55 ILCS 5/ Counties Code.

(55 ILCS 5/5-12014) (from Ch. 34, par. 5-12014)

Sec. 5-12014. Amendment of regulations and districts.

(a) For purposes of this Section, the term "text amendment" means an amendment to the text of a zoning ordinance, which affects the whole county, and the term "map amendment" means an amendment to the map of a zoning ordinance, which affects an individual parcel or parcels of land.

(b) The regulations imposed and the districts created under the authority of this Division may be amended from time to time by ordinance or resolution, after the ordinance or resolution establishing same has gone into effect, but no such amendments shall be made without a hearing before the board of appeals. At least 15 days notice of the time and place of such hearing shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation published in such county. Hearings on text amendments shall be held in the court house of the county or other county building with more adequate facilities for such hearings. Hearings on map amendments shall be held in the township or road district affected by the terms of such proposed amendment or in the court house, or other county building with more adequate facilities for such hearings, of the county in which the affected township or road district is located. Provided, that if the owner of any property affected by such proposed map amendment so requests in writing, such hearing shall be held in the township or road district affected by the terms of such proposed amendment. Except as provided in subsection (c), text amendments may be passed at a county board meeting by a simple majority of the elected county board members, unless written protests against the proposed text amendment are signed by 5% of the land owners of the county, in which case such amendment shall not be passed except by the favorable vote of 3/4 of all the members of the county board. Except as provided in subsection (c), map amendments may be passed at a county board meeting by a simple majority of the elected county board members, except that in case of written protest against any proposed map amendment that is either: (A) signed by the owner or owners of at least 20% of the land to be rezoned, or (B) signed by the owner or owners of land immediately touching, or immediately across a street, alley, or public right-of-way from, at least 20% of the perimeter of the land to be rezoned, or in cases where the land affected lies within 1 1/2 miles of the limits of a zoned municipality, or in the case of a proposed text amendment to the Zoning Ordinance, by resolution of the corporate authorities of the zoned municipality with limits nearest adjacent, filed with the county clerk, such amendment shall not be passed except by the favorable vote of 3/4 of all the members of the county board, but in counties in which the county board consists of 3 members only a 2/3 vote is required. In such cases, a copy of the written protest shall be served by the protestor or protestors on the applicant for the proposed amendment and a copy upon the applicant's attorney, if any, by certified mail at the address of such applicant and attorney shown in the application for the proposed amendment. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section, if a map amendment is proposed solely to correct an error made by the county as a result of a comprehensive rezoning by the county, the map amendments may be passed at a county board meeting by a simple majority of the elected board.

Any notice required by this Section need not include a metes and bounds legal description, provided that the notice includes: (i) the common street address or addresses and (ii) the property index number ("PIN") or numbers of all the parcels of real property contained in the area for which the variation is requested.

(c) If a township located within a county with a population of less than 600,000 has a plan commission and the plan commission objects to a text amendment or a map amendment affecting an unincorporated area of the township, then the township board of trustees may submit its written objections to the county board within 30 days after the hearing before the board of appeals, in which case the county board may not adopt the text amendment or the map amendment affecting an unincorporated area of the township except by the favorable vote of at least three-fourths of all the members of the county board.

(Source: P.A. 98-205, eff. 8-9-13.)

(55 ILCS 5/5-12015) (from Ch. 34, par. 5-12015)

Sec. 5-12015. Hearing officer; duties. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary provided for in this Division:

(A) The county board of each county may by resolution or ordinance establish the position of hearing officer and delegate to a hearing officer the authority to conduct any public hearing otherwise required to be heard in accordance with this Division by the board of appeals. When a hearing officer is designated by the county board to conduct any such hearing: (i) notice of hearing shall be given in the same time and manner and the hearing shall be conducted in the same location provided by this Division for the giving of such notice and for the location of such hearing when any such hearing is conducted by the board of appeals; (ii) the hearing officer in acting upon any matter otherwise within the jurisdiction of the board of appeals shall be governed by the same standards and shall exercise and perform all of the powers and duties of the board of appeals in the same manner and to the same effect as provided in this Division with respect to the board of appeals provided that:

1. When the hearing officer is acting upon an application or petition to amend the regulations imposed or the districts created under the authority of this Division and such amendment is to be made by ordinance or resolution, the hearing officer shall render a written recommendation to the county board within such time and in such manner and form as the county board shall require;

2. When the hearing officer is acting upon an application or petition for a variation and the regulations by this Division authorized provide that the county board by ordinance or resolution may determine and vary the application of such regulations as set forth in this Division, then upon report of the hearing officer the county board may by ordinance or resolution without further public hearing adopt any proposed variation or may refer it back to the hearing officer for further consideration, and any proposed variation which fails to receive the approval of the hearing officer shall not be passed except by the favorable vote of 3/4 of all members of the county board, but in counties in which the county board consists of 3 members only a 2/3 vote is required;

3. When the hearing officer is acting upon an application or petition for a variation and the regulations by this Division authorized do not provide that the county board by ordinance or resolution may determine and vary the application of such regulations as set forth in this Division, or when the hearing officer is acting upon any matter otherwise within the jurisdiction of the board of appeals under Sections 5-12011 and 5-12012 other than a matter referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 above of this subsection (A), the determination made by the hearing officer with respect to any such variation or matter shall constitute a final administrative decision which is subject to judicial review pursuant to the provisions of the "Administrative Review Law", as now or hereafter amended.

(B) The county board may provide general or specific regulations implementing but not inconsistent with the provisions of this Section, including regulations relative to the time and manner in which hearing officers are designated to conduct public hearings and regulations governing the manner in which such hearings are conducted and matters heard therein passed upon and determined.

(C) Hearing officers shall be appointed on the basis of training and experience which qualifies them to conduct hearings, make recommendations or findings of fact and conclusions on the matters heard and otherwise exercise and perform the powers, duties and functions delegated in accordance with this Section. Hearing officers shall receive such compensation as the county board shall provide, and the county board may establish a schedule of fees to defray the costs of providing a hearing officer.

(D) This Section is intended to furnish an alternative or supplemental procedure which a county board in its discretion may provide for hearing, determining, reviewing and deciding matters which arise under any ordinance, resolution or regulation adopted pursuant to this Division, but nothing in this Section shall be deemed to limit or prevent the use of any existing procedure available pursuant to this Division for hearing, approving or denying applications or petitions for a variation, amendment or other revision of any such ordinance, resolution or regulation, or for hearing and deciding appeals from and reviewing any order, requirement, decision or determination made by an administrative official charged with the enforcement of any such ordinance, resolution or regulation.

(Source: P.A. 86-962.)