Illinois Governor Signs Anti-Squatter Law

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill empowering police to remove squatters from residential properties without a court-ordered eviction, fast-tracking what had previously been a drawn-out legal process for landlords and homeowners.

Senate Bill 1563, which takes effect Jan. 1, passed nearly unanimously after State Rep. Marcus Evans had squatters move into a vacant home next door to his South Side residence, Capitol News Illinois reported. Police told the rightful owners they would need to go through the formal eviction process, a costly and time-consuming procedure in Cook County courts.

“Squatters are a problem, and no one should have to get an eviction notice to remove squatters from their home,” said bill sponsor Sen. Lakesia Collins in a statement. “Law enforcement need to be able to do their job and return homes to their rightful owners.”

The bill clarifies existing criminal trespassing statutes, allowing law enforcement to remove unauthorized residents immediately if they do not have a legal claim to occupancy. The law draws a legal distinction between squatters and tenants to prevent delays when bad actors occupy homes without leases or ownership documentation.

Evans called on Pritzker to sign the bill after his firsthand encounter. In a Facebook post, he described his district as “full of hardworking, mortgage- and rent-paying citizens” and called squatters “crooks who prey on hardworking people.”

Illinois Realtors and the Neighborhood Building Owners Alliance said the law would prevent further abuse of an outdated system.

Squatter disputes have made headlines across Chicago this year, with some owners resorting to cash buyouts or even moving in alongside the squatters themselves to reclaim their properties. Advocates for the new law say it brings Illinois more in line with Florida, which passed a similar anti-squatting law last year, one that also carries criminal penalties for squatters who falsify leases or cause property damage.

Illinois’ version stops short of that, but it marks a major shift in how quickly owners can act.

— Judah Duke