Article VI. Appeals in Criminal Cases, Post-Conviction Cases, and Juvenile Court Proceedings · Last amended 2026 · Last verified July 20, 2026
(a) On Judgment and Sentence After Plea of Not Guilty.
(1) In all cases in which the defendant is found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment, probation or conditional discharge, periodic imprisonment, or to pay a fine, or in which a sentence of probation or conditional discharge has been revoked or the conditions attached to such a sentence have been modified, excluding cases in which the judgment and sentence are entered on a plea of guilty, the trial court shall, at the time of imposing sentence or modifying the conditions of the sentence, advise the defendant of the right to appeal, of the right to request that counsel or, if unrepresented, the clerk to prepare and file a notice of appeal, and of the right, if indigent, to be furnished, without cost to the defendant , with a transcript of the proceedings at the trial or hearing.
(2) In addition to the foregoing rights, in cases in which the defendant has been convicted of a felony or a Class A misdemeanor or convicted of a lesser offense and sentenced to imprisonment, periodic imprisonment, or to probation or conditional discharge conditioned upon periodic imprisonment, or in which a sentence of probation or conditional discharge has been revoked or the conditions attached to such a sentence have been modified and a sentence or condition of imprisonment or periodic imprisonment imposed, the trial court shall advise the defendant of the right to have counsel appointed on appeal.
(3) At the time of imposing sentence or modifying the conditions of the sentence, the trial court shall also advise the defendant as follows:
A. that the right to appeal the judgment of conviction, excluding the sentence imposed or modified, will be preserved only if a notice of appeal is filed in the trial court within thirty (30) days from the date on which sentence is imposed;
B. that prior to taking an appeal, if the defendant seeks to challenge the correctness of the sentence, or any aspect of the sentencing hearing, the defendant must file in the trial court within 30 days of the date on which sentence is imposed a written motion asking to have the trial court reconsider the sentence imposed, or consider any challenges to the sentencing hearing, setting forth in the motion all issues or claims of error regarding the sentence imposed or the sentencing hearing;
C. that any issue or claim of error regarding the sentence imposed or any aspect of the sentencing hearing not raised in the written motion shall be deemed waived; and
D. that in order to preserve the right to appeal following the disposition of the motion to reconsider sentence, or any challenges regarding the sentencing hearing, the defendant must file a notice of appeal in the trial court within 30 days from the entry of the order disposing of the defendant’s motion to reconsider sentence or order disposing of any challenges to the sentencing hearing.
(b) On Judgment and Sentence Entered on a Plea of Guilty. In all cases in which a judgment is entered upon a plea of guilty, other than a negotiated plea of guilty, at the time of imposing sentence, the trial court shall advise the defendant substantially as follows:
(1) that the defendant has a right to appeal;
(2) that prior to taking an appeal the defendant must file in the trial court, within 30 days of the date on which sentence is imposed, a written motion asking to have the trial court reconsider the sentence or to have the judgment vacated and for leave to withdraw the plea of guilty, setting forth the grounds for the motion;
(3) that if the motion is allowed, the sentence will be modified or the plea of guilty, sentence and judgment will be vacated and a trial date will be set on the charges to which the plea of guilty was made;
(4) that upon the request of the State any charges that may have been dismissed as a part of a plea agreement will be reinstated and will also be set for trial;
(5) that if the defendant is indigent, a copy of the transcript of the proceedings at the time of the defendant’s plea of guilty and sentence will be provided without cost to the defendant and counsel will be appointed to assist the defendant with the preparation of the motions; and
(6) that in any appeal taken from the judgment on the plea of guilty any issue or claim of error not raised in the motion to reconsider the sentence or to vacate the judgment and to withdraw the plea of guilty shall be deemed waived.
For the purposes of this rule, a negotiated plea is one in which the prosecution has bound itself to recommend a specific sentence, or a specific range of sentence, or where the prosecution has made concessions relating to the sentence to be imposed and not merely to the charge or charges then pending.
