(a) A change of venue in any civil action may be had when the court determines that any party may not receive a fair trial in the court in which the action is pending because the inhabitants of the county are prejudiced against the party, or his or her attorney, or the adverse party has an undue influence over the minds of the inhabitants.
2-1001.5.Change of venue.
Article II. Civil Practice · Part 10. Pre-trial Steps · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceSection 2-1001.5 lets a party ask for a case to move to another county on the ground that local prejudice, or an opponent's undue influence over the community, will keep the party from getting a fair trial, through a verified petition backed by supporting affidavits and filed before trial begins.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/2-1001.5
(b) Every application for a change of venue by a party or his or her attorney shall be by petition, verified by the affidavit of the applicant. The petition shall set forth the facts upon which the petitioner bases his or her belief of prejudice of the inhabitants of the county or the undue influence of the adverse party over their minds, and must be supported by the affidavits of at least 2 other reputable persons residing in the county. The adverse party may controvert the petition by counter affidavits, and the court may grant or deny the petition as shall appear to be according to the right of the case.
(c) A petition for change of venue shall not be granted unless it is presented before trial or hearing begins and before the judge to whom it is presented has ruled on any substantial issue in the case, but if any ground for change of venue occurs thereafter, a petition for change of venue may be presented based upon that ground.
(d) The application may be made to the court in which the case is pending, reasonable notice thereof having been given to the adverse party or his or her attorney.
(e) When a change of venue is granted, it shall be to some other convenient county to which there is no valid objection.
(f) The order for a change of venue may be made subject to such equitable terms and conditions as safety to the rights of the parties may seem to require, and the court in its discretion may prescribe.
(g) The expenses attending a change of venue shall be taxed by the clerk of the court from which the case is certified according to the rates established by law for like services, and shall be paid by the petitioner and not allowed as part of the costs in the action.
(h) The order shall be void unless the party obtaining a change of venue shall, within 15 days, or such shorter time as the court may prescribe, pay to the clerk the expenses attending the change.
(i) Where the venue is changed without the application of either party, the costs of such change shall abide the event of the action.
(j) In all cases of change of venue, the clerk of the court from which the change is granted shall immediately prepare a full transcript of the record and proceedings in the case, and of the petition, affidavits and order for the change of venue, and transmit the same, together with all the papers filed in the case, to the proper court, but when the venue is changed, on behalf of a part of the defendants in a condemnation proceeding, it shall not be necessary to transmit the original papers in the case, and it shall be sufficient to transmit certified copies of so much thereof as pertains to the case so changed. Such transcript and papers or copies may be transmitted by mail, or in such other ways as the court may direct.
(k) The clerk of the court to which the change of venue is granted shall file the transcript and papers transmitted and docket the cause, and such cause shall be proceeded in and determined before and after judgment, as if it had originated in such court.
(l) All questions concerning the regularity of the proceedings in a change of venue, and the right of the court to which the change is made to try the cause and enforce the judgment, shall be considered as waived after trial and verdict.
(m) Upon the entry of judgment of any civil cause in which the venue has been changed, it shall be lawful for the party in whose favor judgment is entered, to file in the office of the clerk of the court where the action was instituted a transcript of such judgment, and the clerk shall file the same of record, and enforcement may be had thereon, and the same shall, from the time of filing such transcript, have the same operation and effect as if originally recovered in such court.
Plain-English Summary
Where substitution of judge under Section 2-1001 targets the judge, a change of venue under Section 2-1001.5 targets the community. A party can seek a change of venue when the court determines that the party may not receive a fair trial in the county where the case is pending, either because the county's inhabitants are prejudiced against the party or the party's attorney, or because the adverse party holds undue influence over the minds of those inhabitants.
Getting there requires more than a bare assertion. The petition must be verified, must set out the facts behind the belief of prejudice or undue influence, and must be supported by affidavits from at least two other reputable county residents. The adverse party can push back with counter-affidavits, and the court decides the petition based on the merits of the case presented. Timing matters here too: the petition must be presented before trial or hearing begins and before the judge has ruled on any substantial issue, unless the ground for the change arises only after that point, in which case a later petition based on that new ground is still available.
A granted change of venue moves the case to another convenient county with no valid objection, on whatever equitable terms the court sets. The party who obtained the change generally bears the expense, and the order is void unless that party pays the clerk within fifteen days (or a shorter time the court sets); if the change happened without either party's request, the costs instead follow the outcome of the case. The clerk of the original court has to prepare and transmit a full transcript of the record, the petition, the affidavits, and the order to the new court, which then dockets the case and proceeds as if it had originated there. Once trial and verdict have occurred, any irregularities in how the venue change was handled are treated as waived, and a judgment from the new court can be transcribed back to the original court for enforcement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must a party show to get a change of venue under Section 2-1001.5?
That the party may not receive a fair trial in the county where the case is pending, either because the county's inhabitants are prejudiced against the party or the party's attorney, or because the adverse party has undue influence over those inhabitants.
How is a petition for change of venue supported?
It must be verified by the applicant's affidavit and supported by affidavits from at least two other reputable persons residing in the county. The adverse party can respond with counter-affidavits before the court rules.
Who pays for a change of venue, and what happens if that person doesn't pay?
Ordinarily, the party who obtained the change pays the expenses, taxed by the clerk of the court from which the case is transferred. The order granting the change is void unless that party pays within fifteen days, or a shorter time the court sets.
Can a change of venue be requested after the trial has already started?
A petition generally must be presented before trial or hearing begins and before the judge has ruled on any substantial issue. If a ground for the change arises after that point, a petition based on that later-arising ground can still be presented.
What happens if a party never raises an objection to how the venue change was handled?
Section 2-1001.5(l) treats all questions about the regularity of the venue-change proceedings, and the receiving court's right to try the case and enforce judgment, as waived once trial and verdict have occurred.
Amendment History
(Source: P.A. 87-949.)
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Illinois Compiled Statutes, published by the
Illinois Compiled Statutes, Illinois General Assembly / Legislative Reference Bureau. Last verified July 20, 2026.
· Official source
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