Illinois process server—service of process in all 102 counties

Illinois personal service means handing a copy of the summons directly to the individual defendant—no substitute recipient and no mailing required. It can be completed anywhere the defendant is found within the state. By default the county sheriff serves it, though a licensed private detective, or a private person the court appoints by order, may also carry it out.

Service of summons upon an individual defendant shall be made (1) by leaving a copy of the summons with the defendant personally (735 ILCS 5/2-203(a)(1)). — 735 ILCS 5/2-203(a)(1)

With ABC Legal: a vetted server makes the first attempt on your tier's timeline—as fast as 48 hours—and EvidenceChain™ records the GPS location and timestamp of the exact delivery moment.

Illinois calls this abode service. A copy is left at the defendant's usual place of abode with a family member or a person residing there who is at least 13 years old, and that person is informed of the summons's contents. The server must also mail a sealed, postage-prepaid copy to the defendant at that same abode address.

(2) by leaving a copy at the defendant's usual place of abode, with some person of the family or a person residing there, of the age of 13 years or upwards, and informing that person of the contents of the summons, provided the officer or other person making service shall also send a copy of the summons in a sealed envelope with postage fully prepaid, addressed to the defendant at his or her usual place of abode (735 ILCS 5/2-203(a)(2)). — 735 ILCS 5/2-203(a)(2)

With ABC Legal: courts only accept substituted service after documented diligence. Our app geotags and timestamps every attempt automatically, so your diligence record is built before you need it.

When a defendant resides or has gone out of Illinois, cannot be found on due inquiry, or is concealed within the state, the plaintiff files an affidavit and the clerk publishes notice in a newspaper in the county where the action is pending. Within 10 days of the first publication, the clerk must also mail a copy to each defendant whose residence the affidavit states.

that the defendant resides or has gone out of this State, or on due inquiry cannot be found, or is concealed within this State, so that process cannot be served upon him or her... The clerk shall also, within 10 days of the first publication of the notice, send a copy thereof by mail, addressed to each defendant whose place of residence is stated in such affidavit (735 ILCS 5/2-206). — 735 ILCS 5/2-206

With ABC Legal: our skip tracing team locates most "unfindable" defendants before you ever pay for publication—and if it truly comes to that, your ABC attempt history is the diligence evidence the motion needs.

A private corporation is served by leaving a copy of the process with its registered agent or any officer or agent of the corporation, found anywhere in Illinois. An LLC is served through its registered agent; if the company keeps no agent or the agent cannot be found with reasonable diligence, the Secretary of State acts as agent and mails notice to the company.

A private corporation may be served (1) by leaving a copy of the process with its registered agent or any officer or agent of the corporation found anywhere in the State; or (2) in any other manner now or hereafter permitted by law (735 ILCS 5/2-204). LLC service on the registered agent, with Secretary of State as fallback agent, is governed by 805 ILCS 180/1-50. — 735 ILCS 5/2-204; 805 ILCS 180/1-50

With ABC Legal: we verify the current registered agent against state records before dispatch, so the serve lands on the right desk the first time.

Illinois serves governmental bodies by delivering a copy to a specific responsible officer—for a county, the county board chairperson or county clerk; for a city, the mayor or city clerk; for a village, the board president or village clerk; for a town, the supervisor or town clerk. Any other public or quasi-municipal corporation is served through its president, clerk, or corresponding officer.

In actions against public, municipal, governmental or quasi-municipal corporations, summons may be served by leaving a copy with the chairperson of the county board or county clerk in the case of a county, with the mayor or city clerk in the case of a city, with the president of the board of trustees or village clerk in the case of a village, with the supervisor or town clerk in the case of a town, and with the president or clerk or other officer corresponding thereto in the case of any other public, municipal, governmental or quasi-municipal corporation or body (735 ILCS 5/2-211). — 735 ILCS 5/2-211

With ABC Legal: our servers handle city, county, and state entity serves routinely—and know exactly which office actually accepts them.

Illinois does not authorize service of an original summons by ordinary mail in general civil actions—a defendant must be reached through personal service, abode service, publication, or a court-ordered alternative. A narrow exception exists for small-claims cases under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 284, which permits service by certified or registered mail, but a standard civil filing cannot rely on mail service alone.

Section 2-203 enumerates personal delivery and abode-plus-mailing as the methods of individual service; ordinary mail is not listed as a standalone method (735 ILCS 5/2-203). — 735 ILCS 5/2-203; Ill. S. Ct. R. 284

With ABC Legal: we recommend personal service first—it starts deadlines immediately and never depends on the recipient cooperating.