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Cook County, Illinois

Cook County Landlord-Tenant Laws

Security deposit limits, eviction notices, rent control, and more for Cook County, Illinois.

How we research these summaries

Every rule on this page is drawn from state statutes and municipal codes and summarized with AI assistance. Each one cites the statute it's based on and links to a published text of that law so you can read it firsthand. Where a page says a city or county has no local rule on a topic, that means none was found for the topics covered here — not that none exists. Local governments also regulate rental housing in ways these pages don't track, including registration, licensing, inspections and habitability standards. These summaries may be incomplete or out of date, laws change often, and every property and tenancy has specifics a summary can't capture — so treat this as a starting point for your own research, not as legal advice, and check with the local jurisdiction and a qualified attorney before acting on your particular situation.

What to Know in Cook County

Sources last checked July 2026

Suburban Cook County's Residential Tenant Landlord Ordinance caps security deposits at 1.5 months' rent — Chicago next door sets no deposit cap — and lets a tenant pay any amount above one month's rent in six installments over six months, under § 42-111. Ending a tenancy without fault takes a flat 60 days' notice regardless of tenancy length, unlike Chicago's tiered scale, while nonpayment allows termination on five days' notice, other violations on ten, under § 42-109. It applies only outside Chicago, excluding small owner-occupied buildings and most owner-occupied single-family homes.

  • 5-day notice required before eviction for nonpayment of rent
  • A landlord in suburban Cook County ending a tenancy without fault must give 60 days' written notice before the stated termination date, regardless of how long the tenant has...
  • Security deposits capped at 1.5× monthly rent
  • Illinois has no statute that directly sets a notice period for a rent increase.
  • No rent control — no statutory cap on rent increases
5 rules summarized · Each linked to the law it cites

Cook County Local Rules

Eviction Notice Requirements

What are the eviction notice requirements in Cook County?

In suburban Cook County the Residential Tenant Landlord Ordinance requires written notice giving five days to pay before a landlord may terminate for nonpayment, and at least ten days to cure a material lease violation other than nonpayment (§ 42-109). Ending a tenancy without fault requires 60 days' written notice — twice the City of Chicago's baseline, and a flat period that does not vary with how long the tenant has lived there. Where the landlord fails to give it, the tenant may remain up to 120 days after proper written notice is finally given. No cause need be stated for a non-renewal; only the notice is required. Two exclusions decide whether any of this applies: a building of six or fewer units in which the owner lives is excluded outright, and a single-family home or condominium is excluded only if ALL FOUR of the following hold — it is the only unit the owner leases, the owner or an immediate family member lived there at least one month in the previous twelve, the owner personally manages it rather than a management company, and the owner is not a corporation. Failing any one of the four means the property is covered.

Cook County Code of Ordinances §§ 42-109, 42-102 (originally §§ 42-809, 42-802)
Move-Out & Lease Termination Notice

What is the move-out notice requirement in Cook County?

A landlord in suburban Cook County ending a tenancy without fault must give 60 days' written notice before the stated termination date, regardless of how long the tenant has lived in the unit (§ 42-109). Where the landlord gives less, the tenant may remain on the same terms for up to 120 days after proper notice is given. This is a flat period, unlike the City of Chicago's tiered 30/60/120-day scale, and the county ordinance does not apply within Chicago city limits.

Cook County Code of Ordinances § 42-109 (originally enacted as § 42-809)
Security Deposit Limits

What is the security deposit limit in Cook County?

The Cook County Residential Tenant Landlord Ordinance caps security deposits: a landlord may not demand or receive a security deposit in excess of one and one-half months' rent (§ 42-111(a)). Any portion above one month's rent may, at the tenant's election, be paid in up to six equal instalments within six months of the lease taking effect rather than in a lump sum (§ 42-111(b)). The deposit must be returned within 30 days after the tenant vacates, with an itemized statement within 30 days where damage is deducted, and a landlord who violates these provisions owes twice the deposit plus reasonable attorney's fees. Two things to note: this ordinance governs SUBURBAN Cook County and does not apply inside the City of Chicago, which runs its own ordinance and sets no cap on the deposit amount; and the sections were renumbered after enactment, so many sources still cite the original § 42-811.

Cook County Code of Ordinances § 42-111 (originally enacted as § 42-811)

Applicable Illinois State Rules

These state-level rules apply in Cook County where no local override exists.

Rent Increase Notice Periods State Law

How much notice is required for rent increases in Cook County?

Illinois has no statute that directly sets a notice period for a rent increase. The customary figure comes by analogy from the tenancy-termination periods in 735 ILCS 5/9-207: a landlord may terminate a tenancy of any term less than one year other than week-to-week — which includes month-to-month — on 30 days' written notice, and a week-to-week tenancy on 7 days' written notice. Because raising rent on a periodic tenancy requires ending the existing terms and offering new ones, those periods are treated as the operative notice for an increase. This is an inference from the termination statute, not a statutory rent-increase rule. Chicago is stricter under its Fair Notice Ordinance, which scales notice to how long the tenant has lived in the unit: 30 days under six months, 60 days from six months to three years, and 120 days after three years. A flat 30-day assumption is therefore wrong for any Chicago tenant who has lived in the unit more than six months.

735 ILCS 5/9-207 (by analogy — Illinois has no rent-increase notice statute)
Rent Control / Rent Increase Caps State Law

Is there rent control in Cook County?

Illinois preempts local rent control: a unit of local government may not enact, maintain, or enforce an ordinance or resolution that would have the effect of controlling the amount of rent charged for leasing private residential or commercial property (50 ILCS 825/5). The Act took effect August 1, 1997 and remains in force. Repeal measures have been introduced in recent sessions, including SB1260, but none has passed and they remain in committee. There is accordingly no statutory ceiling on the size of a rent increase anywhere in Illinois.

50 ILCS 825/5 (Rent Control Preemption Act)

Other Illinois Cities & Counties

Chicago All Illinois laws →

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