State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

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91_HB4271

 
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 1        AN ACT in relation to land excavation.

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

 4        Section 5.  The Illinois Insurance  Code  is  amended  by
 5    adding Section 143.10d as follows:

 6        (215 ILCS 5/143.10d new)
 7        Sec. 143.10d.  Property insurance; excavation.
 8        (a) In this Section:
 9        "Basic  property  insurance"  means  the coverage against
10    direct loss to real or tangible personal property at a  fixed
11    location  provided  in  the Standard Fire Policy and Extended
12    Coverage  Endorsement  and  such  vandalism   and   malicious
13    mischief  or  such other classes of insurance as may be added
14    with respect  to  the  property  by  the  Industry  Placement
15    Facility  with the approval of the Director, except insurance
16    on  automobile,  farm,  and  manufacturing   risks.    "Basic
17    property insurance" includes homeowners insurance.
18        "Homeowners  insurance"  means  the  personal multi-peril
19    property coverages commonly known as homeowners insurance.
20        (b)  A policy of basic property insurance may not exclude
21    coverage for damage to property  caused  by  excavation.   An
22    insurance  company  that is authorized to do business in this
23    State and that issues policies for basic  property  insurance
24    may  not refuse to issue or renew a policy for basic property
25    insurance to the owner of property if any of the grounds  for
26    failure to issue or renew the policy is that the owner of the
27    property  has  excavated  land on his or her property or that
28    excavation has  taken  place  on  property  adjacent  to  the
29    owner's property.

30        Section 10.  The Adjacent Landowner Excavation Protection
 
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 1    Act is amended by changing Section 1 as follows:

 2        (765 ILCS 140/1) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 3301)
 3        Sec. 1.
 4        Each adjacent owner is entitled to the continuous lateral
 5    and  subjacent  support  which  his  land  receives  from the
 6    adjoining land, subject to the right  of  the  owner  of  the
 7    adjoining  land  to  make proper and usual excavations on the
 8    same for purposes of construction or improvements, under  the
 9    following conditions:
10        1.   Any  owner or possessor of land intending to make or
11    to permit an excavation to be made on his land shall give due
12    and reasonable notice in writing to the owner  or  owners  of
13    adjoining   lands   and  of  adjoining  buildings  and  other
14    structures stating the  depth  to  which  the  excavation  is
15    intended  to  be  made and when the excavation will begin. If
16    the excavation is to be of a  depth  of  not  more  than  the
17    standard  depth  of foundations, as herein defined, and if it
18    appears that the excavation is to be of a greater depth  than
19    the  walls  or foundations of any adjoining building or other
20    structure and is to be so close as to endanger  the  building
21    or other structure in any way, then the owner or possessor of
22    land  who  intends  to make or permit that excavation may not
23    begin excavation until the owner or possessor  takes  of  the
24    building  or  other  structure on the adjoining land shall be
25    allowed a reasonable time, but in no event less  than  thirty
26    (30)  days, in which to take measures to protect the building
27    or other structure on the adjoining land same from any damage
28    or in which to extend the  foundations  of  the  building  or
29    other  structure  thereof, and he must be given, for the said
30    purpose, a  license  to  enter  on  the  land  on  which  the
31    excavation is to be or is being made.
32        2.  Any   owner  or  possessor  of  land  upon  which  an
33    excavation is made, who does not comply with  the  provisions
 
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 1    of  subparagraph  1, when so required, is liable to the owner
 2    of adjacent property for any damage to the  land  or  to  any
 3    buildings  or  other  structure  thereon  arising  from  such
 4    excavation,  and  is  also liable to occupants and tenants of
 5    the adjoining land or structures  for  any  damage  to  their
 6    property  or  business,  proximately resulting from injury to
 7    such land or structures, caused by the failure of such  owner
 8    or possessor to so comply.
 9        3.  In   making   any  excavation,  reasonable  care  and
10    precautions shall be taken to sustain the adjoining  land  as
11    such, without regard to any building or other structure which
12    may  be thereon, and there is no liability for damage done to
13    any building or other structure by reason of  the  excavation
14    except as herein provided or otherwise provided or allowed by
15    law.
16        4.  Standard  depth  of foundations, as used herein, is a
17    depth of eight (8) feet below  the  established  grade  of  a
18    street,  highway  or  other  public  way upon which such land
19    abuts, or if there is no established grade, below the surface
20    of the adjoining land.
21        5.  If the excavation is intended to be or is deeper than
22    the standard depth of foundations as herein defined, then the
23    owner of the land on which the excavation is being  made,  if
24    given  the  necessary license to enter on adjoining land, and
25    not otherwise, shall protect the said adjoining land and  any
26    building  or  other  structure  thereon,  without cost to the
27    owner thereof, by furnishing lateral and subjacent support to
28    said adjoining land and all buildings and structures thereon,
29    in such a manner as to protect the same from  any  damage  by
30    reason  of the excavation and shall be liable to the owner of
31    such property for any damage to the land or to any  buildings
32    or other structures thereon.
33        6.  The  owner  or  possessor  of the land upon which the
34    excavation is being made shall also be  liable  to  occupants
 
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 1    and tenants of such adjoining lands or structures thereon for
 2    any   damage  to  their  property  or  business,  proximately
 3    resulting from injury to such land or structures,  caused  by
 4    the   failure  of  such  owners  or  possessor,  making  such
 5    excavation, to fulfill the duty set forth in subparagraph 5.
 6    (Source: Laws 1957, p. 1102.)

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