(c) On Judgment and Sentence Entered on a Negotiated Plea of Guilty. In all cases in which a judgment is entered upon a negotiated plea of guilty, at the time of imposing sentence, the trial court shall advise the defendant substantially as follows:
(1) that the defendant has a right to appeal;
(2) that prior to taking an appeal the defendant must file in the trial court, within 30 days of the date on which sentence is imposed, a written motion asking to have the judgment vacated and for leave to withdraw the plea of guilty, setting forth the grounds for the motion;
(3) that if the motion is allowed, the plea of guilty, sentence and judgment will be vacated and a trial date will be set on the charges to which the plea of guilty was made;
(4) that upon the request of the State any charges that may have been dismissed as a part of a plea agreement will be reinstated and will also be set for trial;
(5) that if the defendant is indigent, a copy of the transcript of the proceedings at the time of the defendant’s plea of guilty and sentence will be provided without cost to the defendant and counsel will be appointed to assist the defendant with the preparation of the motions; and
(6) that in any appeal taken from the judgment on the plea of guilty any issue or claim of error not raised in the motion to vacate the judgment and to withdraw the plea of guilty shall be deemed waived. For the purposes of this rule, a negotiated plea is one in which the prosecution has bound itself to recommend a specific sentence, or a specific range of sentence, or where the prosecution has made concessions relating to the sentence to be imposed and not merely to the charge or charges then pending.
(d) On Entry of an Order Imposing Conditions of Pretrial Release, Granting a Petition to Deny Pretrial Release, or Revoking Pretrial Release. In all cases in which an order is issued imposing conditions of pretrial release, granting the State’s petition to deny pretrial release, or revoking a defendant’s pretrial release under article 110 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963:
(1) at the time of issuing the order, the circuit court shall advise the defendant substantially as follows: that defendant has a right to file a motion for relief from the court’s order and also that the court will revisit the order of detention or the condition of pretrial release at each subsequent court appearance, regardless of whether a motion for relief is filed; and
(2) at the time of its ruling on the defendant’s motion for relief under Rule 604(h)(2), the circuit court shall advise the defendant substantially as follows:
(A) that the defendant has a right to appeal at any time before conviction and, if indigent, to be furnished, without cost to the defendant, with a transcript or audiovisual communication or other electronic recording of the proceedings of the hearing;
(B) that the defendant, if indigent, has the right to have counsel appointed on appeal.
A defendant convicted after a not-guilty plea is admonished under paragraph (a): the right to appeal, the right to have counsel or the clerk prepare a notice of appeal, the right to a free transcript if indigent, and — for felonies, Class A misdemeanors, or sentences involving imprisonment — the right to appointed counsel on appeal. The judge must also spell out the 30-day deadline to file a notice of appeal, and separately, the 30-day deadline to file a motion challenging the sentence, warning that any sentencing issue left out of that motion is waived.
An open guilty plea gets a different set of admonitions under paragraph (b). Rather than being told to file a notice of appeal outright, the defendant is told that a motion — asking the court to reconsider the sentence, or to vacate the judgment and withdraw the plea — must come first, within 30 days of sentencing. The rule also warns the defendant that granting the motion means a possible retrial, including reinstatement of any charges the State dismissed as part of the deal.
A negotiated guilty plea narrows those options under paragraph (c): because the prosecution already bound itself to a specific sentence or concession, the only motion available is one to vacate the judgment and withdraw the plea — there’s no separate path to challenge just the sentence.
Paragraph (d) covers pretrial-release orders on their own track: when the order is entered, the defendant is told about the right to file a motion for relief and that the court will revisit the order at every later appearance regardless; once that motion is decided, the defendant is told about the right to appeal before conviction and, if indigent, to appointed counsel and a free transcript.
Amended June 22, 1967, effective June 23, 1967; amended June 26, 1970, effective September 1, 1970; amended effective July 1, 1971, September 1, 1974, and July 1, 1975; amended April 1, 1992, effective August 1, 1992; amended October 5, 2000, effective November 1, 2000; amended October 1, 2001, effective immediately; amended Dec. 23, 2022, eff. Sept. 18, 2023; amended Dec. 7, 2023, eff. immediately; amended Mar. 15, 2024, eff. Apr. 15, 2024; amended Sept. 24, 2025, eff. Jan. 1, 2026.