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Free Illinois Eviction Complaint Worksheet

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Illinois Eviction Complaint Worksheet — a preparation organizer for the modern Illinois Eviction Act (735 ILCS 5/9-101 et seq.), once called forcible entry and detainer. It helps you gather the facts before completing the official statewide Supreme Court eviction forms.

Preparation Worksheet 735 ILCS 5/9-101 et seq. Illinois Free PDF

This is an Illinois eviction-complaint preparation worksheet — an organizer that captures the parties, property, notice, and grounds before you file. It is not the official court form. Illinois uses statewide standardized eviction forms adopted by the Illinois Supreme Court, and the landlord files those. An Illinois eviction is governed by the Eviction Article, 735 ILCS 5/9-101 et seq. — renamed from “forcible entry and detainer” to “Eviction” by Public Act 100-173, effective January 1, 2018. Before filing, the landlord must serve the correct pre-suit notice: a 5-day notice for nonpayment of rent, a 10-day notice for a lease violation, or a 30-day notice to end a month-to-month tenancy. This page explains each step and organizes your facts; see the Illinois eviction notice laws guide for the notices that come first.

Complete the fields below to generate a printable preparation worksheet. Use it to organize your facts, then copy them onto the official Illinois Supreme Court eviction forms; retain proof of every notice and filing.

An Illinois eviction is a court case, and the paperwork that starts it is standardized statewide. Since Public Act 100-173 took effect on January 1, 2018, the old label “forcible entry and detainer” was replaced with “Eviction” throughout the Illinois Compiled Statutes, and the Illinois Supreme Court was directed to adopt standardized residential eviction forms that every circuit court must accept. That means the landlord does not draft a free-form complaint — they complete the official Eviction Complaint and Eviction Summons published by the Supreme Court. This worksheet exists to make that step accurate: it gathers the court and county, the parties, the property, the tenancy, the notice that was served, the grounds, any money claimed, and the relief sought, so nothing is missing when the official form is filled in. The worksheet is never filed with the court; it is a private preparation organizer.

The Illinois eviction process follows a fixed sequence, and each step depends on the one before it. First, the landlord must have a lawful reason and must serve the correct pre-suit notice — the case cannot be filed until that notice is served and its time has run out. Second, once the notice expires without the tenant curing the problem or leaving, the landlord files the eviction complaint in the circuit court for the county where the property sits (735 ILCS 5/9-106), using the statewide standardized forms, and pays the county filing fee. Third, the court issues a summons that is served on the tenant, setting a return date. Fourth, the parties appear for the hearing or trial; if the landlord proves the case, the court enters an order of possession (and a money judgment for rent, if claimed). Fifth, if the tenant still does not leave, the sheriff enforces the order and removes the tenant.

What makes Illinois distinctive is the germane-matters rule: the eviction is meant to decide one question — who is entitled to possession — so courts limit the case to that issue. A landlord may join a claim for unpaid rent, but disputes outside that question generally cannot be dragged in. Because the whole process is technical and moves on statutory deadlines, the two places cases most often fail are a defective or miscounted notice and improper service. This worksheet front-loads those details so they are correct before the official complaint is completed.

No Illinois eviction complaint is valid unless the correct pre-suit notice was served first and has expired. The notice depends entirely on the grounds, and the day counts are set by the Eviction Article:

• Nonpayment of rent — 5-day notice (735 ILCS 5/9-209). Any time after rent is due, the landlord may demand payment and notify the tenant in writing that unless payment is made within a stated time — not less than 5 days after service — the lease will be terminated. If the tenant pays the full amount demanded within those five days, the tenancy continues and the case cannot proceed.
• Lease violation — 10-day notice (735 ILCS 5/9-210). When the default is a breach of a lease term other than nonpayment, the statute says it is “not necessary to give more than 10 days’ notice to quit.” The notice describes the breach and gives the tenant time to move out; unlike the 5-day rent notice, a 10-day notice does not have to give a cure option unless the lease requires it.
• Ending a month-to-month tenancy — 30-day notice (735 ILCS 5/9-207). To end a periodic tenancy of less than a year with no lease breach, the landlord (or the tenant) gives 30 days’ written notice. A week-to-week tenancy takes 7 days’ notice under the same section, and a year-to-year tenancy takes 60 days’ written notice under 735 ILCS 5/9-205.

The single most common filing mistake is miscounting the notice period or filing before it has fully expired. Count from the day after service, keep dated proof of how the notice was delivered, and do not file until the last day has passed. A short or improperly served notice is grounds for dismissal, which sends the landlord back to the beginning. See the dedicated Illinois eviction notice laws page for the wording and service of each notice.

Under 735 ILCS 5/9-106, the complaint must state that the plaintiff is entitled to possession of the premises, describe the property with reasonable certainty, and allege that the defendant unlawfully withholds possession. A claim for unpaid rent may be joined to the possession claim, but the statute’s germane-matters rule keeps the case focused on possession — matters not germane to that purpose generally may not be introduced. Because the forms are standardized, the landlord’s job is to transfer accurate facts, not to draft legal language from scratch.

The Illinois Supreme Court publishes the Approved Statewide Standardized Forms, including a full Eviction suite — principally the Eviction Complaint and the Eviction Summons, plus supporting forms — and every circuit court is required to accept them. The worksheet on this page mirrors the information those forms request (court and county, parties, property, tenancy, notice, grounds, amount owed, and relief) so the transfer is straightforward. You can download the official forms from the Illinois Courts approved-forms library; this preparation tool never substitutes for them.

