Illinois Eviction Notice PDF: 5, 10, and 30-Day Forms

Free, court-approved Illinois eviction notice PDFs are available directly from the Illinois Courts website, and every circuit court in the state is required to accept them.1Office of the Illinois Courts. Eviction Forms The set was standardized by the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice, and using these forms is the simplest way to avoid the drafting mistakes that get eviction cases dismissed at the first hearing.

Where to Download the Approved PDFs

All of the forms below are on the Illinois Courts eviction forms page and can be downloaded free of charge:

  • Notice of Termination for Non-Payment of Rent (the 5-day notice)
  • Notice of Termination for Lease Violation Other than Non-Payment of Rent (the 10-day notice)
  • Notice of Non-Renewal of Lease or Termination of Tenancy (30-day or 60-day, depending on the tenancy)
  • Demand for Immediate Possession (used in limited holdover situations)
  • Affidavit of Service of a Demand or Notice (proof that the notice was delivered)

Each PDF is fillable and includes built-in prompts for the landlord’s name, tenant names, property address, and the reason for termination. The mandatory statutory language is already baked into the text, which matters because leaving out a required phrase can void the notice.

Which Form Matches Your Situation

Unpaid Rent: The 5-Day Notice

When a tenant owes rent, the landlord uses the Notice of Termination for Non-Payment of Rent to demand payment in full within at least five days.2Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 735 ILCS 5/9-209 – Demand for Rent Eviction Action If the tenant pays the full amount within that window, the landlord cannot go forward with eviction on that debt. Partial payments do not stop the process unless the landlord accepts them in writing.

The statute requires specific language on the face of the notice: “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.”3Illinois Courts. Notice of Termination for Non-Payment of Rent The approved PDF already contains it. A homemade notice missing this sentence can be invalidated.

Only put amounts actually owed under the lease on the notice. Speculative damages or fees the lease doesn’t authorize give the tenant grounds to challenge the whole notice.

Lease Violations: The 10-Day Notice

For any breach other than nonpayment (unauthorized occupants, property damage, illegal activity, and similar problems), the landlord uses the 10-day Notice of Termination for Lease Violation.4Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 735 ILCS 5/9-210 – Notice to Quit The notice has to describe the specific violation. Under the state statute this is a notice to vacate, not a chance to fix the problem, though the lease itself may say otherwise.

Cook County is different. The Cook County Residential Tenant and Landlord Ordinance gives the tenant the right to cure the violation within the 10-day period, and a landlord who receives a proper cure cannot proceed with eviction.5Cook County Government. Residential Tenant Landlord Ordinance Summary

Ending a Tenancy Without Fault: 7, 30, or 60 Days

To end a periodic tenancy for no particular reason, the required notice depends on the rental cycle:

No reason is required. Because there is no breach to argue about, courts scrutinize the math. The full notice period must run out before the landlord files anything in court. Miscounting the days is one of the most common reasons no-fault cases get dismissed.

When a Written Notice Isn’t Required

A written notice is not always mandatory. If a tenant holds over after a written lease with a clear end date (not an auto-renewing lease), the landlord may be able to file for eviction without a prior notice, but only if the property is privately owned, is not in Cook County, and no portion of the rent is paid by a Housing Choice Voucher. When all of those conditions are met, the lease’s stated end date acts as the notice. In every other holdover situation, including oral leases and any Cook County tenancy, a written notice is still needed.

What the Notice Must Contain

Whether you use the state PDF or draft your own, every notice needs the following:

  • Full name of every adult tenant you are seeking to evict. If other occupants may be in the unit, the approved complaint form later has an “Unknown Occupants” box so a sheriff can enforce the order against everyone at the address.8Illinois Courts. Eviction Complaint
  • Complete property address, including unit or apartment number.
  • Reason for the notice. For rent notices, the exact dollar amount owed. For lease violations, a specific description of the conduct or condition that breaches the lease.
  • Deadline to comply or vacate, counted from the date the notice is served, not the date it was written.
  • Signature and date from the landlord or landlord’s agent.4Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 735 ILCS 5/9-210 – Notice to Quit

How to Serve the Notice

Illinois law limits service to four methods. Anything else risks dismissal of the eviction case.9Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 735 ILCS 5/9-211 – Service of Demand or Notice

  • Personal delivery to the tenant. This is the cleanest option.
  • Substitute service by leaving the notice with someone at least 13 years old who lives at the property.
  • Certified or registered mail with return receipt requested.
  • Posting on the premises, but only when no one is in actual possession of the property.

Texting, emailing, sliding the notice under the door, or dropping it in the mailbox does not count. Posting on the door while the tenant clearly still lives there does not count either. Courts reject these shortcuts routinely.

Completing the Affidavit of Service

After delivery, whoever served the notice must complete the Affidavit of Service of a Demand or Notice, a separate PDF on the Illinois Courts site.10Illinois Courts. Affidavit of Service of a Demand or Notice It states under oath when, where, and how the notice was delivered. A completed copy has to be attached to the eviction complaint when the case is filed.

Without the affidavit, the court has no verified evidence that the tenant got the notice, and the case cannot move forward. Many judges require it even when the tenant openly admits receiving the notice.

Cook County and Chicago Rules

Local ordinances layer extra requirements on top of state law, and the longer notice period controls when both apply.

In Cook County, ending a lease at term without cause requires 60 days’ written notice under the Residential Tenant and Landlord Ordinance.5Cook County Government. Residential Tenant Landlord Ordinance Summary Give less than that and the tenant may stay for up to 120 days after proper notice is finally given. The ordinance also grants a right to cure lease violations within the 10-day window and a one-time right to “pay and stay” that forces dismissal of a nonpayment case if the tenant pays all rent and allowable fees.

Chicago’s Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance sets notice periods for non-renewal that scale with the length of the tenancy:11City of Chicago. Chicago Municipal Code 5-12-130 – Landlord Remedies

  • Less than 6 months: 30 days’ notice before the lease end date.
  • 6 months to 3 years: 60 days’ notice.
  • More than 3 years: 120 days’ notice.

Short notice in Chicago lets the tenant remain for up to 60 days, or 120 days for tenancies over three years, after proper notice is finally provided.

After the Notice Period Ends

The notice itself does not evict anyone. It starts a clock. If the tenant does not pay, cure, or move by the deadline, the next step is filing an Eviction Complaint in the circuit court for the county where the property sits, together with a copy of the notice, the completed Affidavit of Service, and a copy of the lease (or an affidavit explaining why there is no written lease).1Office of the Illinois Courts. Eviction Forms

Only a court can order a tenant removed, and only a sheriff can carry that order out. Changing locks, shutting off utilities, or removing a tenant’s belongings without a court order is illegal in Illinois, however clear-cut the situation may seem.