SPRINGFIELD — Nearly 300 new Illinois laws took effect today, Jan. 1, 2026, including the elimination of the state’s 1 percent grocery tax, though more than half of Illinois municipalities and three counties have enacted local grocery taxes to replace the lost revenue. Other laws now in effect include a statewide ban on small single use plastic toiletry bottles in hotel rooms, expanded authority for police to remove squatters without a court order, a ban on carbon sequestration projects over the Mahomet Aquifer, new disclosure requirements for PFAS chemicals in firefighter gear, authorization for lift assist fees charged to assisted living and nursing facilities, new privacy protections for public officials, limits on third party restaurant reservation apps, paid break time for employees pumping breast milk, required naloxone supplies in libraries and expanded state authority to crack down on predatory towing companies.
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