(735 ILCS 5/Art. II Pt. 1 heading) Part 1. Venue

(735 ILCS 5/2-101) (from Ch. 110, par. 2-101)

Sec. 2-101. Generally. Except as otherwise provided in this Act, every action must be commenced (1) in the county of residence of any defendant who is joined in good faith and with probable cause for the purpose of obtaining a judgment against him or her and not solely for the purpose of fixing venue in that county, or (2) in the county in which the transaction or some part thereof occurred out of which the cause of action arose.

If a check, draft, money order, or other instrument for the payment of child support payable to or delivered to the State Disbursement Unit established under Section 10-26 of the Illinois Public Aid Code is returned by the bank or depository for any reason, venue for the enforcement of any criminal proceedings or civil cause of action for recovery and attorney fees shall be in the county where the principal office of the State Disbursement Unit is located.

If all defendants are nonresidents of the State, an action may be commenced in any county.

If the corporate limits of a city, village or town extend into more than one county, then the venue of an action or proceeding instituted by that municipality to enforce any fine, imprisonment, penalty or forfeiture for violation of any ordinance of that municipality, regardless of the county in which the violation was committed or occurred, may be in the appropriate court (i) in the county wherein the office of the clerk of the municipality is located or (ii) in any county in which at least 35% of the territory within the municipality's corporate limits is located.

(Source: P.A. 91-212, eff. 7-20-99.)

(735 ILCS 5/2-101.5)

Sec. 2-101.5. Venue in actions asserting constitutional claims against the State.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Code, if an action is brought against the State or any of its officers, employees, or agents acting in an official capacity on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly seeking declaratory or injunctive relief against any State statute, rule, or executive order based on an alleged violation of the Constitution of the State of Illinois or the Constitution of the United States, venue in that action is proper only in the County of Sangamon and the County of Cook.

(b) The doctrine of forum non conveniens does not apply to actions subject to this Section.

(c) As used in this Section, "State" has the meaning given to that term in Section 1 of the State Employee Indemnification Act.

(d) The provisions of this Section do not apply to claims arising out of collective bargaining disputes between the State of Illinois and the representatives of its employees.

(Source: P.A. 103-5, eff. 6-6-23.)

(735 ILCS 5/2-102) (from Ch. 110, par. 2-102)

Sec. 2-102. Residence of corporations, voluntary unincorporated associations and partnerships defined. For purposes of venue, the following definitions apply:

(a) Any private corporation or railroad or bridge company, organized under the laws of this State, and any foreign corporation authorized to transact business in this State is a resident of any county in which it has its registered office or other office or is doing business. A foreign corporation not authorized to transact business in this State is a nonresident of this State.

(b) A partnership sued in its firm name is a resident of any county in which any partner resides or in which the partnership has an office or is doing business. A partnership sued in its firm name, of which all partners are nonresidents of this State and which does not have an office or do business in this State, is a nonresident of this State.

(c) A voluntary unincorporated association sued in its own name is a resident of any county in which the association has an office or, if on due inquiry no office can be found, in which any officer of the association resides. A voluntary unincorporated association sued in its own name, of which all its members are nonresidents of this State and which does not have an office or do business in this State, is a nonresident of this State.

(Source: P.A. 83-901.)

(735 ILCS 5/2-103) (from Ch. 110, par. 2-103)

Sec. 2-103. Public corporations - Local actions - Libel - Insurance companies.

(a) Actions must be brought against a public, municipal, governmental or quasi-municipal corporation in the county in which its principal office is located or in the county in which the transaction or some part thereof occurred out of which the cause of action arose. Except as otherwise provided in Section 7-102 of this Code, if the cause of action is related to an airport owned by a unit of local government or the property or aircraft operations thereof, however, including an action challenging the constitutionality of this amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly, the action must be brought in the county in which the unit of local government's principal office is located. Actions to recover damage to real estate which may be overflowed or otherwise damaged by reason of any act of the corporation may be brought in the county where the real estate or some part of it is situated, or in the county where the corporation is located, at the option of the party claiming to be injured. Except as otherwise provided in Section 7-102 of this Code, any cause of action that is related to an airport owned by a unit of local government, and that is pending on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly in a county other than the county in which the unit of local government's principal office is located, shall be transferred, upon motion of any party under Section 2-106 of this Code, to the county in which the unit of local government's principal office is located.

(b) Any action to quiet title to real estate, or to partition or recover possession thereof or to foreclose a mortgage or other lien thereon, must be brought in the county in which the real estate or some part of it is situated.

