Security cameras are legal on private residential property in unincorporated Cook County. Illinois is a two-party consent state for audio recording under the Illinois Eavesdropping Act (720 ILCS 5/14-2). Cameras must not be positioned to record in areas where others have a reasonable expectation of privacy.
Homeowners in unincorporated Cook County may install security cameras on their own property, including doorbell cameras, Ring cameras, and CCTV systems. Video-only surveillance of your own property and areas visible from your property is legal. However, Illinois has strict eavesdropping laws. The Illinois Eavesdropping Act (720 ILCS 5/14-2) requires all-party consent for recording private conversations. Security cameras with audio recording capability must comply with this law β recording audio of neighbors' conversations without their consent is illegal. Cameras must not be positioned to view into private spaces (bedrooms, bathrooms) of neighboring properties. Posting visible signage indicating video surveillance is recommended to eliminate any expectation of privacy in the monitored area. The 2014 amendments to the Illinois Eavesdropping Act narrowed its scope but maintained the all-party consent requirement for private conversations.
Illegal eavesdropping is a Class 4 felony in Illinois, punishable by 1-3 years imprisonment and fines up to $25,000. Video recording in private areas may also trigger civil liability.
Cook County, IL
Chicago Fair Workweek Ordinance covers fast food and other large employers within Chicago city limits only. Cook County has not extended predictable scheduli...
Cook County, IL
Illinois has not enacted a healthcare worker minimum wage equivalent to California SB 525. Cook County has no industry-specific healthcare wage ordinance. He...
Cook County, IL
Cook County has not adopted a grocery worker premium wage ordinance like Los Angeles GWRO. Illinois state law sets a $15 statewide minimum wage as of January...
Cook County, IL
Illinois has no statewide utensils-on-request statute. Cook County has not adopted countywide rules. Some Cook suburbs including Evanston restrict automatic ...
Cook County, IL
Illinois Lead Poisoning Prevention Act 410 ILCS 45 and Cook County Department of Public Health Childhood Lead Program require lead inspections in pre-1978 re...
Cook County, IL
Cook County does not run a countywide systematic code enforcement rental inspection program. Suburbs vary widely: Evanston, Oak Park, Berwyn, and Cicero oper...
See how Cook County's security camera rules rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.