Source: Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO) / Illinois Courts
Jurisdiction: IL
Topic: service

Title: Serving your spouse & procedural basics (Illinois)
Heading: Serving the respondent

Once you file your Petition for Dissolution and the court issues a summons, the next job is to formally notify your spouse that the case exists. That formal step is called 'service.' The two usual routes are personal service by the county sheriff or by a special process server the court appoints. You hand the sheriff the summons and a copy of the filed petition using the 'Letter to the Sheriff' form.

Tags: service
summons
sheriff
special process server
respondent
URL: https://www.illinoislegalaid.org/legal-information/getting-divorce
Retrieved: 2026-06-03
License: Facts summarized in our own words; this is not ILAO's text. See the source URL for ILAO's full guidance. Exact deadlines and the publication notice period are county- and clerk-specific, so verify them before relying on them.