Public Act 90-0261 of the 90th General Assembly

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Public Act 90-0261

HB1188 Enrolled                                LRB9002594DNmb

    AN ACT to amend the Counties  Code  by  changing  Section
5-12001.


    Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:

    Section 5.  The Counties  Code  is  amended  by  changing
Section 5-12001 as follows:

    (55 ILCS 5/5-12001) (from Ch. 34, par. 5-12001)
    Sec.   5-12001.  Authority   to   regulate  and  restrict
location and use of structures.
    For the purpose of promoting the public  health,  safety,
morals, comfort and general welfare, conserving the values of
property   throughout   the  county,  lessening  or  avoiding
congestion in the public streets and highways, and  lessening
or  avoiding  the  hazards  to persons and damage to property
resulting from the accumulation or runoff of storm  or  flood
waters, the county board or board of county commissioners, as
the  case  may  be,  of  each county, shall have the power to
regulate and restrict the  location  and  use  of  buildings,
structures  and land for trade, industry, residence and other
uses which may be specified by such board,  to  regulate  and
restrict the intensity of such uses, to establish building or
setback  lines  on  or  along  any street, trafficway, drive,
parkway or  storm  or  floodwater  runoff  channel  or  basin
outside the limits of cities, villages and incorporated towns
which  have  in effect municipal zoning ordinances; to divide
the entire county outside the limits of such cities, villages
and incorporated towns into districts of such number,  shape,
area  and  of such different classes, according to the use of
land and buildings, the  intensity  of  such  use  (including
height  of  buildings  and  structures  and  surrounding open
space) and other classification as may be deemed best  suited
to carry out the purposes of this Division; to prohibit uses,
buildings  or  structures  incompatible with the character of
such districts respectively; and to prevent additions to  and
alteration  or remodeling of existing buildings or structures
in such a way as to avoid the  restrictions  and  limitations
lawfully  imposed  hereunder:  Provided,  that  permits  with
respect  to  the  erection,  maintenance, repair, alteration,
remodeling or extension of buildings or structures used or to
be used for agricultural purposes shall be issued free of any
charge.  The corporate  authorities  of  the  county  may  by
ordinance  require  the  construction  of  fences  around  or
protective  covers  over  previously  constructed  artificial
basins  of  water  dug in the ground and used for swimming or
wading, which are located on private residential property and
intended for the  use  of  the  owner  and  guests.   In  all
ordinances  or resolutions passed under the authority of this
Division,  due  allowance  shall   be   made   for   existing
conditions,   the   conservation   of  property  values,  the
directions of building development to the best  advantage  of
the  entire county, and the uses to which property is devoted
at the time  of  the  enactment  of  any  such  ordinance  or
resolution.
    The  powers by this Division given shall not be exercised
so as to deprive the owner of any existing  property  of  its
use  or  maintenance  for  the  purpose  to  which it is then
lawfully devoted; nor shall they be exercised so as to impose
regulations or require permits with respect to land  used  or
to  be  used  for  agricultural  purposes, which includes the
growing of farm crops, truck garden crops, animal and poultry
husbandry, apiculture, aquaculture,  dairying,  floriculture,
horticulture,  nurseries,  tree  farms, sod farms, pasturage,
viticulture,   and   wholesale    greenhouses    when    such
agricultural  purposes  constitute  the principal activity on
the land, other than parcels of land consisting of less  than
5  acres  from  which $1,000 or less of agricultural products
were sold in any calendar year in counties with a  population
between  300,000  and  400,000 or in counties contiguous to a
county with a population between  300,000  and  400,000,  and
other than parcels of land consisting of less than 5 acres in
counties  with  a  population  in  excess of 400,000, or with
respect to the  erection,  maintenance,  repair,  alteration,
remodeling or extension of buildings or structures used or to
be  used for agricultural purposes upon such land except that
such buildings or structures for agricultural purposes may be
required to  conform  to  building  or  set  back  lines  and
counties  may  establish a minimum lot size for residences on
land used for  agricultural  purposes;  nor  shall  any  such
powers  be  so  exercised as to prohibit the temporary use of
land for  the  installation,  maintenance  and  operation  of
facilities  used  by  contractors  in  the ordinary course of
construction activities, except that such facilities  may  be
required  to  be  located  not  less than 1,000 feet from any
building used for residential purposes, and except  that  the
period of such temporary use shall not exceed the duration of
the  construction contract; nor shall any such powers include
the right to specify or regulate the type or location of  any
poles,  towers,  wires, cables, conduits, vaults, laterals or
any other similar distributing equipment of a public  utility
as defined in The Public utilities Act, if the public utility
is  subject  to The Messages Tax Act, The Gas Revenue Tax Act
or The Public Utilities Revenue Act, or if such facilities or
equipment are located on any rights of way and are  used  for
railroad  purposes.   As  used  in  this  Act,  "agricultural
purposes"  do  not  include the extraction of sand, gravel or
limestone, and such activities may  be  regulated  by  county
zoning  ordinance even when such activities are related to an
agricultural purpose.
    Nothing in this Division shall be construed  to  restrict
the  powers  granted  by  statute  to  cities,  villages  and
incorporated  towns as to territory contiguous to but outside
of the limits  of  such  cities,  villages  and  incorporated
towns.  Any  zoning  ordinance  enacted by a city, village or
incorporated town shall supersede, with respect to  territory
within  the  corporate limits of the municipality, any county
zoning plan  otherwise  applicable.  The  powers  granted  to
counties  by this Division shall be treated as in addition to
powers conferred by statute to control or approve maps, plats
or subdivisions.  In this Division,  "agricultural  purposes"
include,   without   limitation,   the  growing,  developing,
processing, conditioning, or selling  of  hybrid  seed  corn,
seed beans, seed oats, or other farm seeds.
    Nothing  in  this Division shall be construed to prohibit
the corporate  authorities  of  a  county  from  adopting  an
ordinance  that exempts pleasure driveways or park districts,
as defined in the Park District Code, with  a  population  of
greater  than  100,000,  from  the  exercise  of the county's
powers under this Division.
(Source: P.A. 88-623, eff. 1-1-95; 89-654, eff. 8-14-96.)

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