Not legal advice. This guide explains how Illinois AED laws are structured. Confirm current statute text on ilga.gov, and consult an Illinois-licensed attorney for decisions about your organization.
Quick answer
Illinois requires AEDs in physical fitness facilities, every school attendance center, horse racing facilities, and certain law enforcement agencies. Most offices and stores are not required to have one.
Anyone who owns an AED must maintain it, train expected users, and notify the local 911 or dispatch center of its location. Meeting those rules is what unlocks Illinois's civil immunity.
Illinois AED Law at a Glance
| Setting or topic | What Illinois law says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Offices and general businesses | No AED mandate | No statute |
| Physical fitness facilities | An AED on site, a trained user during staffed hours, a written plan | 210 ILCS 74 |
| Schools | An AED at each attendance center, plus a cardiac response plan | P.A. 103-1019, 103-0608 |
| Horse racing facilities | Two AEDs when backstretch workers are present | 230 ILCS 5/31.2 |
| Every AED owner | Maintain, train users, notify 911 or dispatch center | 410 ILCS 4/20 |
| Civil immunity | Protected except for willful or wanton misconduct | 410 ILCS 4/30; 745 ILCS 49/12 |
| Fitness facility fines | Warning, then $1,500 to $2,000 and up | 210 ILCS 74/35 |
The Illinois AED Act: Rules for Every Owner
The Automated External Defibrillator Act (410 ILCS 4) sets the ground rules for any public access defibrillation program in Illinois. It does not tell businesses to buy an AED. It tells them what to do once they have one.
Under Section 20, an AED owner must make sure the device is maintained according to the manufacturer's guidelines.
Expected users must complete a CPR and AED course that meets a nationally recognized standard, such as the American Heart Association or American Red Cross.
- Maintain the AED according to the manufacturer's guidelines.
- Train expected users through a recognized CPR and AED course.
- Activate EMS as soon as possible whenever the AED is used on someone in cardiac arrest.
- Notify the local 911 or dispatch center of the AED's existence, location, and type.
The Act defines a trained AED user as someone who completed a course meeting the standards of a nationally recognized organization, or a licensed physician. The Department of Public Health sets training rules and keeps incident reports on AED use.
AED Requirements for Businesses in Illinois
No Illinois law requires a general office, store, restaurant, or warehouse to have an AED. For most employers the decision is voluntary, and the AED Act rules above apply the moment you buy one.
The main business exception is fitness. Health clubs, gyms, and similar facilities focused on cardiovascular exercise fall under the Physical Fitness Facility Medical Emergency Preparedness Act, covered next.
Horse racing facilities must keep two AEDs, one in the paddock and one on the backstretch, when backstretch workers are present.
For a voluntary workplace program, start with the best AEDs for offices or the best AED for small business. Our business AED packages bundle the device, pads, battery, and sign.
The Physical Fitness Facility Medical Emergency Preparedness Act
This law (210 ILCS 74) has required Illinois gyms and fitness facilities to have AEDs since the mid-2000s. It covers privately owned facilities focused on cardiovascular exercise, and fitness facilities owned by schools and units of local government.
Covered public facilities include swimming pools, stadiums, athletic fields, tracks, and tennis, basketball, and volleyball courts, when supervised by facility staff.
Exclusions include facilities serving fewer than 100 people actively exercising, hospitals, hotels and motels, outdoor park district facilities, and facilities with no instructional staff.
What a covered facility must do
- AED on the premises: at least one operable AED at all times. At an outdoor facility, it must be housed in a building within 300 feet, with marked directions and unimpeded access.
- Trained user on staff: a trained AED user must be on staff during staffed business hours.
- Written emergency plan: a plan for responding to medical emergencies, filed with the Illinois Department of Public Health and updated when changes affect response.
- Repair within 10 days: under IDPH rules, an inoperable AED must be repaired or replaced within 10 days, and patrons must be told when no operable AED is available.
Pools and stadiums have their own equipment needs; see our swimming pool AED packages and stadium AED packages.
Illinois AED Immunity Laws
Illinois protects AED users through two statutes.
Under the AED Act (410 ILCS 4/30), the AED user, the property owner or manager, the physician who authorized the purchase, and the training provider are exempt from civil liability, except for willful or wanton misconduct.
The condition that matters. Every AED Act exemption applies only "if the requirements of this Act are met." An owner who never trained users, skipped maintenance, or never notified the 911 center risks losing that protection.
The exemptions do not apply to public hospitals.
