Illinois
Divorce, lawyers, and free legal help in Illinois — verified against official sources.
How divorce filing works in Illinois
Illinois courts publish statewide approved divorce forms — accepted by every court in the state — covering divorce with and without children, parenting plans, and support. Start with the court's forms page before anything else.
Illinois Courts — Divorce, Child Support & Maintenance Forms
The official starting point: statewide approved divorce forms plus links to free guided interviews.
illinoiscourts.gov — divorce forms →Find a divorce lawyer
Illinois State Bar — Illinois Lawyer Finder
Online directory plus phone referral. A 30-minute consultation costs no more than $25.
isba.org — lawyer finder →New to hiring a lawyer? Read Start Here first — it covers what to ask and what to bring.
Free or low-cost legal help
Illinois Legal Aid Online
Guides, how-tos, free guided form interviews, and a legal-aid finder for lower-income Illinoisans.
illinoislegalaid.org →Report Child Abuse or Neglect
Call the Illinois Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-2873, or report non-emergency situations online.
childabuse.illinois.gov →IHDA — Housing Counseling Programs
Free foreclosure prevention counseling statewide, plus the Cook County Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program. Call 855-452-2637.
ihda.org — housing counseling →Call 211
Free, confidential referrals to local help. Dial 211 from any phone.
211.org →Unpaid wages in Illinois
Your boss owes you pay and won't hand it over? Here's where to file and how long you have in Illinois.
Where to go
Illinois Department of Labor, wage claims division
Time limit to file
1 year
What the floor is
$15.00 (2025)
Changing your name in Illinois
Whether it's marriage, divorce, or just time for a fresh start — here's the process in Illinois.
How it works
petition the circuit court in your county
Typical court fee
varies by county — check your local court
Newspaper notice required?
no
Small claims court in Illinois
Suing someone without a lawyer, for smaller amounts, in a simpler court. Here's how it works in Illinois.
Maximum claim
$10,000
Filing fee
about $89–$264 depending on county and claim size
Can you bring one?
yes — allowed
Clearing your criminal record in Illinois
Expungement or sealing can hide eligible arrests and convictions from background checks. Here's where Illinois stands.
Can records be cleared?
yes — expungement and sealing
What qualifies
dismissed/acquitted cases can be expunged; most convictions can be sealed
Waiting period
none for acquittals/dismissals; 2–3 years for sealing; 5 years for certain probation
Learn more about clearing your criminal record in Illinois →
Child support in Illinois
How child support gets calculated — and when it ends — in Illinois.
How it's figured
income shares (both parents' net incomes combined) income shares worksheets from Illinois Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services; statute at 750 ILCS 5/505
When it ends
age 18, or high school graduation/age 19 if still in high school
Lemon law in Illinois
Bought a new car that's constantly in the shop? Illinois's lemon law may get you a refund or a replacement.
Which vehicles qualify
new vehicles only (purchased or leased; cars, light trucks/vans under 8,000 lbs, RVs)
When it's legally a lemon
4+ attempts for same nonconformity or 30+ business days out of service within first 12 months or 12,000 miles
What you get
comparable replacement vehicle or refund of purchase price/lease cost
Tenant rights in Illinois
Renting comes with rights most people never hear about until something goes wrong. Here are the key ones in Illinois.
Notice before eviction
30 days to end month-to-month; 5-day notice to pay or quit for nonpayment
Deposit limits & return
No statewide cap (Chicago/Cook County have own rules); returned within 45 days, itemized statement within 30 days if deductions
When the landlord won't fix things
May repair and deduct after written notice (cap $500 or half month's rent)
DUI / DWI in Illinois
Driving under the influence carries some of the stiffest penalties in everyday law. Here's how Illinois handles it.
Blood alcohol (BAC) limit
0.08; enhanced penalties at 0.16 (100 hrs community service)
Typical penalties
Up to 1 year jail, up to $2,500 fine, 6-month license suspension (12 months if test refused)
How far back DUIs count
Lifetime (DUI cannot be expunged or sealed)
Gun laws in Illinois
Gun laws vary a lot from state to state — what's perfectly legal in one state can be a crime in another. Here's the big picture for this state. Laws change often, so double-check anything before you act.
Carrying a concealed handgun
Permit required (Concealed Carry License), shall-issue, 21+ (FOID also required)
Carrying openly
Prohibited
Background checks & waiting periods
Private sales: Required (universal; FOID verification and state police approval) Waiting period: 72 hours for all firearms.
Extreme risk protection
Yes — (Firearms Restraining Orders). Courts can temporarily order firearms removed from someone found to be a danger.
Reciprocity
None; does not recognize any out-of-state permits
Filming the police: your rights in Illinois
Federal appeals courts across the country have recognized a First Amendment right to photograph and record police officers performing their official duties in public. The U.S. Supreme Court has not ruled on it directly. The right does not protect interfering with officers, trespassing, or breaking other laws while you record.
All-party consent
State law generally requires everyone recorded to consent — but on-duty officers in public have no reasonable expectation of privacy, so courts have held that recording them is protected. (720 ILCS 5/14-2 (amended 2014))
No buffer-zone law
Illinois has no law setting a minimum distance for filming police. You still must not interfere with officers doing their jobs.
Illinois was all-party, but the old eavesdropping law was struck down in People v. Melongo and People v. Clark (Ill. 2014) and, as applied to recording police, by ACLU v. Alvarez (7th Cir. 2012). The replacement law covers only private conversations where parties have a reasonable expectation of privacy, which does not include on-duty officers in public.
Drug & alcohol addiction help in Illinois
Addiction is a health issue, and help is out there — including court programs that can send people to treatment instead of jail. No insurance needed to call.
SAMHSA National Helpline
Free, confidential referrals to treatment — call 1-800-662-4357 (English & Spanish).
Human trafficking victims in Illinois
If you or someone you know is being forced to work or forced into sex against their will, you are a victim of a crime and help is available — immigration status does not matter.
National Human Trafficking Hotline
Call 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733 — free, confidential, for victims and anyone who suspects trafficking.
Bullying in Illinois
Every state has an anti-bullying law, and every school must have a plan. If your child is being bullied, document what happens and report it in writing to the school — and know what your state’s law requires.
Homelessness help in Illinois
If you are homeless or at risk of losing your housing, help is close by. Shelters, food, health care, and long-term housing programs exist in every community.
211 homeless services
Dial 211 and press 6 for homeless services in your area.
VA homeless veterans
Homeless veterans: call the VA National Call Center at 1-877-424-3838 (877-4AID-VET), 24/7.
Deed fraud & squatters in Illinois
Thieves can forge a deed to steal your home’s title — many counties offer free recording alerts that notify you if anything is filed against your property. And if someone is living in your property without permission, your state has specific rules for removing them: you generally cannot just change the locks.
FBI: protect your property from deed fraud
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center alert on parcel-owner impersonation →