No person shall make an entry into lands or tenements except in cases where entry is allowed by law, and in such cases he or she shall not enter with force, but in a peaceable manner.
9-101.Forcible entry prohibited.
Article IX. Eviction · Part 1. In General · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceSection 9-101 bars anyone from entering land or a rented unit by force, even someone with a lawful right to be there, and requires a peaceable manner instead.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/9-101
Plain-English Summary
This section opens the eviction article with a single command: whoever enters land or a rented unit, even someone who has every right to be there, must do so peaceably. Force is off the table.
The rule reaches two situations. It forbids entry that isn't allowed by law at all. And it tells someone with a lawful right to enter -- a landlord retaking a unit, for instance -- that the right to enter doesn't excuse force. How the entry happens matters as much as the right to it.
This is the seed of Illinois's ban on landlord self-help. A landlord who believes a tenant has no right to stay can't change the locks, remove belongings, or push past a tenant to retake the unit. The rest of the eviction article builds the court process around this baseline -- demand, complaint, summons, trial, and an order carried out by the sheriff -- and sections like 9-102 and 9-106 spell out how someone entitled to possession gets it back.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a landlord who is legally entitled to possession use force to retake a unit in Illinois?
No. Being entitled to possession never excuses forcible entry.
What does entering in a "peaceable manner" mean under this section?
The text doesn't define the term further, but it draws the line against force -- breaking locks, pushing past occupants, or similar physical means of retaking a property.
If entry is allowed by law, can it still be done with force?
No. The section separates the question of whether entry is allowed from how it happens; even lawful entry must be peaceable.
Is this section about who can evict, or about how the entry happens?
It's about the manner of entry only. Who is entitled to possession is addressed by the section that follows, 9-102.
What's the legal foundation for Illinois's ban on landlord self-help evictions?
This section is that foundation -- it requires court process rather than a landlord's own hands to regain possession.
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
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