Cal. Civ. Code § 9-117
Expiration of order. No eviction order obtained in an action brought under this Article may be enforced more than 120 days after the order is entered, unless upon motion by the plaintiff the court grants an extension of the period of enforcement of the order. Plaintiff's notice of motion shall contain the following notice directed to the defendant: "The plaintiff in this case, (insert name), obtained an eviction judgment against you on (insert date), but the sheriff did not evict you within the 120 days that the plaintiff has to evict after a judgment in court. On the date stated in this notice, the plaintiff will be asking the court to allow the sheriff to evict you based on that judgment. You must attend the court hearing if you want the court to stop the plaintiff from having you evicted. To prevent the eviction, you must be able to prove that (1) the plaintiff and you made an agreement after the judgment (for instance, to pay up back rent or to comply with the lease) and you have lived up to the agreement; or (2) the reason the plaintiff brought the original eviction case has been resolved or forgiven, and the eviction the plaintiff now wants the court to grant is based on a new or different reason; or (3) that you have another legal or equitable reason why the court should not grant the plaintiff's request for your eviction." The court shall grant the motion for the extension of the eviction order unless the defendant establishes that the tenancy has been reinstated, that the breach upon which the order was issued has been cured or waived, that the plaintiff and defendant entered into a post-judgment agreement whose terms the defendant has performed, or that other legal or equitable grounds exist that bar enforcement of the order. This Section does not apply to any action based upon a breach of a contract entered into on or after July 1, 1962, for the purchase of premises in which the court has entered a stay under Section 9-110; nor shall this Section apply to any action to which the provisions of Section 9-111 apply; nor shall this Section affect the rights of Boards of Managers under Section 9-104.2
Operative Text
Expiration of order. No eviction order obtained in an action brought under this Article may be enforced more than 120 days after the order is entered, unless upon motion by the plaintiff the court grants an extension of the period of enforcement of the order. Plaintiff's notice of motion shall contain the following notice directed to the defendant: "The plaintiff in this case, (insert name), obtained an eviction judgment against you on (insert date), but the sheriff did not evict you within the 120 days that the plaintiff has to evict after a judgment in court. On the date stated in this notice, the plaintiff will be asking the court to allow the sheriff to evict you based on that judgment. You must attend the court hearing if you want the court to stop the plaintiff from having you evicted. To prevent the eviction, you must be able to prove that (1) the plaintiff and you made an agreement after the judgment (for instance, to pay up back rent or to comply with the lease) and you have lived up to the agreement; or (2) the reason the plaintiff brought the original eviction case has been resolved or forgiven, and the eviction the plaintiff now wants the court to grant is based on a new or different reason; or (3) that you have another legal or equitable reason why the court should not grant the plaintiff's request for your eviction." The court shall grant the motion for the extension of the eviction order unless the defendant establishes that the tenancy has been reinstated, that the breach upon which the order was issued has been cured or waived, that the plaintiff and defendant entered into a post-judgment agreement whose terms the defendant has performed, or that other legal or equitable grounds exist that bar enforcement of the order. This Section does not apply to any action based upon a breach of a contract entered into on or after July 1, 1962, for the purchase of premises in which the court has entered a stay under Section 9-110; nor shall this Section apply to any action to which the provisions of Section 9-111 apply; nor shall this Section affect the rights of Boards of Managers under Section 9-104.2.
Under 735 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5 § 9-117, an eviction order in Illinois has a built-in expiration window: it cannot be enforced by a sheriff more than 120 days after it was entered by the court. If a landlord wants to act on the order after that window closes, they must return to court and obtain an extension. The court is required to grant that extension unless the tenant can demonstrate that the tenancy was reinstated, the original violation was resolved or forgiven, a post-judgment agreement was reached and fulfilled, or some other legal or equitable reason bars enforcement.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under 735 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5 § 9-117, landlords who obtain an eviction order but do not complete the eviction within 120 days of the order's entry must file a motion with the court to extend the enforcement period before proceeding. The notice of motion must include specific language directed to the tenant, informing them of the hearing date and their right to appear and contest the extension. Compliant operators track the 120-day deadline carefully and ensure the required statutory notice language is included in any extension motion to avoid procedural defects.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
735 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5 § 9-117 gives tenants a meaningful procedural protection: if a landlord has not enforced an eviction order within 120 days, the landlord must go back to court and request an extension, and tenants have the right to attend that hearing and raise defenses. Recognized defenses include a post-judgment agreement that the tenant has honored, resolution or forgiveness of the original reason for eviction, or other legal or equitable grounds. Tenants who receive a notice of motion for an extension may want to consult a tenant-rights organization or legal aid provider to understand which defenses may be available to them under this section.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 18, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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