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Rule 203.Where Depositions May be Taken

Article II. Rules on Civil Proceedings in the Trial Court · Part E. Discovery, Requests for Admission, and Pretrial Procedure · Last amended 2021 · Last verified July 20, 2026

In one sentenceRule 203 pins down where a deposition happens — usually the deponent's home county — while giving courts room to order otherwise and covering remote depositions.

Full Text of Ill. S. Ct. R. 203

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Unless otherwise agreed, depositions shall be taken in the county in which the deponent resides or is employed or transacts business in person, or, in the case of a plaintiff-deponent, in the county in which the action is pending. However, the court, in its discretion, may order a party or a person who is currently an officer, director, or employee of a party to appear at a designated place in this State or elsewhere for the purpose of having the deposition taken. The order designating the place of a deposition may impose any terms and conditions that are just, including payment of reasonable expenses.
Unless otherwise agreed, remote electronic means depositions, under Rule 206(h), shall be deemed taken at the place where the deponent is located while answering questions. The decorum customary and appropriate in an in-person deposition shall be followed during a remote electronic means deposition.
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Plain-English Summary

Absent an agreement, Rule 203 ties the location of a deposition to the deponent: the county where they live, work, or do business, or, for a plaintiff, the county where the case is pending. That default protects witnesses from being dragged across the state to sit for questioning.

A court can override that default for a party or for someone who currently works for a party, ordering the deposition somewhere else in Illinois or beyond, and can attach conditions like paying the deponent's expenses to make that fair.

The rule also folds in remote depositions: unless the parties agree otherwise, a deposition taken by phone, video, or other remote means counts as taken wherever the deponent is sitting when they answer, and the same decorum expected in person carries over to the remote session.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Illinois law say a deposition should take place?
In the county where the deponent lives, works, or transacts business, or, for a plaintiff, the county where the case is pending.
Can a court order someone to travel for a deposition?
Yes — for a party or a current officer, director, or employee of a party, a court can designate another place, with conditions like paying expenses.
Where is a remote deposition considered to take place?
At the deponent's location while they answer questions, unless the parties agree otherwise.
Does deposition decorum change for remote depositions?
No — the rule expects the same decorum used in an in-person deposition.
Can the parties agree to a different location than the rule sets out?
Yes, Rule 203 applies only in the absence of an agreement between the parties.

Committee Comments

(Revised June 1, 1995)

This rule is derived from former Rule 19-8(3). There is one change of substance. The phrase “or a nonresident for whose benefit the action is brought” has been added to require that not only the nominal plaintiff but the person for whose benefit the action is brought must present himself for the taking of his deposition. Supreme Court Rule 203 was amended contemporaneously with the change in 206(a) in 1987 to protect nonparty witnesses from unwarranted interference with their business and/or personal lives which might otherwise occur when Rule 206(a) is employed. The only revision which has been made to this rule is one of form, which makes the rule gender-neutral.

Amendment History

Amended June 26, 1987, effective August 1, 1987; amended June 1, 1995, effective January 1, 1996; amended Sept. 29, 2021, eff. Oct. 1, 2021.

Source & verification. Rule text, official Committee Comments, and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Illinois Supreme Court Rules, promulgated by the Supreme Court of Illinois. Last verified July 20, 2026. · Official source
Also known as: deposition locationvenue for depositionsremote deposition locationwhere to depose a witness