2016-17 Cook County Sheriff Holiday Eviction Moratorium

Cook County Sheriff eviction holiday moratoriumCook County Eviction winter “stay” starts soon

It is that time of year where the Cook County Circuit Court extends some holiday cheer to tenants (certainly not to landlords) and prohibits the Sheriff from enforcing eviction orders.  By way of a general order, the court has ordered that the Sheriff not evict any tenants beginning on December 19, 2016 and extending to January 2, 2017.

The good news is that, based on my own personal experience (your experience may vary), the Sheriff does not have a major backlog at this time.  As such, the moratorium is just two weeks and it can be expected that the additional delay will not be as bad as in past years assuming that our mild weather keeps up.

Remember, the courts still work during the holidays, so the “legal” side of an eviction lawsuit will continue.  It is just the enforcement of the eviction order that is halted.