(750 ILCS 5/601.2)

Sec. 601.2. Jurisdiction; commencement of proceeding.

(a) A court of this State that is competent to allocate parental responsibilities has jurisdiction to make such an allocation in original or modification proceedings as provided in Section 201 of the Uniform Child-Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act as adopted by this State.

(b) A proceeding for allocation of parental responsibilities with respect to a child is commenced in the court:

(1) by filing a petition for dissolution of marriage or legal separation or declaration of invalidity of marriage;

(2) by filing a petition for allocation of parental responsibilities with respect to the child in the county in which the child resides;

(3) by a person other than a parent, by filing a petition for allocation of parental responsibilities in the county in which the child is permanently resident or found, but only if he or she is not in the physical custody of one of his or her parents;

(4) by a step-parent, by filing a petition, if all of the following circumstances are met:

(A) the parent having the majority of parenting time is deceased or is disabled and cannot perform the duties of a parent to the child;

(B) the step-parent provided for the care, control, and welfare of the child prior to the initiation of proceedings for allocation of parental responsibilities;

(C) the child wishes to live with the step-parent; and

(D) it is alleged to be in the best interests and welfare of the child to live with the step-parent as provided in Section 602.5 of this Act; or

(5) when one of the parents is deceased, by a grandparent who is a parent or step-parent of a deceased parent, by filing a petition, if one or more of the following existed at the time of the parent's death:

(A) the surviving parent had been absent from the marital abode for more than one month without the spouse knowing his or her whereabouts;

(B) the surviving parent was in State or federal custody; or

(C) the surviving parent had: (i) received supervision for or been convicted of any violation of Section 11-1.20, 11-1.30, 11-1.40, 11-1.50, 11-1.60, 11-1.70, 12C-5, 12C-10, 12C-35, 12C-40, 12C-45, 18-6, 19-6, or Article 12 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012 directed towards the deceased parent or the child; or (ii) received supervision or been convicted of violating an order of protection entered under Section 217, 218, or 219 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986 for the protection of the deceased parent or the child.

(c) When a proceeding for allocation of parental responsibilities is commenced, the party commencing the action must, at least 30 days before any hearing on the petition, serve a written notice and a copy of the petition on the child's parent, guardian, person currently allocated parental responsibilities pursuant to subdivision (b)(4) or (b)(5) of Section 601.2, and any person with a pending motion for allocation of parental responsibilities with respect to the child. Nothing in this Section shall preclude a party in a proceeding for allocation of parental responsibilities from moving for a temporary order under Section 603.5.

(Source: P.A. 99-90, eff. 1-1-16.)