Intervening petitions may be filed at any time before the vessel is bonded, as provided in Section 4-216 of this Act, or, if the same is not so bonded, before order for distribution of the proceeds of the sale of the craft, and the same proceeding shall thereupon be had as in the case of claims filed before sale.
4-214.Intervening petition.
Article IV. Attachment · Part 2. Watercraft · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceSection 4-214 sets the deadline for intervening petitions at any time before the vessel is bonded under Section 4-216, or, if it is never bonded, before the court orders distribution of the sale proceeds.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/4-214
Plain-English Summary
This section fixes the last moment an intervening petition can be filed. If the craft ends up bonded out under Section 4-216, the petition must be filed before that bonding happens. If the craft is never bonded, the petition must instead be filed before the court enters an order distributing the proceeds of its sale.
A petition filed within that window is treated the same way as a claim filed before the sale, meaning it takes part in the priority scheme Section 4-226 lays out rather than being pushed into the separate remnants procedure of Section 4-227.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the deadline to intervene if the vessel gets bonded?
Before the vessel is bonded under Section 4-216.
What if the vessel is never bonded?
The intervening petition must be filed before the court's order distributing the sale proceeds.
How is a timely intervening petition treated procedurally?
The same as a claim filed before the sale.
Why does bonding the vessel matter as a cutoff point?
Because bonding releases the craft from custody, which changes what a later-filed claim could still reach.
What happens to a lien that misses this deadline entirely?
Section 4-215 provides that liens not filed before sale cease.
Amendment History
(Source: P.A. 82-280.)
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
Also known as: intervening petition deadline illinois vessel lienboat lien filing deadline before salefiling intervening petition before bondingwatercraft claim cutoff distribution order