Venue is fixed by statute: the complaint is filed in the circuit court for the county where the premises are situated (735 ILCS 5/9-106). A Chicago property is filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County; a downstate property is filed in that county’s circuit court. Filing fees are set locally and vary by county, so confirm the current fee and any e-filing requirement with that county’s circuit clerk. Many Illinois courts require electronic filing through the statewide e-filing system, with fee-waiver applications available for those who qualify.

When the complaint is filed, the clerk issues the summons, which is what actually brings the tenant before the court. The summons states a return date — the day the tenant must appear — and under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 101(b)(2) that date is set not less than 7 nor more than 40 days after the summons issues. Getting the property description, the parties’ legal names, and the notice details exactly right on the filing is what keeps the case on track; a defect here can force a refiling and a fresh notice.

The tenant must be properly served for the court to enter an order. In Illinois, the sheriff serves the summons and complaint, and the court may appoint a special process server or another law-enforcement agency to serve it instead (735 ILCS 5/9-107). When personal service cannot be made after diligent effort, the statute allows substitute service by posting — the officer posts notice and mails a copy — at least 10 days before the appearance day. Proof of service is filed with the court; without valid service, an order of possession is vulnerable to being vacated.

On the return date, both sides appear. If the tenant does not appear and service was proper, the court may enter a default order for possession. If the tenant contests, the court sets the matter for trial, where the landlord must prove the tenancy, the served-and-expired notice, and the grounds. If the landlord prevails, the court enters an order of possession and, where rent was claimed and proven, a money judgment. The court can also stay enforcement briefly to give the tenant a short window to move.

After an order issues, only the sheriff may carry it out. A landlord may never use a self-help lockout, remove the tenant’s belongings, or shut off utilities to force a move — those acts are illegal and expose the landlord to damages. Under 735 ILCS 5/9-117 the court may not stay enforcement more than 7 days, and the order of possession generally must be enforced within 120 days of entry unless the court extends it. Once the sheriff schedules the eviction, the landlord regains possession lawfully.

• Filing before the notice expires. The pre-suit notice (5, 10, 30, or 60 days) must run out before the complaint is filed; filing a day early is fatal.
• Using the wrong notice for the grounds. A 10-day lease-violation notice cannot substitute for the 5-day rent notice, and vice versa — the notice must match the reason.
• Miscounting the days. Count from the day after service and do not count the service day; a short notice is dismissible.
• Wrong venue. The complaint must be filed in the circuit court for the county where the property sits (735 ILCS 5/9-106).
• Vague property or party description. The premises must be described with reasonable certainty and the parties named correctly, or the order may be unenforceable.
• Defective service of the summons. If the sheriff or special process server did not serve the tenant properly, any resulting order can be vacated.
• Ignoring Chicago or Cook County rules. Local ordinances add notice and procedural requirements a statewide-only filing may miss.
• Self-help eviction. Changing the locks or removing belongings instead of using the court process is illegal in Illinois.

• Match the notice to the grounds — 5 days for rent, 10 days for a lease breach, 30 days for month-to-month — and serve it before doing anything else.
• Keep dated proof of service of the notice, and do not file until the period has fully expired.
• Use the official statewide forms from the Illinois Courts library; this worksheet only organizes the facts you copy onto them.
• File in the right county — the circuit court where the property is located — and confirm the current filing fee and any e-filing rule with the clerk.
• Describe the premises and name the parties precisely, exactly as they appear in the lease.
• Let the sheriff or an appointed special process server serve the summons, and file the proof of service.
• Check Chicago RLTO and Cook County RTLO if the property is in the city or suburban Cook County.
• Screen tenants before you sign — verify credit, rental history, evictions, and income first — and consult counsel for any contested case.

Statewide law is the floor, not the ceiling. Inside the City of Chicago, the Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (RLTO), Chicago Municipal Code Chapter 5-12, layers additional obligations onto most rental units — security-deposit handling and interest, repair duties, tenant remedies, and anti-lockout rules — and non-compliance can undercut an eviction. In suburban Cook County, the Residential Tenant and Landlord Ordinance (RTLO), effective June 1, 2021, does much the same for units outside the city (it does not apply to Chicago, Evanston, or Mount Prospect, which have their own ordinances). A landlord in a regulated municipality should confirm the local ordinance before serving a notice or filing, because a step that satisfies the statewide Eviction Act can still fall short of the local rule.

Once the worksheet is complete, treat it as your fact sheet, not your court filing. Copy the organized information onto the official Illinois Supreme Court eviction forms — the Eviction Complaint and Summons — matching each field carefully. Attach or reference the lease and the served notice with its proof of service, since those are the documents that prove the predicate. Then file in the circuit court for the county where the property sits, pay the county fee (or apply for a waiver), and follow the court’s e-filing procedure.

After filing, calendar the key dates: the return date on the summons, any continuance, and — if you prevail — the enforcement window for the order of possession. Keep stamped copies of everything filed and every proof of service together in one place. Because the process is deadline-driven and the tenant may raise defenses, a landlord facing a contested case, a subsidized tenancy, or a Chicago or Cook County property should strongly consider having an Illinois attorney review the filing before it goes in. If the tenant leaves during a month-to-month tenancy rather than contesting, the underlying agreement — such as a free Illinois month-to-month rental agreement — governs the return of the deposit and the final accounting.

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