What are squatters’ rights in Illinois?
In Illinois, an action to recover land must be started within 20 years after the right to bring it first accrued. A person in actual possession under claim and color of title made in good faith, who stays in possession for 7 successive years and pays all taxes legally assessed on the land during that time, is held to be the legal owner to the extent of the paper title. A person with good-faith color of title to vacant and unoccupied land who pays all taxes legally assessed on it for 7 successive years is likewise deemed the legal owner. The eviction article lets the person entitled to possession be restored to it through an eviction action when a forcible entry is made, when a peaceable entry is made and possession is unlawfully withheld, or when entry is made into vacant or unoccupied property without right or title. Since January 1, 2026, the same section also says that nothing in the eviction article prohibits law enforcement officials from enforcing criminal trespass or interferes with their ability to remove persons or property from the premises when there is a criminal trespass. Until that period has run, a person occupying property without permission has no claim to its title. This is 735 ILCS 5/13-101, 5/13-109, 5/13-110; 735 ILCS 5/9-102.
| What | Illinois |
|---|---|
| Adverse possession period | 20 years |
| Removing an unauthorized occupant | Through a court proceeding, after notice |
Source
735 ILCS 5/13-101, 5/13-109, 5/13-110; 735 ILCS 5/9-102
Read the statute in the Illinois Compiled Statutes (Illinois General Assembly): ilga.gov.
Checked against the statute on November 13, 2026.
This is a summary of the published procedure, not legal advice. Courts, local rules and the facts of a tenancy change what applies, and a defect in a notice or a filing can end a case. Have a lawyer review anything before it is served or filed.
How Seayora uses this rule
Seayora does not file, serve or appear in an eviction, and is not anybody’s lawyer. When a tenant has stopped paying, it lays out these steps for the property’s own state and city with the statute beside each one, holds back any step that would come too early, keeps an append-only record of the case — and shows the resident what would end it, legal-aid links included.
Guides on this rule
- Squatters’ Rights by State: Adverse Possession and Removal — How long adverse possession takes in 51 states, what the statutes require, and which states let law enforcement remove a squatter without an eviction case.
Compare this rule in every state
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- Every Illinois rule on one page
The same question in other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii