Illinois Eviction Notice

Illinois notice periods

Each period is the one LeaseCraft's record of the statute holds. Read it with the conditions under it: some periods are minimums and some apply unless the lease sets another. "Lease controls" means the record holds no statutory period for that situation, and "No pre-suit notice" means it holds no notice before filing. The source column shows the law and the date LeaseCraft read it on the official site (most recently 2026-09-27).

What the Illinois statute says

Unpaid rent: 5 calendar days

• Landlord may, any time after rent is due, demand payment and notify the tenant in writing that unless payment is made within a time stated in the notice, not less than 5 days after SERVICE, the lease will be terminated (735 ILCS 5/9-209).
• Notice must prominently state the FULL PAYMENT sentence (see eviction_notice_form) or it is invalid.
• If tenant fails to pay within the time stated, landlord may consider the lease ended and file without further notice or demand.

Exceptions

• Collection of past-due rent after the eviction suit is filed does not invalidate the suit; acceptance of partial payment before filing waives the notice unless landlord agreed in writing to continue the lease for partial payment.

Lease violation: 10 calendar days

• Default in any term of the lease: no more than 10 days' notice to quit is necessary (735 ILCS 5/9-210). The STATUTE GRANTS NO RIGHT TO CURE — the statutory form says the landlord 'ha[s] elected to terminate your lease'.
• Notice must be signed by the lessor or agent and state the character of the default; may be substantially in the statutory form.

Ending the tenancy without a chance to cure: 10 calendar days

• Any lease default: 10-day notice to quit with no statutory cure right (735 ILCS 5/9-210).
• Use of the premises for a felony or Class A misdemeanor (735 ILCS 5/9-120): lease void at lessor's option; eviction may be filed if tenant has not vacated within 5 days after RECEIPT of a written notice to vacate.

Ending a month-to-month tenancy: 30 calendar days

• Tenancy for any term less than one year other than week-to-week (includes month-to-month): landlord may terminate by 30 days' written notice (735 ILCS 5/9-207(b)), except as provided in 9-207.5 (post-foreclosure tenancies).

Exceptions

• Chicago Fair Notice Ordinance requires 30/60/120 days depending on length of tenancy (local overlay, not researched).

Tenant staying after the lease ends: Lease controls

• 9-207 itself applies to tenants 'holding over without special agreement' under tenancies of less than one year (30 days / 7 days). Year-to-year tenancies (9-205, 60 days before year end) and holdover after a fixed term (9-202 double rent) were not read.

Delivery, form and other Illinois rules

How the notice may be delivered

735 ILCS 5/9-211: deliver a written/printed copy to the tenant; or leave it with a person aged 13 or older residing on or in possession of the premises; or send by certified or registered mail with return receipt from the addressee; or, only when no one is in actual possession, post on the premises.

735 ILCS 5/9-211 · read 2026-09-27

Required form or contents

Mandatory contents, no mandatory form: the 5-day nonpayment notice must prominently state 'Only FULL PAYMENT of the rent demanded in this notice will waive the landlord's right to terminate the lease under this notice, unless the landlord agrees in writing to continue the lease in exchange for receiving partial payment.' (735 ILCS 5/9-209). The 10-day notice 'may be substantially in the following form' (735 ILCS 5/9-210 statutory form) and must be signed by the lessor or agent.

735 ILCS 5/9-209; 735 ILCS 5/9-210 · read 2026-09-27

Statewide just-cause rule

No statewide just-cause requirement

• No statewide good-cause requirement in the Eviction Act (735 ILCS 5/Art. IX); periodic tenancies terminable on 30/7 days' notice without cause.

735 ILCS 5/9-207 · read 2026-09-27

City and county rules

Could not verify LeaseCraft has not verified this at the official source (Chicago Mun. Code ch. 5-12; Cook County Code ch. 42, art. IV (RTLO)), so this page states no rule. Check it before you serve the notice.

Preparing the notice

The form asks for the tenancy, the kind of notice and the dates, and the notice ends with a Certificate of Service to record how you delivered it. Beside the finished notice you get a Illinois checklist of the period, form and delivery rules LeaseCraft recorded. The period in the notice is the one you choose; where LeaseCraft has verified the Illinois period and your deadline is too soon, the document is not prepared until you move it.

Create a Illinois eviction notice

A notice is not a court order and does not by itself remove a tenant. Cities and counties can add rules. LeaseCraft is not a law firm and this is not legal advice.

Eviction Notice rules in nearby states

Eviction Notice rules for every state