Illinois Late Fee Law
No Illinois statute caps residential late fees or requires a grace period; the lease sets both.
Last verified: · Researched and cited by MakeLease · not yet attorney-reviewed
Illinois late fee law at a glance
| Late-fee cap | No state cap765 ILCS 705 (Landlord and Tenant Act — no late-fee provision), 735 ILCS 5/9-201 to 9-218 (silent on late fees) |
|---|---|
| Grace period | No state grace period765 ILCS 705 (Landlord and Tenant Act — silent) |
| Notice before filing for unpaid rent | 5 days (5-day landlord's demand for rent)735 ILCS 5/9-209, 735 ILCS 5/9-211 (service) |
What Illinois law says
Is there a limit on late fees in Illinois?
Illinois has no statewide cap on residential late fees, so any fee should be stated in the lease and reasonable; Chicago and suburban Cook County impose their own caps (765 ILCS 705) (765 ILCS 705 (Landlord and Tenant Act — no late-fee provision)).
Does Illinois require a grace period before a late fee?
Illinois law sets no grace period before a residential late fee may be charged; follow the lease and any local ordinance (765 ILCS 705) (765 ILCS 705 (Landlord and Tenant Act — silent)).
How much notice must an Illinois landlord give for unpaid rent?
For unpaid rent, the landlord must serve a written demand giving the tenant at least 5 days to pay before the lease may be terminated and an eviction filed (735 ILCS 5/9-209).
How Illinois compares
31 of 51 verified jurisdictions set no statutory cap. 14 require a grace period.
Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Wisconsin follow the same rule as Illinois; 1 of its 5 neighbors differs.
Local rules in Illinois
Chicago's Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (Mun. Code ch. 5-12) adds deposit interest and receipt rules, a 45-day return deadline, a late-fee cap ($10/month on the first $500 of rent plus 5% of the excess), 2 days' notice before entry, and (via the Fair Notice ordinance) 30/60/120-day notice for non-renewal or rent increases based on length of tenancy. Suburban Cook County's Residential Tenant Landlord Ordinance (eff. 2021) caps deposits at 1.5 months' rent, requires return within 30 days and caps late fees at $10/month on the first $1,000 plus 5% of the excess. Evanston (21-day deposit return), Oak Park and Mount Prospect have their own ordinances. These local figures come from secondary summaries and were not verified against ordinance text.
Other Illinois rules
| Security deposit limit | No state cap765 ILCS 710 (Security Deposit Return Act — silent on amount), 765 ILCS 705 (Landlord and Tenant Act — silent on amount) |
|---|---|
| Deposit return deadline | 30 days after move-out765 ILCS 710/1(a), P.A. 103-224 (SB 1741), eff. 1-1-2024 |
| Entry notice | No state rule765 ILCS 705 (Landlord and Tenant Act — no entry provision) |
| Rent-increase notice | No state rule735 ILCS 5/9-207 (termination notice; no rent-increase provision) |
| Month-to-month termination | 30 days (either side)735 ILCS 5/9-207, 735 ILCS 5/9-205 |