How Long Does Eviction Take in Chicago?

Here's the honest answer: longer than you want it to. And often longer than you're planning for.

A Chicago eviction moves through stages: notice, filing, first court date, judgment, and enforcement by the Cook County Sheriff. Some of those stages have fixed legal minimums. Others depend on the court's calendar, the judge, and the Sheriff's schedule, none of which a landlord controls.

Quick Answer

• An uncontested nonpayment eviction rarely finishes in under a month, and two to three months or more from notice to possession is common.
• The legal minimums are short: 5 days for the notice, and a first court date 7 to 40 days after the summons is issued. The court stage and the Sheriff's schedule are what stretch the timeline.
• A contested case, a defective notice, or the winter holiday pause on evictions can add weeks or months.

The Chicago Eviction Timeline, Stage by Stage

For a nonpayment eviction in Chicago (Cook County), as of October 2026:

Stage	How long	The rule
5-day notice	At least 5 days after service	735 ILCS 5/9-209. The first day isn't counted; if the last day lands on a weekend or holiday, it moves to the next business day (5 ILCS 70/1.11).
Filing to first court date	7 to 40 days after the summons is issued	The court sets the date. In Cook County, first court dates are held by Zoom or phone, and tenants without a lawyer are referred to the Early Resolution Program.
Hearing and judgment	Same day to several weeks	An uncontested case can be decided at the first date. Defenses, continuances or mediation push it out.
Stay after judgment	Set by the judge	There's no automatic waiting period for an ordinary rental; the judge decides whether to delay enforcement and for how long.
Filing the order with the Sheriff	As soon as the stay ends	The eviction order is filed online with the Cook County Sheriff ($65 e-filed, $95 on paper). Evictions are scheduled in filing order by area, and the Sheriff calls the landlord one working day ahead.
Order expires	120 days after it's entered	735 ILCS 5/9-117. After that, the landlord has to ask the court to extend it.
Winter holiday pause	Typically mid-December to early January	Set each year by court order. Evictions are also called off in extreme cold or dangerous weather.

The Clock Starts With the Notice

Before filing anything, the landlord has to serve the right notice and let it run out. For nonpayment, that's at least five days under 735 ILCS 5/9-209, and the notice has to include the required “Only FULL PAYMENT” sentence. Counting the days correctly and serving the notice the right way (in person, on someone 13 or older living there, or by certified or registered mail with a return receipt) is what makes the starting line hold up.

If the notice is defective (wrong content, wrong delivery method, miscounted days), the case isn't just delayed. It can be dismissed, and the clock starts over from a new notice.

Filing to First Court Date

After the notice runs out, the eviction is filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, and the summons sets the first court date. The rules put that date between 7 and 40 days after the summons is issued, and the court picks it, not the landlord. The summons also has to be served on the tenant, by the Sheriff or, since 2025, a licensed private detective.

That's time the tenant stays in the unit while rent goes unpaid, which is the part of the timeline landlords find hardest.

What Happens in Court

If the tenant doesn't appear, the landlord can ask for a default judgment, but it isn't automatic or instant. If the tenant appears and contests, both sides present their case, the tenant can raise defenses, and the judge can continue the case to another date. Cook County also refers tenants without a lawyer to the Early Resolution Program, which offers free mediation and legal aid to both sides.

What happens at the hearing depends on the facts of each case. The What Happens at an Eviction Court Hearing in Chicago? page covers what to expect.

After the Judgment: Still Not Done

A judgment for the landlord doesn't remove the tenant. The court enters an eviction order (older guides call it a writ or order of possession), the judge may delay when it can be enforced, and then the order is filed with the Cook County Sheriff, who schedules and carries out the removal. Only the Sheriff can do that; changing the locks yourself is still an illegal lockout. The Cook County Sheriff eviction guide covers filing, fees, the schedule and eviction day.

The order expires 120 days after it's entered unless the court extends it, and the Sheriff doesn't carry out evictions during the winter holiday pause or in extreme cold. If the tenant appeals or raises new issues after judgment, the clock extends further.

What Makes It Longer

Contested hearings. Continuances. Defective notices. A stay set by the judge. The Sheriff's schedule. The holiday pause. Any of those can turn what looks like a few weeks on paper into several months.

The shortest timelines tend to come from cases where every procedural step held up from the start: notice, filing, service and hearing, with nothing that gives the court a reason to pause.

Nobody controls a Chicago eviction timeline. The best you can do is not hand the tenant a reason to slow it down.

Key Takeaways

• An uncontested Chicago eviction rarely finishes in under a month; two to three months or more from notice to possession is common
• The notice must run at least 5 days, and a defective notice can mean starting over
• The first court date falls 7 to 40 days after the summons is issued, and the court sets it
• After judgment, the eviction order is filed with the Cook County Sheriff ($65 online), and only the Sheriff can remove the tenant
• The order expires after 120 days unless extended, and evictions pause over the winter holidays and in extreme cold
• Contested hearings, continuances and tenant defenses can add weeks or months