In Illinois, no minimum period of default is required before you start the lien process. You deliver a notice that gives the tenant at least 14 days to pay, advertise once a week for two consecutive weeks, and sell no sooner than 15 days after the first ad, about 30 days after delivery.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Review your notices and sale plan with your attorney before you act.
Illinois lien timeline at a glance
Illinois' Self-Service Storage Facility Act is 770 ILCS 95/1 and the sections after it. Section 4 holds the enforcement steps and Section 7.10 holds the late fee rule. Public Act 104-0139 (2025) added the online bidding website to the notice. The claim only has to be due. There is no waiting period like the 30, 45 or 60 days other states use.
| Step | Earliest timing | What the law requires | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Rent due | Day 0 | Rent due date in the rental agreement. | § 7.10 |
| 2. Late fee | Day 5 after the due date | Only if the fee terms are in the lease or an addendum. | § 7.10 |
| 3. Lien notice | Any time the claim is due | Deliver in person, by verified mail or by email. Demand payment in not less than 14 days after delivery and include the required contents and conspicuous statement. | § 4(A) to (D) |
| 4. Advertisement | After the notice period ends | Once a week for 2 consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation where the facility is located. If none, post in 6 conspicuous places at least 10 days before the sale. | § 4(E) |
| 5. Sale | About day 30 after delivery (derived) | Not sooner than 15 days after the first publication, and after the 14-day demand period. At the facility or nearest suitable place, or a public website. | § 4(E)(3), (G) |
Worked example: you deliver the notice on January 1. The tenant has until January 15 to pay. You publish on January 16 and January 23. The earliest sale is January 31, the 15th day after the first ad. If you posted instead of publishing, you would post at least 10 days before the sale. The statute does not set the first ad date relative to delivery, so confirm your count with your attorney.
What the Illinois lien notice must say and how to send it
The notice must include (§ 4):
- An itemized statement of the claim.
- The facility name, address and phone number.
- The date, time, location and manner of the sale, and the bidding website if you sell online.
- The occupant's name and unit number.
- A demand for payment in not less than 14 days after delivery.
- A notice that access is denied, if your lease allows denying access.
- The conspicuous statement the law requires.
Deliver it in person, by verified mail, or by email to the last known address. Mail is presumed delivered when deposited with the post office, properly addressed, postage prepaid. Email is presumed delivered when sent and you receive a delivery receipt. If you get no receipt, delivery is presumed only when the notice was sent by verified mail to the occupant's last known mailing address (§ 4(B), (D)).
Alternate contacts and lienholders
Section 4 has no alternate contact requirement. Notice goes to the occupant's last known address. For vehicles and other titled property, you also owe notice to title holders and lienholders (see below).
Advertising the sale
After the notice period ends, publish once a week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation where the facility is located. The ad lists the facility name, address and phone, the date, time, location and manner of the sale, and the occupant's name and unit number. If there is no such newspaper, post the notice at least 10 days before the sale in not less than 6 conspicuous places in the neighborhood (§ 4(E)). The text we read does not authorize online-only advertising, although a search summary used a different "commercially reasonable" phrase that we could not find in the full text.
Late fee limits
A late fee may be charged only if rent is unpaid 5 days after the date in the rental agreement, and the fee terms must appear in the agreement or an addendum. The due date can be no earlier than the day before the service period begins. A fee of $20 or 20% of monthly rent, whichever is greater, is deemed reasonable. Reasonable lien enforcement and collection expenses may be charged if itemized (770 ILCS 95/7.10, from a summary).
Sale rules, surplus and records
- Where. At the facility or the nearest suitable place. A sale on a publicly accessible online website is deemed held at the facility. The sale must match the notice (§ 4(G)).
- Commercial reasonableness. A sale with three or more unrelated bidders in attendance is deemed commercially reasonable.
- Buyer protection. A good faith purchaser takes free of claims even if you missed a step.
- Surplus. Keep the lien amount and hold the balance for delivery on demand to the occupant. If it is unclaimed within one year of the sale, it becomes yours (§ 4(J), (L)).
- Records. No retention period is stated in the text we read. Keep the lease, notice, proof of delivery, ads and sale file.
Vehicles and boats
If the property is a motor vehicle, trailer or watercraft and charges remain unpaid or the occupant is in default for 60 days, you may have it towed. You are not liable for damage once the tower takes possession. Before selling a motor vehicle, aircraft, mobile home, moped, motorcycle, snowmobile, trailer or watercraft, contact the Secretary of State and other agencies as needed to identify title holders or lienholders, and notify them of the time and place of the sale. This applies to security interests filed under the name of the person who signed the rental agreement or the occupant. If you fail to do it, you are liable only to injured valid lienholders.
Active-duty military (SCRA)
Federal law adds protections for servicemembers, and owners must check military status before a sale. See 50 U.S.C. 3958.
Common mistakes checklist
- Giving fewer than 14 days to pay.
- Charging a late fee before rent is 5 days past the due date.
- Omitting the bidding website from the notice when you sell online.
- Leaving out the access denial notice, or denying access when the lease does not allow it.
- Selling less than 15 days after the first ad.
- Skipping the second weekly ad.
- Selling a vehicle or watercraft without contacting the Secretary of State.
- Treating unclaimed surplus as yours before one year has passed.
Tools to help
Use the lien timeline calculator to count your dates, read about lien and auction management, and see all state lien laws. The self storage auction process guide covers the sale itself, and the lien notice template gives you a starting draft.
What we could not confirm
The Section 4 text came from FindLaw and may predate Public Act 104-0139 (2025), which adds the online bidding website to the notice. We could not fetch the Act or the ilga.gov page because of certificate errors, and we did not confirm its effective date. Section 7.10 came from a summary, and Section 3 was not read in full. Check the current Act with your attorney before you use this page.
Last reviewed: October 19, 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice. Review every notice and sale with your attorney.