Illinois Code § 201

§ 201.

Persons protected by this Act. (a) The following persons are protected by this Act: (i) any person abused by a family or household member; (ii) any high-risk adult with disabilities who is abused, neglected, or exploited by a family or household member; (iii) any minor child or dependent adult in the care of such person; (iv) any person residing or employed at a private home or public shelter which is housing an abused family or household member; and (v) any of the following persons if the person is abused by a family or household member of a child: (A) a foster parent of that child if the child has been placed in the foster parent's home by the Department of Children and Family Services or by another state's public child welfare agency; (B) a legally appointed guardian or legally appointed custodian of that child; (C) an adoptive parent of that child; or (D) a prospective adoptive parent of that child if the child has been placed in the prospective adoptive parent's home pursuant to the Adoption Act or pursuant to another state's law. For purposes of this paragraph (a)(v), individuals who would have been considered "family or household members" of the child under subsection (6) of Section 103 of this Act before a termination of the parental rights with respect to the child continue to meet the definition of "family or household members" of the child. (b) A petition for an order of protection may be filed only: (i) by a person who has been abused by a family or household member or by any person on behalf of a minor child or an adult who has been abused by a family or household member and who, because of age, health, disability, or inaccessibility, cannot file the petition; (ii) by any person on behalf of a high-risk adult with disabilities who has been abused, neglected, or exploited by a family or household member; (iii) by any of the following persons if the person is abused by a family or household member of a child: (A) a foster parent of that child if the child has been placed in the foster parent's home by the Department of Children and Family Services or by another state's public child welfare agency; (B) a legally appointed guardian or legally appointed custodian of that child; (C) an adoptive parent of that child; (D) a prospective adoptive parent of that child if the child has been placed in the prospective adoptive parent's home pursuant to the Adoption Act or pursuant to another state's law. For purposes of this paragraph (b)(iii), individuals who would have been considered "family or household members" of the child under subsection (6) of Section 103 of this Act before a termination of the parental rights with respect to the child continue to meet the definition of "family or household members" of the child; (iv) by a crime victim who was abused by an offender prior to the incarceration of the offender in a penal institution and such offender is incarcerated in a penal institution at the time of the filing of the petition; or (v) by any person who has previously suffered abuse by a person convicted of (1) domestic battery, aggravated domestic battery, aggravated battery, or any other offense that would constitute domestic violence or (2) a violent crime, as defined in Section 3 of the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act, committed against another person. A petition for an order of protection may not be denied solely upon the basis that the respondent or petitioner is incarcerated in a penal institution at the time of the filing of the petition. (c) Any petition properly filed under this Act may seek protection for any additional persons protected by this Act. (Source: P.A. 104-11, eff. 6-20-25.)