Separately, Section 12 of the Good Samaritan Act (745 ILCS 49/12) protects any AED user who gives emergency care in good faith and without a fee, again except for willful and wanton misconduct.
Covered fitness facilities have their own shield. Under 210 ILCS 74/45, no right of action exists for using or not using an AED at a compliant facility, except for willful or wanton misconduct.
Illinois AED Requirements for Schools
Two laws that took effect January 1, 2025, changed Illinois schools significantly.
- An AED in every school: Public Act 103-1019 requires at least one AED at each attendance center during the school day and during school-sponsored extracurricular activities on school grounds.
- A cardiac emergency response plan: Public Act 103-0608 requires districts to adopt a plan following American Heart Association or other evidence-based guidelines, covering sudden cardiac arrest at school and school-sponsored activities.
- Staff training: within 30 days of the school year's start, staff receive training on the plan, hands-only CPR, and the district's AED.
School athletic facilities can also fall under the fitness facility act. Students learn CPR and AED use in the high school health curriculum under 105 ILCS 110/3.
For equipment, see our school AED packages and the best AEDs for schools. AED trainers and CPR manikins support hands-on staff training.
Illinois AED Registry Requirements
Illinois does not require owners to join a statewide AED database. It does require notice.
Section 20 of the AED Act says a person in possession of an AED must notify the local emergency communications or vehicle dispatch center of the AED's existence, location, and type.
In practice, that means contacting the 911 center that serves your address. Keep written confirmation of the notice with your AED records, since meeting this requirement is part of what keeps your civil immunity intact.
AED Maintenance and Inspection in Illinois
Illinois law does not set a fixed inspection interval. The standard is the manufacturer's guidelines, and fitness facilities must fix or replace a broken AED within 10 days.
A dated Avid Safety AED inspection tag documents each check. Replace AED replacement pads and AED replacement batteries before expiration, and check your model against current AED safety notices.
Do you need a prescription?
Illinois adds no prescription rule of its own. Federal FDA rules require one for every AED except the Philips HeartStart OnSite AED, the Philips HeartStart Home, and the HeartSine samaritan PAD 350P.
Our AED value packages include the prescription at no charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is required to have an AED in Illinois?
Physical fitness facilities, every school attendance center, horse racing facilities with backstretch workers, sheriff's offices, and certain police departments. General offices and stores have no state mandate.
What is the Illinois Physical Fitness Facility Medical Emergency Preparedness Act?
It is 210 ILCS 74, the law requiring covered gyms and fitness facilities to keep an AED on site, have a trained AED user on staff during staffed hours, and file a written medical emergency plan with IDPH.
Does the Good Samaritan Law cover AED use in Illinois?
Yes. The Good Samaritan Act (745 ILCS 49/12) protects anyone who uses an AED in good faith and without a fee. The AED Act also protects users, owners, physicians, and trainers when its requirements are met. Neither covers willful or wanton misconduct.
Does the Illinois Good Samaritan Law protect employees who aren't medical professionals?
Yes. Both statutes protect lay AED users, not just clinicians. Your business's own protection depends on meeting the AED Act: training expected users, maintaining the AED, and notifying the 911 center.
Do Illinois schools need an AED?
Yes. Since January 1, 2025, every school attendance center must have at least one AED during the school day and at on-site extracurricular activities, and districts must have a cardiac emergency response plan.
How often must an AED be inspected in Illinois?
Illinois sets no fixed interval. Maintenance must follow the manufacturer's guidelines, and a fitness facility must repair or replace an inoperable AED within 10 days.
What are the penalties for non-compliance with AED laws in Illinois?
Fines apply to fitness facilities: a written warning for a first violation, $1,500 to under $2,000 for a second, and at least $2,000 after that. There is no specific fine for a missed inspection date. For other owners, the risk is losing civil immunity.
Do I need to register my AED with the local Illinois EMS office?
You must notify the local emergency communications or vehicle dispatch center, usually your 911 center, of the AED's existence, location, and type. Illinois has no statewide database you are required to join.
Related Resources
Sources: 410 ILCS 4 (Automated External Defibrillator Act); 210 ILCS 74 (Physical Fitness Facility Medical Emergency Preparedness Act); 745 ILCS 49/12; 77 Ill. Adm. Code 527.600.
Also: Public Act 103-0608 (HB 5394); Public Act 103-1019 (SB 3571); 230 ILCS 5/31.2; 105 ILCS 110/3.
