Housing · Ending a Lease
Notice to End a Month-to-Month Lease in Illinois
How much notice it takes to end a month-to-month tenancy in Illinois, whether the landlord must give more than the tenant, the local ordinances that require more, and how to serve it. Cited to the statute.
How the notice works in Illinois
The notice period, the landlord-versus-tenant split, and the local overlays that can require more.
The Chicago Fair Notice Ordinance (2020) and the Cook County ordinance are decisive overlays, so the bare 30-day state figure is wrong for anyone in Chicago or suburban Cook County. Confirm the current local tiers for your address.
| How the notice works | What it means |
|---|---|
| State default: 30 days | A month-to-month tenancy ends on 30 days’ written notice under 735 ILCS 5/9-207. Week-to-week requires 7 days. This applies statewide. |
| Applies both ways | The 30-day default applies to landlord and tenant alike statewide. |
| Written and properly served | The notice must be in writing and properly served before the termination date. |
| Overlays and exceptions | What it means |
|---|---|
| Chicago Fair Notice Ordinance | In Chicago, a landlord must give 30 days for a tenancy under six months, 60 days for six months to three years, and 120 days for over three years, for non-renewal or termination. The clock starts the first of the month after service. |
| Cook County ordinance | Suburban Cook County imposes similar tiered notice. Confirm the current tiers for your municipality. |
| For-cause is separate | Nonpayment uses a 5-day notice and a lease violation a 10-day notice, not this no-fault period. |
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps to end a month-to-month tenancy in Illinois. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- Check whether you are in Chicago or Cook County
The 30-day state default only applies where no local ordinance does. In Chicago and suburban Cook County, longer tiered notice is required, so confirm your municipality first.
- Match Chicago notice to length of stay
In Chicago, give 30 days under six months, 60 days for six months to three years, and 120 days over three years, counting from the first of the month after service.
- Use 30 days where the state default applies
Outside Chicago and Cook County, a 30-day written notice ends a month-to-month tenancy for either side.
- Do not confuse this with a for-cause notice
A no-fault termination is separate from a 5-day nonpayment notice or a 10-day lease-violation notice. Use the right one.
Serving the wrong notice period can void the termination and cost weeks. This resource can connect you with a tenant hotline or a licensed attorney who can confirm your dates.
→ Illinois State Bar — Illinois Lawyer FinderThis is general legal information, not legal advice. The landlord-tenant split, just-cause rules, and local ordinances can change the answer, so confirm your notice with a tenant resource or a licensed attorney.
What Illinois renters and landlords get wrong
Illinois has a 30-day statewide default for ending a month-to-month tenancy, but for a large share of the state’s renters that number is simply wrong, because of local ordinances. Under 735 ILCS 5/9-207, a month-to-month tenancy ends on 30 days’ written notice, applied equally to landlord and tenant. Inside Chicago, though, the Fair Notice Ordinance overrides that: a landlord must give 30 days for a tenancy under six months, 60 days for six months to three years, and 120 days for more than three years, with the clock starting the first of the month after service. Suburban Cook County has its own tiered scheme. So a Chicago renter of four years is entitled to 120 days, not 30, and treating the state figure as the answer is the most common mistake here. As with the other notice rules, this no-fault termination is separate from the for-cause notices, a 5-day notice for nonpayment and a 10-day notice for a lease violation. Check your municipality before you rely on 30 days.
Common questions
How much notice to end a month-to-month lease in Illinois?
30 days statewide under 735 ILCS 5/9-207, for either side. But in Chicago the notice is 30, 60, or 120 days by length of stay, and Cook County has its own tiers.
How is Chicago different from the Illinois state notice rule?
Chicago’s Fair Notice Ordinance requires a landlord to give 30 days under six months, 60 days for six months to three years, and 120 days over three years, far more than the 30-day state default.
When does the Chicago notice clock start?
The Chicago periods are counted from the first of the month after the notice is served, so the effective date is usually later than a simple day-count from service.
Is the month-to-month notice the same as an eviction notice in Illinois?
No. A no-fault month-to-month termination is separate from a for-cause eviction, which uses a 5-day notice for nonpayment or a 10-day notice for a lease violation.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.