Illinois retains jaywalking enforcement under Vehicle Code 625 ILCS 5/11-1003, requiring pedestrians to yield outside marked crosswalks and to use crosswalks where signals exist. Cook County, suburban municipalities, and Chicago all enforce. Unlike California, Illinois has not legalized safe mid-block crossing, though enforcement is uneven and concentrated in high-crash corridors.
Illinois Vehicle Code 625 ILCS 5/11-1003 requires pedestrians to yield the right-of-way to vehicles when crossing outside a marked crosswalk and to obey traffic signals at intersections with signal heads. Section 11-1002 grants pedestrians the right-of-way in marked crosswalks. The Cook County Sheriff enforces on county roads in unincorporated areas; suburban police and Illinois State Police enforce within their jurisdictions. Unlike California's 2023 Freedom to Walk Act, Illinois has not legalized mid-block crossing where safe. Chicago, Evanston, and other Cook municipalities operate Vision Zero programs that direct enforcement toward driver violations, while still issuing pedestrian citations in high-crash corridors.
Jaywalking citations under 625 ILCS 5/11-1003 are petty offenses with fines typically $50 to $200. Fines escalate when crossing on a controlled-access highway or against a signal. No jail attaches, but the violation may appear on a driver record.
See how Evanston's jaywalking rules stack up against other locations.
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