2026 state court fee data · Illinois

Illinois Legal Processes

Filing fees, waiting periods, and procedural requirements for 12 common civil processes routed through Illinois Courts. Plain-language reference, refreshed against state court fee schedules.

See all processes → Methodology

Fee rank is not wait rank

According to PlainCivil's compiled state court fee schedules, Illinois ranks #4 of 10 surveyed states by average maximum filing fee (highest avg max = #1). Civil Lawsuit is largest of 3 at $500 among 12 civil filings in Illinois; that is not the longest wait: Guardianship records 60 days on a $400 ceiling.

12
processes tracked
$500
highest fee · Civil Lawsuit
60 days
longest wait · Guardianship
2
free-to-file

Fee rank and wait-time rank are tracked separately: this page sorts by average maximum filing fee, not by waiting period. See how we rank states.

Illinois vs tracked states by average maximum filing fee

Where this state's average max filing fee sits among the 10 states on PlainCivil's civil-process schedule

$321 4th of 10 higher than 6 of 10 states

Tracked states, banded by average maximum civil filing fee

Each bar is a $0.001K-wide band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCivil compiled state court fee schedules · 2026

Illinois civil-process accessibility score

One verdict number from PlainCivil's own compiled filing-fee and waiting-period schedule across the 12 process types tracked for Illinois, benchmarked against every other state PlainCivil covers.

C- 52/100
  • Average filing fee F $234 Averaged across 12 documented process types
  • Average waiting period A 8.6 days Mandatory waiting period, averaged across 12 process types
  • Longest single wait C- 60 days The slowest mandatory waiting period among this state’s documented processes

Lower fees and shorter waits score higher. A dimension with no documented data for this state drops out and its weight redistributes across the rest - it never silently lowers the score. Full method: civil-process accessibility score.

A practical reading of the schedule · STANDARD

What changes the cost of filing in Illinois

Start with the filing fee

This page covers 12 civil process types tracked for Illinois, all routed through the Illinois Courts. Across those processes, the average maximum filing fee is $321, and 2 can be filed at no cost. The highest listed fee is for civil lawsuit, which can reach $500 in complex cases.

Then allow for timing and local charges

Guardianship has the longest mandatory waiting period on this page at 60 days, so the court cannot issue a final order before that window expires. Actual resolution commonly takes longer because of court backlogs, response deadlines, and service requirements. County courthouses may also add charges for service of process, motions, certified copies, or a jury demand.

How Illinois compares

Peer states tracked on the same civil-process schedule

Illinois tracks 12 civil-process types with an average maximum filing fee of $321. Use the peer comparison to gauge whether Illinois courts run pricier or cheaper than neighboring jurisdictions, and whether procedural complexity (number of process types tracked) is broadly typical.

Selected

IL

Illinois

$321 avg. max filing fee
Processes tracked
12

NY

New York

$357 avg. max filing fee
Processes tracked
12

TX

Texas

$276 avg. max filing fee
Processes tracked
12

All Legal Processes in Illinois

12 types 2 free

Fee profile

Maximum filing fees across Illinois processes

Highlighted bar is the highest recorded maximum on this state schedule (Civil Lawsuit, $500). Average maximum across tracked processes: $321.

Process Filing Fee Details
Civil Lawsuit
Circuit Court Law Division.
 $210–$500 Civil Lawsuit schedule details
Court Mediation
Court-annexed free programs available.
 $0–$350 Court Mediation schedule details
Divorce
Cook County ~$315. Other counties $210-$350. Fee waivers available.
 $210–$350 Divorce schedule details
Domestic Violence Protection
Free. Emergency Order of Protection available 24/7.
 Free Domestic Violence Protection schedule details
Eviction
$215-$400 in Circuit Court (eviction division). Cook County fees higher than downstate.
 $215–$400 Eviction schedule details
Guardianship
Probate Division of Circuit Court. Guardian ad litem fees vary.
 $250–$400 Guardianship schedule details
Name Change
Circuit Court filing fee. Publication in local newspaper required.
 $200–$325 Name Change schedule details
Probate
Circuit Court Probate Division.
 $250–$500 Probate schedule details
Property Dispute
Circuit Court, Law Division or Chancery.
 $250–$500 Property Dispute schedule details
Restraining Order
Emergency Order of Protection free.
 Free Restraining Order schedule details
Small Claims
$89-$264 in Cook County depending on claim. Other counties: $50-$150 approximately.
 $89–$264 Small Claims schedule details
Tenant Rights
Security deposit recovery in Circuit Court.
 $89–$264 Tenant Rights schedule details

Take this with you

Where to go next from Illinois's civil filing fees.

Filing fees and requirements change; verify current figures with your local court before filing.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. National civil trial-rate context also lives there.

According to published Illinois court schedules compiled in the PlainCivil state-process database. See our methodology for source categories and vintage.

Fee and timeline figures on PlainCivil are rendered from the portal's state-process database compiled from published court schedules, no fee is invented for a ranking. State hub aggregates process rows for Illinois from the portal database. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-09-01. PlainCivil does not rate, rank-recommend, or advise on legal strategy, it reports what published schedules and court materials contain.