Gun storage requirements, eviction for ‘squatters’ among new IL laws in 2026
.jpg "Here’s an overview of a few of the new laws hitting the books in Illinois in 2026.")
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- Safe Gun Storage Act requires guns be locked in certain situations, with exceptions.
- New eviction law clarifies police may enforce trespass laws against “squatters.”
- Updated Missing Persons Act ends waiting periods for filing a report.
Hundreds of new laws will go into effect in Illinois in 2026, including legislation related to senior drivers, changes to the missing persons identification act, updated eviction laws and new requirements for safe gun storage.
The “Road Safety and Fairness Act” goes into effect Wednesday, July 1, and changes the requirements for drivers in their 70s renewing their licenses.
Another new provision, an updated missing persons identification act, ends waiting periods for filing a missing persons report.
The law goes into effect Thursday, Jan. 1 and institutes new rules saying law enforcement agencies may not refuse to accept a missing persons report on the basis the individual is an adult, that the circumstances do not indicate foul play, the person has been missing for a short or long period of time and several other potential reasons.
New housing laws in Illinois
Several new housing-related laws will also go into effect in 2026, including clarification to the state’s eviction laws that “civil eviction procedures do not restrict law enforcement from enforcing trespassing laws.”
The legislation, Senate Bill 1563, is informally referred to as “the squatters bill,” Illinois Legal Aid Online executive director Teri Ross said in a Dec. 5 interview with the News-Democrat.
The term “squatter” refers to someone who is unlawfully occupying a property. Issues with squatters living in derelict properties have been reported in Belleville and in other Illinois communities.
“There was some ambivalence about whether criminal trespass laws could be enforced if somebody had been there for some time,” Ross said. “You used to have to go through the eviction process to get somebody off of your property if they didn’t just leave when you asked them to.”
Overall, Ross said the new law clarifies the issue for police officers trying to enforce trespassing laws, but one potential issue may come into play.
“There are verbal agreements that you enter into with landlords, and tenants do this frequently,” Ross said.
Illinois housing law does not require a lease to be written to be valid. Although the terms of an oral lease may be more difficult to prove than a written one, they can be legally binding, according to the Illinois State Bar Association.
Safe gun storage and more new Illinois laws for 2026
The “Safe Gun Storage Act” creates storage requirements for guns when a firearm owner knows or “reasonably should know” a minor, an “at-risk person” or a prohibited person is likely to gain access to it.
Exceptions apply, such as if a minor’s parent or guardian has given lawful permission or if the firearm is carried by or is under control of the owner or other lawfully authorized user.
The law describes proper storage as “secured in a locked container, properly engaged to render the firearm inaccessible or unusable to any person other than the owner or other lawfully authorized user.”
The gun storage act also goes into effect Thursday.
Another new Illinois law for 2026 expands paid leave for organ donation to part-time employees at companies with more than 50 employees.
House Bill 3352 will provide protections against liability for coerced debt, which sometimes occurs in abusive relationships.
Several new immigration laws will also be on the books, including protections for schoolchildren and a new prohibition of civil arrests for anyone in and around courthouses attending certain state court proceedings. Some of Illinois’ new immigration legislation went into effect Dec. 9.
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