The provisions of the Administrative Review Law, as heretofore or hereafter amended, and all rules adopted pursuant thereto, shall apply to and govern all proceedings for the judicial review of final administrative decisions of the Department hereunder. The term "administrative decision" is defined as in Section 3-101 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
The proceedings for judicial review shall be commenced in the circuit court of the county in which the party applying for review is located. If the party is not currently located in Illinois, the venue shall be in Sangamon County. The Department shall not be required to certify any record to the court or file any answer in court or otherwise appear in any court in a judicial review proceeding, unless and until the Department has received from the plaintiff payment of the costs of furnishing and certifying the record, which costs shall be determined by the Department. Exhibits shall be certified without cost. Failure on the part of the plaintiff to file a receipt in court is grounds for dismissal of the action.
805 ILCS 15/12