9.01 Appearance Fees - Several Parties
9.02 Appearance - Filing Requirements
9.03 Foreign Attorneys
9.04 Summons Requiring Appearnce on a Specified Day
9.01 APPEARANCE FEES - SEVERAL PARTIES
If a single appearance is entered for several parties, a single appearance fee shall be paid. If separate appearances are entered for several parties, either by the same or different attorneys, separate appearance fees shall be paid.
(Adopted 10/1991)
9.02 APPEARANCE - FILING REQUIREMENTS
Every appearance or pleading shall contain the legible name, Winnebago County Circuit Clerk's attorney identification number if applicable, address, telephone number and email addressof the preparing party, or the attorney, if represented by counsel, and must be signed by an individual attorney. Appendix E
(Amended 12/2015)
9.03 APPEARANCE/FEE WAIVER NOTICE
A summons informs a defendant in a civil case of the deadline for filing an appearance. See Supreme Court Rule 101. A judge choosing to extend the deadline for an answer or written appearance is encouraged to utilize a written notice in the form specified below.
Winnebago County Eviction Cases:
Illinois law requires plaintiffs to pay a fee to bring an eviction case, and it also requires defendants to pay a fee if they want to contest those cases at trial. If you pay the fee and then win at trial, you may ask the Court to require the plaintiff to reimburse you. If you are financially unable to pay the fee, you may file a written request (with required documents in support) asking the Court to waive the fee. You must either pay the fee, or file a written request to have it waived, within 48 hours of your first court appearance. If you do neither, then you may be defaulted (i.e. lose the case) and will not be allowed to participate in the trial.
Boone County Eviction Cases:
Illinois law requires plaintiffs to pay a fee to bring an eviction case, and it also requires defendants to pay a fee if they want to contest those cases at trial. If you pay the fee and then win at trial, you may ask the Court to require the plaintiff to reimburse you. If you are financially unable to pay the fee, you may file a written request (with required documents in support) asking the Court to waive the fee. You must either pay the fee, or file a written request to have it waived, within five business days prior to the hearing. If you do neither, then you may be defaulted (i.e. lose the case) and will not be allowed to participate in the trial.
Winnebago and Boone Arbitration Cases:
Illinois law requires plaintiffs to pay a fee to file a case, and it also requires defendants to pay a fee if they want to contest those cases. If you pay the fee and then win at trial, you may ask the Court to order that the other side reimburse you. If you are financially unable to pay the fee, you may file a written request (with required documents in support) asking the Court to waive the fee. You must either pay the fee, or file a written request to have it waived, within any deadline established by the Court. If you do neither, then you may be defaulted (i.e. lose the case) and will not be allowed to participate in a trial.
Each notice shall direct the litigant to the office in which payment is to be made. Notices may also inform the litigant of other information applicable to their case type.
(Amended 9/19/2025)
9.04 SUMMONS REQUIRING APPEARANCE ON A SPECIFIED DAY
Illinois Supreme Court Rule 101(b)(1) states that a Summons requiring appearance on a specified day, the date of return specified in the summons shall not be less than 40 or more than 61 days after the issuance of the summons.
From time to time, the court may not have a return date available within that timeframe. The court will work to minimize this, but cannot eliminate it.
In the event the Circuit Clerk is unable to identify an available court date within that timeframe, the Circuit Clerk may issue an available date and delay issuance of the summons. The Circuit Clerk may “reject” the filing of a proposed Summons and request that it be re-submitted after a date certain.
(Enacted 8/10/2026)
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