(55 ILCS 5/5-12011) (from Ch. 34, par. 5-12011)

Sec. 5-12011. Hearing and decision of board of appeals. The board of appeals shall also hear and decide appeals from and review any order, requirement, decision or determination made by an administrative official charged with the enforcement of any ordinance or resolution adopted pursuant to this Division.

It shall also hear and decide all matters referred to it or upon which it is required to pass under any such ordinance or resolution or under the terms of this Division. Where a public hearing before a board of appeals is required by this Division or by any ordinance or resolution under the terms of this Division, notice of each hearing shall be published at least 15 days in advance thereof in a newspaper of general circulation published in the township or road district in which such property is located. If no newspaper is published in such township or road district, then such notice shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation published in the county and having circulation where such property is located. The concurring vote of 3 members of a board consisting of 5 members or the concurring vote of 4 members of a board consisting of 7 members is necessary to reverse any order, requirement, decision or determination of any such administrative official or to decide in favor of the applicant any matter upon which it is required to pass under any such ordinance or resolution, or to effect any variation in such ordinance or resolution, or to recommend any variation or modification in such ordinance or resolution to the county board. An appeal may be taken by any person aggrieved or by any officer, department, board or bureau of the county. An appeal shall be taken within such time as is prescribed by the board of appeals by general rule by filing with the officer from whom the appeal is taken and with the board of appeals a notice of appeal, specifying the grounds thereof. The officer from whom the appeal is taken shall forthwith transmit to the board all the papers constituting the record upon which the action appealed from was taken.

An appeal stays all proceedings in furtherance of the action appealed from, unless the officer from whom the appeal is taken certifies to the board of appeals after the notice of appeal has been filed with him that by reasons of facts stated in the certificate a stay would, in his opinion, cause imminent peril to life or property, in which case proceedings shall not be stayed otherwise than by a restraining order which may be granted by the board of appeals or by a court on application, on notice to the officer from whom the appeal is taken and on due cause shown.

(Source: P.A. 92-128, eff. 1-1-02.)

(55 ILCS 5/5-12012) (from Ch. 34, par. 5-12012)

Sec. 5-12012. Hearing of appeal; review under Administrative Review Law. The board of appeals shall fix a reasonable time for the hearing of the appeal and give due notice thereof to the parties and decide the same within a reasonable time. Upon the hearing, any party may appear in person or by agent, or by attorney. The board of appeals may reverse or affirm, wholly or partly, or may modify the order, requirement, decision or determination as in its opinion ought to be made in the premises, and to that end shall have all the powers of the officer from whom the appeal is taken.

All final administrative decisions of the board of appeals hereunder shall be subject to judicial review pursuant to the provisions of the Administrative Review Law, and all amendments and modifications thereof, and the rules adopted pursuant thereto. The term "administrative decision" is defined as in Section 3-101 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

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

(55 ILCS 5/5-12012.1)

Sec. 5-12012.1. Actions subject to de novo review; due process.

(a) Any decision by the county board of any county, home rule or non-home rule, in regard to any petition or application for a special use, variance, rezoning, or other amendment to a zoning ordinance shall be subject to de novo judicial review as a legislative decision, regardless of whether the process in relation thereto is considered administrative for other purposes. Any action seeking the judicial review of such a decision shall be commenced not later than 90 days after the date of the decision.

(b) The principles of substantive and procedural due process apply at all stages of the decision-making and review of all zoning decisions.

(Source: P.A. 94-1027, eff. 7-14-06; 95-843, eff. 1-1-09.)

(55 ILCS 5/5-12013) (from Ch. 34, par. 5-12013)

Sec. 5-12013. Compensation of the board of appeals. Members of the board of appeals shall receive compensation in an amount to be established by each county board. The compensation shall be paid out of the county treasury.

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

(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.)