakemoor6,182 residents
- Lake Bluff5,616 residents
- Highwood5,074 residents
- Kildeer4,091 residents
- Riverwoods3,790 residents
- Round Lake Heights2,622 residents
- Tower Lakes1,226 residents
- Bannockburn1,013 residents
Official sources used on this page
This page was last verified against its sources on October 25, 2026. Source URLs are re-requested on a rolling monthly cycle; see Methodology.