New bill aims to simplify removal of squatters in Illinois

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A new bill awaiting Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature aims to make it easier for Illinois property owners to remove squatters.

Senate Bill 1563, or the “Squatters Bill,” received nearly universal approval from the Illinois legislature.

Paul Arena, a Rockford landlord and director of Legislative Affairs for the Illinois Rental Property Owners Association, said he has heard of plenty of issues regarding squatters.

“It happens everywhere. We’ve heard more stories from other areas, particularly in the Chicago area, where they are able to get access to the property for a longer period of time,” he said.

Currently, law enforcement must go through the legal system to evict squatters, Arena said, a process that can take months.

“It left it up to the discretion of the police department on what to do. And in order not to place themselves in a position of liability, they would defer to the safe route. Just take the court. Go get a judge’s order,” he explained.

The new Squatters Bill helps to change that. Once signed into law, police will be able to remove criminal trespassers.

However, Sen. Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) was the solitary dissenting voice in the Illinois Senate.

“It’s motion without much substance. And it gives Governor Pritzker a platform to say he did something when, in fact, the legislation he is going to sign just enacts current law,” Chesney said.

For Arena, clarifying the existing law is a win for landlords.

“This is a bill our association had tried to address,” he said. “What this new bill says is that it explicitly states that the police can treat these people as trespassers. So it takes away any type of doubt on the police department and helps remove liability from the police department.”

Once signed, the law would go into effect January 1st, 2026.