Chicago, Illinois Process Servers

Chicago sits in Cook County, and Cook County had its own rule on who may serve papers. Until January 1, 2025, a private process server in Cook County needed a court order appointing them as a special process server for each case, even if they held a private detective license. That changed with Public Acts 103-0671 and 103-1057, which amended 735 ILCS 5/2-202.

Today in Chicago:

• Licensed private detectives and registered employees of a licensed detective agency can serve process without a court order.
• Anyone else (an adult over 18 who is not a party) still needs the judge to sign an order appointing them as a Cook County special process server.
• A $5 fee per service goes to the county when a private server is used. The plaintiff pays it to the clerk when the summons or alias summons is issued.

If you hire a Chicago process server, ask whether they are licensed. If they are not, file the motion to appoint before handing them the summons. The county sheriff can also serve, but a private server can make repeated attempts at different times of day, including evenings and weekends.

Timing matters too. Under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 102, a standard summons cannot be served more than 30 days after its date. If it expires, ask the clerk for an alias summons. Rule 103(b) lets a judge dismiss a case if the plaintiff did not use reasonable diligence to get service. See our Illinois process serving laws and service of process deadlines for more.

Serving a person

Most Chicago cases are filed at the Richard J. Daley Center in the Loop, which houses the Clerk of the Circuit Court's Civil, Law, Chancery, Domestic Relations, County and Probate divisions.

Richard J. Daley Center
50 W. Washington St.
Chicago, IL 60602

The Civil Division at the Daley Center (Room 601) handles cases seeking less than $30,000, including evictions, contract claims and small claims. Small claims in Illinois cover cases of $10,000 or less. Our guide on how to serve small claims forms covers the paperwork.

Order of protection and other domestic violence cases are handled separately:

Domestic Violence Division
555 W. Harrison St., Suite 4400
Chicago, IL 60607

Chicago's city limits stop where suburbs like Evanston, Oak Park and Cicero begin. Those are separate municipalities, and suburban Cook County cases are often heard at district courthouses such as Skokie or Maywood rather than downtown. Check the courthouse named on your summons, and give your server the defendant's exact address, including the unit number for high-rises and two-flats.

Serving a business

A lawsuit against a company is served on its registered agent, not handed to whoever is at the front desk. Illinois corporations and LLCs must keep a registered agent with an office in the state. Look up the agent's name and registered office on the Illinois Secretary of State business search.

Many large companies use CT Corporation System, which keeps its Illinois service of process office in the Loop, a short walk from the Daley Center:

CT Corporation System
208 S. LaSalle St., Suite 814
Chicago, IL 60604

CT only takes papers for companies that list it as their agent, so match the entity name on your summons to the state record before your server goes in.

Most other national agents are not in Chicago. Cogency Global, InCorp, Northwest Registered Agent and Harbor Compliance list Springfield for their Illinois office, and Corporate Creations and United Agent Group use 1320 Tower Road in Schaumburg. If the state record names one of them, the papers go to that address, not downtown. Read more about agents for service of process.

Federal cases in Chicago are filed in the Northern District of Illinois:

Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse
219 S. Dearborn St.
Chicago, IL 60604

Serving the City of Chicago

Under 735 ILCS 5/2-211, a summons against a city is served on its mayor or city clerk. The Chicago City Clerk's office is in City Hall:

Office of the City Clerk
121 N. LaSalle St., Room 107
Chicago, IL 60602

The office is open weekdays during business hours. Property and vehicle damage claims against the City go through a separate claims process and are not the same as serving a lawsuit.

For a list of all Cook County court locations, see the Clerk of the Circuit Court divisions page. For pricing, see how much it costs to hire a process server.

This is a general summary, not legal advice.