HB5290eng 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB5290 Engrossed LRB096 14615 AJO 29454 b

AN ACT concerning civil law.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Code of Civil Procedure is amended by changing Section 2-202 and by adding Section 2-203.2 as follows:

(735 ILCS 5/2-202) (from Ch. 110, par. 2-202)

Sec. 2-202. Persons authorized to serve process; Place of service; Failure to make return.

(a) Process shall be served by a sheriff, or if the sheriff is disqualified, by a coroner of some county of the State. A sheriff of a county with a population of less than 2,000,000 1,000,000 may employ civilian personnel to serve process. In counties with a population of less than 2,000,000 1,000,000, process may be served, without special appointment, by a person who is licensed or registered as a private detective under the Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint Vendor, and Locksmith Act of 2004 or by a registered employee of a private detective agency certified under that Act. A private detective or licensed employee must supply the sheriff of any county in which he serves process with a copy of his license or certificate; however, the failure of a person to supply the copy shall not in any way impair the validity of process served by the person. The court may, in its discretion upon motion, order service to be made by a private person over 18 years of age and not a party to the action. It is not necessary that service be made by a sheriff or coroner of the county in which service is made. If served or sought to be served by a sheriff or coroner, he or she shall endorse his or her return thereon, and if by a private person the return shall be by affidavit.

(a-5) Upon motion and in its discretion, the court may appoint as a special process server a private detective agency certified under the Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint Vendor, and Locksmith Act of 2004. Under the appointment, any employee of the private detective agency who is registered under that Act may serve the process. The motion and the order of appointment must contain the number of the certificate issued to the private detective agency by the Department of Professional Regulation under the Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint Vendor, and Locksmith Act of 2004.

(b) Summons may be served upon the defendants wherever they may be found in the State, by any person authorized to serve process. An officer may serve summons in his or her official capacity outside his or her county, but fees for mileage outside the county of the officer cannot be taxed as costs. The person serving the process in a foreign county may make return by mail.

(c) If any sheriff, coroner, or other person to whom any process is delivered, neglects or refuses to make return of the same, the plaintiff may petition the court to enter a rule requiring the sheriff, coroner, or other person, to make return of the process on a day to be fixed by the court, or to show cause on that day why that person should not be attached for contempt of the court. The plaintiff shall then cause a written notice of the rule to be served on the sheriff, coroner, or other person. If good and sufficient cause be not shown to excuse the officer or other person, the court shall adjudge him or her guilty of a contempt, and shall impose punishment as in other cases of contempt.

(d) If process is served by a sheriff or coroner, the court may tax the fee of the sheriff or coroner as costs in the proceeding. If process is served by a private person or entity, the court may establish a fee therefor and tax such fee as costs in the proceedings.

(e) In addition to the powers stated in Section 8.1a of the Housing Authorities Act, in counties with a population of 3,000,000 or more inhabitants, members of a housing authority police force may serve process for forcible entry and detainer actions commenced by that housing authority and may execute orders of possession for that housing authority.

(f) In counties with a population of 3,000,000 or more, process may be served, with special appointment by the court, by a private process server or a law enforcement agency other than the county sheriff in proceedings instituted under the Forcible Entry and Detainer Article of this Code as a result of a lessor or lessor's assignee declaring a lease void pursuant to Section 11 of the Controlled Substance and Cannabis Nuisance Act.

(Source: P.A. 95-613, eff. 9-11-07.)

(735 ILCS 5/2-203.2 new)

Sec. 2-203.2. Service on an inmate. For the security of a correctional institution or facility or jail, a process server may be refused entry into a correctional institution or facility or jail. Each correctional institution or facility or jail shall establish a location where an inmate may accept service of process, but if no location is established, a process server shall be granted entry for service of process. Service upon a warden's or sheriff's representative shall constitute substitute service and a mailing to the inmate of the process shall be completed by the server in accordance with Section 2-202. A warden's or sheriff's representative accepting substitute service shall forward the process to the inmate within one business day, but if for any reason the process is not forwarded to the inmate, the sheriff, sheriff's representative, warden, or warden's representative shall not be responsible for any civil fine. If for any reason an inmate is not in the correctional institution or facility or jail at the time of the service of process, a warden's or sheriff's representative may refuse to accept service for the inmate.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.