60-Second Answer: Eviction Cost by County

1. DuPage County: $895 flat. Covers notice review, filing, prove-up, and order for possession.
2. Cook County (suburban, District 2-6): $1,250 flat. Same scope. Higher fee because Cook County filings take longer and involve more court calls.
3. Cook County First Municipal District (Chicago): $1,600 flat. Same scope. Chicago eviction cases carry RLTO complexity, mandatory pre-filing conciliation in some matters, and longer court timelines.
4. Filing fees, service costs, and sheriff posting fees are billed separately at cost. Typically $300 to $500 in filing and service fees, depending on the county.
5. If the case goes to a contested trial requiring a second appearance, I’ll quote the additional fee before the first trial date. Most cases resolve at prove-up. Some don’t.

Published Flat-Fee Eviction Schedule

Jurisdiction	Flat Attorney Fee	What’s Included
Cook County First Municipal District (Chicago)	$1,600 flat	Notice review, complaint drafting, filing, service coordination, prove-up, order for possession.
Cook County (suburban District 2-6)	$1,250 flat	Same scope.
DuPage County	$895 flat	Same scope.
Kane, Will, Lake, McHenry	Quoted at engagement	Usually in line with DuPage pricing. Court-specific practice quirks factored in.
Contested trial (second appearance)	Quoted before the trial date	Most cases do not reach this stage. Pricing depends on complexity of defense raised.

Court filing fees, summons fees, and sheriff service are billed separately at actual cost. Expect $300 to $500 depending on jurisdiction.

Why Eviction Costs Vary So Much by County

Three things drive the county differences: the law that applies, the court workload, and the mandatory procedural steps. Here’s the breakdown.

Chicago (Cook County First Municipal District): $1,600

Chicago evictions are governed by the Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (RLTO, MCC Chapter 5-12). RLTO creates tenant rights that don’t exist elsewhere in Illinois:

• Strict security deposit rules with double-damages penalties for non-compliance.
• Tenant’s right to withhold rent for repairs under specific conditions.
• Mandatory attachment of the RLTO summary to every lease.
• Specific notice requirements for rent increases.

If the landlord’s lease doesn’t comply with RLTO (and many don’t) it opens a defense the tenant can raise. I read the lease before filing, specifically to catch these traps before they become problems at prove-up. Cook County First Municipal District also runs a much heavier docket than the suburbs, which means more court dates and more time on file.

Suburban Cook County (Districts 2 through 6): $1,250

Suburban Cook cases are filed in district courthouses: Skokie, Rolling Meadows, Maywood, Bridgeview, Markham, and Chicago’s Civic Center for certain case types. RLTO does not apply to buildings outside Chicago city limits. The Illinois Eviction Act (735 ILCS 5/9) governs instead. Simpler statute, cleaner docket, lower fee.

DuPage County: $895

DuPage eviction court runs efficiently. Single courthouse in Wheaton, predictable judges, faster docket. The statute is the same Illinois Eviction Act that governs suburban Cook. Lower overhead, lower fee.

Realistic Illinois Eviction Timeline

Landlords frequently ask how long an eviction takes. The honest answer is “it depends on the county and the tenant’s defense.” Here’s what I see across hundreds of cases.

Stage	DuPage	Cook (Suburban)	Cook (Chicago)
5-day or 10-day notice period	Same across Illinois	Same	Same
File to first court date	14-21 days	21-35 days	30-45 days
First date to order for possession	Same day to 2 weeks	2-4 weeks	3-8 weeks
Sheriff posts order and removes tenant	2-6 weeks from order	4-10 weeks from order	6-14 weeks from order
Total (uncontested)	5-10 weeks	8-16 weeks	12-24 weeks

What It Costs to Do It Yourself and Get It Wrong

I see landlords come in after trying to handle the case alone. Here’s what the mistakes cost.

