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Of the 102 counties of the state of Illinois, 84 are organized into civil townships, usually referred to as simply "townships" in state law.
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The legal name of each township is the form "___ Township" or "Town of ____". State law specifies that no two townships in Illinois shall have the same name, and that, if the Illinois Secretary of State compares the township abstracts and finds a duplicate, the county that last adopted the name shall instead adopt a different name at the next county board meeting. Nonetheless, a few township names remain duplicates in Illinois.
Other forms
Cook County is organized into townships except for the city of Chicago: in 1902, voters in Chicago chose to abolish the eight townships in the city.
There are 17 counties with no township government: Alexander, Calhoun, Edwards, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Menard, Monroe, Morgan, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Scott, Union, Wabash, and Williamson. Each of those counties is instead divided into precincts.
Organization and naming
The operation of townships in Illinois is established primarily by the Township Code (60 ILCS 1). Each county has the option to adopt or discontinue the township form of government.
Each township name is chosen by "in accordance with the express wish of the inhabitants"; but if "there is not a degree of unanimity as to the name", then the name may be chosen by the commissioners that are dividing the county into townships. In addition, if the county board is petitioned by a majority of the township's voters, the board may change the township's name.
Each township is governed by an elected board, which consists of a "supervisor" plus four "trustees". There are special provisions for automatic creation of a township in any city or village where township organization has been chosen for the county but some of the municipality's territory does not yet have an organized township; for consolidating the territory of a city across multiple townships into a single township for the city at the voters' request; and for creating an optional "coterminous" township that follow the borders of a city in most circumstances and allows the city council to act as the township board.
Powers
60 ILCS 1/85-13 enumerates general services that townships are allowed to spend money on:
Other parts of 60 ILCS 1 authorize townships to provide cemeteries, comfort stations, community buildings, hospitals, monuments, open spaces, parks, facilities for the developmentally disabled, and disposal of brush and leaves. After approval by a referendum, a township may also provide water and sewer services and general waste collection.