Except as provided in Section 9-206 and Section 9-207.5 of this Act, in all cases of tenancy from year to year, 60 days' notice, in writing, shall be sufficient to terminate the tenancy at the end of the year. The notice may be given at any time within 4 months preceding the last 60 days of the year.
9-205.Notice to terminate tenancy from year to year.
Article IX. Eviction · Part 2. Recovery of Rent; · Last amended 2013 · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceEnding a year-to-year tenancy in Illinois takes sixty days' written notice, given within the four months before the final sixty days of the lease year, unless the farmland or foreclosure notice rules apply instead.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/9-205
Plain-English Summary
Section 9-205 sets the default notice period for tenancies from year to year -- recurring annual tenancies without a fixed end date built into the lease. Sixty days' written notice is enough to terminate the tenancy at the close of the year.
The timing matters as much as the length. The notice must be given within the four months leading up to the last sixty days of the tenancy year, which in practice means it has to land somewhere between roughly six months and sixty days before the year ends.
Two other sections in this Part take priority over this default rule: Section 9-206, which sets a longer notice period for farmland leases, and Section 9-207.5, which governs bona fide leases of residential property in foreclosure. Where those apply, their notice rules control instead of this one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much notice is needed to end a year-to-year tenancy?
Sixty days, given in writing.
When during the year must that notice be given?
At any time within the four months preceding the final sixty days of the tenancy year.
Does this section apply to farm leases?
No. Section 9-206 governs notice for farmland tenancies instead.
Does it apply to tenants facing termination because of a foreclosure?
No. Section 9-207.5 controls notice for those bona fide residential leases.
What form must the notice take?
Writing. The statute requires the notice to be in writing.
Amendment History
(Source: P.A. 98-514, eff. 11-19-13.)
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: 60 day notice to terminate lease illinoisyear to year tenancy notice illinoisending annual lease illinoislandlord notice timing illinois