Mistake	Typical Cost
5-day notice served incorrectly (wrong dollar amount, wrong date, improper service)	Case dismissed, restart from notice: 30+ extra days of lost rent
RLTO security deposit violation raised as counterclaim in Chicago	Double deposit plus $500 statutory damages and tenant’s attorney fees
Missed required lease attachment (RLTO summary, bed bug disclosure)	$100 to $500 penalty per violation, tenant’s attorney fees
Tenant raises habitability defense and landlord has no response	Case continued 30-60 days, possible rent abatement
Self-help eviction (changing locks, shutting off utilities)	Forcible entry and detainer claim by tenant: $5,000 to $25,000 exposure
Hiring me to run it correctly the first time	$895 to $1,600 flat, jurisdiction-dependent

What the Flat Fee Actually Covers

Every eviction I take on includes the following work without additional billing:

• Pre-filing lease and notice review. I read the lease before anything else. If the lease has a fatal defect, better to know before filing than after.
• Drafting and service of the 5-day or 10-day notice if not already served.
• Drafting and filing the eviction complaint in the correct jurisdiction.
• Coordinating service of summons with the sheriff or a licensed process server.
• First court appearance and prove-up if the case is uncontested.
• Obtaining and recording the order for possession.
• Coordinating with the sheriff for eventual posting and removal.
• All phone calls, emails, and updates during the case.

What it does not cover: collection of back rent after possession is restored (that’s a separate small-claims or money judgment matter), second-appearance trial if the tenant contests (quoted separately), and appellate work.

Chicago RLTO: Why the Fee Is Higher

The Chicago RLTO makes eviction harder and more expensive everywhere it applies. Three reasons:

1. Security deposit compliance is brutal. If the landlord held the deposit in a non-segregated account, failed to pay interest, or didn’t provide the required receipt, the tenant can counterclaim for 2x the deposit plus $500 statutory damages plus attorney’s fees. I see this counterclaim on probably a third of Chicago cases.
2. RLTO summary must be attached to the lease at signing. If it wasn’t, the tenant has an independent claim for $100 per violation.
3. Tenant right-to-repair-and-deduct defense. If the tenant properly exercised RLTO repair remedies, rent withholding is lawful. I’ve seen too many landlords not understand this and file against a tenant who had a bulletproof defense.

Why Have Me Handle Your Eviction

• In eviction court four-plus days a week. I know the judges. I know the clerks. I know what works at prove-up.
• Flat fees, published. You know the price before I start.
• Licensed since 2015. ARDC #6311917. Verify at iardc.org.
• I answer the phone. Landlords need fast answers on notice timing and court dates. I give them.
• DuPage, Cook (all six districts), and surrounding counties. I cover the whole collar.
• Follow-up on collections if needed. Separate engagement, but I handle it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does an eviction lawyer cost in Illinois?

$895 flat in DuPage County, $1,250 flat in suburban Cook County, and $1,600 flat in the City of Chicago (Cook County First Municipal District). Filing and service fees are separate at actual cost, typically $300 to $500.

Why does Chicago cost more than DuPage for the same case?

The Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance creates tenant defenses and procedural requirements that don’t exist elsewhere. Cases take longer, carry more risk, and require more preparation.

What if the tenant contests the eviction?

Most cases don’t reach a contested trial. When they do, I quote the trial fee before the second appearance. The flat fee above covers the uncontested path, including prove-up.

Can I serve the 5-day notice myself to save money?

You can. You should not. Improper notice is the single most common reason eviction cases get dismissed. If the notice is defective, you restart the clock from scratch. That’s 30 extra days of lost rent to save a few dollars on service.

How long does the whole process take?

Uncontested DuPage: 5 to 10 weeks from filing. Uncontested suburban Cook: 8 to 16 weeks. Uncontested Chicago: 12 to 24 weeks. Contested cases run significantly longer.

What does the flat fee include?

Pre-filing lease and notice review, drafting and filing the complaint, service coordination, first court appearance, prove-up, order for possession, and sheriff coordination. All phone calls and emails are included.

What doesn’t it cover?

Collection of back rent after possession is restored (separate small-claims matter), contested-trial second appearance, and appellate work. Each is quoted separately if needed.

Do you handle commercial evictions?

Yes, but commercial evictions are priced separately because lease terms drive the complexity. Commercial cases are quoted at engagement based on the specific lease.