Illinois procedure
The Illinois Eviction Timeline, and Who Has to Carry the Furniture
Most eviction guides stop at the court date. The part that catches landlords out comes after it: in Winnebago County the sheriff will not move a single box, and a landlord who shows up without a crew forfeits the slot they paid for.
An Illinois eviction runs on a written notice of 5, 7, 10, or 30 days depending on the reason, then a court case, then a lockout scheduled with the county sheriff. The eviction order expires 120 days after the judge signs it. On lockout day the landlord supplies the labor, not the sheriff.
The statutory clock
Five Deadlines That Are Not Negotiable
These are set by statute and apply the same way in every town on this site. Each one links to the official text on the Illinois General Assembly site so you can read it rather than take our word for it.
A written demand for unpaid rent must give the tenant at least 5 days to pay before the lease can be treated as ended.
For a default on some other lease term, 10 days' notice to quit is the statutory minimum.
Week-to-week tenancies end on 7 days' written notice. Any other tenancy shorter than a year ends on 30 days' written notice.
An eviction order cannot be enforced more than 120 days after the judge enters it, unless the court grants an extension on a motion. Miss the window and the whole case has to be revived.
Entry has to be peaceable and allowed by law. Changing the locks, removing doors, or hauling someone's property out yourself is not an eviction, it is forcible entry.
Lockout day
What Each County Sheriff Requires
This is where the counties stop matching. Winnebago publishes a crew requirement and a fee schedule. Its neighbours do not, and they run separate queues, so the Rockford numbers are not a safe assumption a few miles east or south.
Winnebago County
17th Judicial Circuit, heard in Rockford
The landlord has to supply the movers. The sheriff's office states 5 to 8 able-bodied movers for a house and 4 to 6 for an apartment, and expects everything of value to be out inside the booked time slot.
- The landlord brings the boxes and bags. Deputies keep the peace and turn over possession; they do not pack and they do not carry.
- Possessions go to the nearest public access, which in practice means the curb.
- Time is bought in blocks, posted as $400 for 4 hours, $200 for 2 hours, $100 for 1 hour, and $50 for a lock change only. Mileage is added outside Rockford.
- The order is good for 120 days from the judge's signature, the same window 735 ILCS 5/9-117 sets.
- Cancelling inside 3 business days of the scheduled date forfeits what you paid.
Boone County
17th Judicial Circuit, heard in Belvidere
Does not publish a crew requirement or a lockout fee schedule, and schedules separately from Winnebago. Confirm the specifics with the sheriff's civil process desk when you book, and plan on supplying the labor either way.
Boone County SheriffOgle County
15th Judicial Circuit, heard in Oregon
Does not publish a crew requirement or a lockout fee schedule, and schedules separately from Winnebago. Confirm the specifics with the sheriff's civil process desk when you book, and plan on supplying the labor either way.
Property left behind
There Is No Illinois Storage Rule Outside Chicago
Landlords regularly ask how long they have to store what a tenant leaves. Chicago's ordinance sets a period. Illinois has no equivalent statewide statute for residential tenancies, and 735 ILCS 5/9-101 is about how you may enter, not about what you may throw away. What governs instead is the lease and the court order in your specific case.
Practically, that is why the cleanout is booked for the same day as the lockout. The contents come out to the curb during the slot the sheriff sold you, and the unit is empty and re-rentable that afternoon instead of becoming a storage problem you are now responsible for.
Procedural information only, not legal advice, and not a substitute for your own attorney on your own case. Statutes and sheriff requirements above were read directly from the state and county sources on September 22, 2026.
By town
Which Sheriff Handles Your Unit
Booked a lockout date and need a crew for it?
Tell us the town, the lockout date, and roughly what is still in the unit. You get a fixed quote back, and a crew that turns up inside the slot the sheriff sold you.