735 ILCS 5/3-101
2021 Illinois Compiled Statutes|Chapter 735 - CIVIL PROCEDURE|735 ILCS 5/ - Code of Civil Procedure.|Article III - Administrative Review

 (from Ch. 110, par. 3-101)Sec. 3-101.     Definitions.     For the purpose of this Act:"Administrative agency" means a person, body of persons, group, officer,  board, bureau, commission or department (other than a court or judge) of the  State, or of any political subdivision of the State or municipal corporation in  the State, having power under law to make administrative  decisions."Administrative decision" or "decision" means any decision, order or  determination of any administrative agency rendered in a particular  case, which affects the legal rights, duties or privileges of parties  and which terminates the proceedings before the administrative agency.  In all cases in which a statute or a rule of the administrative agency  requires or permits an application for a rehearing or other method of  administrative review to be filed within a specified time (as  distinguished from a statute which permits the application for rehearing  or administrative review to be filed at any time before judgment by the  administrative agency against the applicant or within a specified time  after the entry of such judgment), and an application for such rehearing  or review is made, no administrative decision of such agency shall be  final as to the party applying therefor until such rehearing or review  is had or denied.  However, if the particular statute permits an  application for rehearing or other method of administrative review to be  filed with the administrative agency for an indefinite period of time  after the administrative decision has been rendered (such as permitting  such application to be filed at any time before judgment by the  administrative agency against the applicant or within a specified time  after the entry of such judgment), then the authorization for the filing  of such application for rehearing or review shall not postpone the time  when the administrative decision as to which such application shall be  filed would otherwise become final, but the filing of the application  for rehearing or review with the administrative agency in this type of  case shall constitute the commencement of a new proceeding before such  agency, and the decision rendered in order to dispose of such rehearing  or other review proceeding shall constitute a new and independent  administrative decision.  If such new and independent decision consists  merely of the denial of the application for rehearing or other method of  administrative review, the record upon judicial review of such decision  shall be limited to the application for rehearing or other review and  the order or decision denying such application and shall not include the  record of proceedings had before the rendering of the administrative  decision as to which the application for rehearing or other  administrative review shall have been filed unless the suit for judicial  review is commenced within the time in which it would be authorized by  this Act to have been commenced if no application for rehearing or other  method of administrative review had been filed.  On the other hand, if  the rehearing or other administrative review is granted by the  administrative agency, then the record on judicial review of the  resulting administrative decision rendered pursuant to the rehearing or  other administrative review may consist not only of the record of  proceedings had before the administrative agency in such rehearing or  other administrative review proceeding, but also of the record of  proceedings had before such administrative agency prior to its rendering  of the administrative decision as to which the rehearing or other  administrative review shall have been granted.  The term "administrative  decision" or "decision" does not mean or include rules, regulations,  standards, or statements of policy of general application issued by an  administrative agency to implement, interpret, or make specific the  legislation enforced or administered by it unless such a rule,  regulation, standard or statement of policy is involved in a proceeding  before the agency and its applicability or validity is in issue in such  proceeding, nor does it mean or include regulations concerning the  internal management of the agency not affecting private rights or  interests.    (Source: P.A. 92-651, eff. 7-11-02.)