In general, you must file your Notice of Appeal within 30 days after the circuit court enters the judgment or order in your case. If any party files a motion to reconsider, or a similar motion, you must file your Notice of Appeal within 30 days after the circuit court rules on that motion. 

If you are appealing an order that was entered without any prior notice to you, you must file a motion in the trial court to vacate that order. You must file your Notice of Appeal within 30 days after the trial court denies that motion. If the trial court fails to rule within 7 days after you file it, you must file your Notice of Appeal within 30 days after those 7 days.  

If you are appealing the entry or denial of a temporary restraining order, you must file your Notice of Appeal within 2 days after the entry or denial of the order. 

Note: If you do not file on time, your appeal will be dismissed because the appellate court will not have jurisdiction to hear your case. Be sure to read the Illinois Supreme Court Rules and pay careful attention to deadlines. The AOIC provides a one-page overview explaining how to file common Motions to request more time for your civil appeal. 

What if I missed the deadline to file my Notice of Appeal? 

You may ask for more time to file your Notice of Appeal. You must file a motion for leave to file a late Notice of Appeal with the appellate court. It must be within 30 days of when your Notice of Appeal was originally due. You must attach your Notice of Appeal to the motion and pay a $50 filing fee. If you cannot afford to pay the filing fee, you can ask the court to file for free by filing the Application for Waiver of Court Fees (Appellate). 

The appellate court does not have to give you more time to file your Notice of Appeal. The appellate court may dismiss your appeal if you do not have a “reasonable excuse” for filing a late Notice of Appeal. You may use a Motion form to request leave to file a late Notice of Appeal.