(c) Any action which is made local by any statute must be brought in the county designated in the statute.

(d) Every action against any owner, publisher, editor, author or printer of a newspaper or magazine of general circulation for libel contained in that newspaper or magazine may be commenced only in the county in which the defendant resides or has his, her or its principal office or in which the article was composed or printed, except when the defendant resides or the article was printed without this State, in either of which cases the action may be commenced in any county in which the libel was circulated or published.

(e) Actions against any insurance company incorporated under the law of this State or doing business in this State may also be brought in any county in which the plaintiff or one of the plaintiffs may reside.

(Source: P.A. 93-450, eff. 8-6-03.)

(735 ILCS 5/2-104) (from Ch. 110, par. 2-104)

Sec. 2-104. Wrong venue - Waiver - Motion to transfer. (a) No order or judgment is void because rendered in the wrong venue, except in case of judgment by confession as provided in subsection (c) of Section 2-1301 of this Act. No action shall abate or be dismissed because commenced in the wrong venue if there is a proper venue to which the cause may be transferred.

(b) All objections of improper venue are waived by a defendant unless a motion to transfer to a proper venue is made by the defendant on or before the date upon which he or she is required to appear or within any further time that may be granted him or her to answer or move with respect to the complaint, except that if a defendant upon whose residence venue depends is dismissed upon motion of plaintiff, a remaining defendant may promptly move for transfer as though the dismissed defendant had not been a party.

(c) Motions for transfer to a proper venue may be supported and opposed by affidavit. In determining issues of fact raised by affidavits, any competent evidence adduced by the parties shall also be considered. The determination of any issue of fact in connection with a motion to transfer does not constitute a determination of the merits of the case or any aspect thereof.

(Source: P.A. 83-707.)

(735 ILCS 5/2-105) (from Ch. 110, par. 2-105)

Sec. 2-105. Defendants in different counties - Review. In any action involving defendants residing in different counties in which venue is based on residence and an appropriate and timely motion to transfer is made by a defendant not residing in the county, the overruling of the motion is not ground for reversal if he or she proceeds to trial on the merits, unless he or she renews the motion at the close of all the evidence and it appears from the record or the evidence that the defendant residing within the county was joined without probable cause and not in good faith for the purpose of obtaining a judgment against him or her but solely for the purpose of fixing venue in that county.

(Source: P.A. 82-280.)

(735 ILCS 5/2-106) (from Ch. 110, par. 2-106)

Sec. 2-106. Transfer. (a) Transfer for wrong venue. If a motion to transfer is allowed on the ground that the action was commenced in a wrong venue, the cause shall be transferred to the court in a proper venue, subject to any equitable terms and conditions that may be prescribed.

(b) Method of transfer. The clerk of the court from which a transfer is granted shall immediately certify and transmit to the clerk of the court to which the transfer is ordered the originals of all papers filed in the case together with copies of all orders entered therein. In the event of a severance, certified copies of papers filed and orders entered shall be transmitted. The clerk of the court to which the transfer is ordered shall file the papers and transcript transmitted to him or her and docket the case, and the action shall proceed and be determined as if it had originated in that court.

(Source: P.A. 82-280.)

(735 ILCS 5/2-107) (from Ch. 110, par. 2-107)

Sec. 2-107. Costs and expenses of transfer. The costs attending a transfer shall be taxed by the clerk of the court from which the transfer is granted, and, together with the filing fee in the transferee court, shall be paid by plaintiff. If the court granting the transfer finds that venue was fixed by plaintiff in bad faith and without probable cause, then it may order the reasonable expenses of defendant in attending and obtaining a transfer to a proper venue, including a reasonable attorney's fee, to be paid by plaintiff. If the costs and expenses are not paid within a reasonable time, the transferring court shall on motion dismiss the action.

(Source: P.A. 82-280.)

(735 ILCS 5/2-108) (from Ch. 110, par. 2-108)

Sec. 2-108. Place of trial. All actions shall be tried in the county in which they are commenced, except as otherwise provided by law.

(Source: P.A. 82-280.)

(735 ILCS 5/2-109) (from Ch. 110, par. 2-109)

Sec. 2-109. Malicious prosecution - medical malpractice. In all cases alleging malicious prosecution arising out of proceedings which sought damages for injuries or death by reason of medical, hospital, or other healing art malpractice, the plaintiff need not plead or prove special injury to sustain his or her cause of action. In all such cases alleging malicious prosecution, no exemplary or punitive damages shall be allowed.

(Source: P.A. 91-357, eff. 7-29-99.)