Kane County, IL Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)

' The provision sits in Chapter 5, the Animal Control Ordinance (Kane County Code section 5-1), adopted by Ordinance 04-83 on February 10, 2004, and it applies only to the unincorporated area of the county; Aurora, Elgin, Geneva, St. Charles, Batavia, Carpentersville and South Elgin enforce their own municipal codes. The chapter defines 'animal' broadly as 'any living vertebrate creature, domestic or wild, other than man,' so the nest protection extends to any bird species covered by state or federal wildlife law. Enforcement runs through the Kane County animal control department: the administrator, a state-licensed veterinarian or an appointed nonveterinarian who must defer to a veterinarian on medical calls, and any animal control warden appointed to carry out chapter duties.

Under section 5-43, a department investigator, law enforcement official, or approved humane investigator may enter premises during normal business hours to investigate a complaint, though entry into a residence requires a warrant absent consent. The same chapter separately restricts leghold and body-gripping traps within 150 feet of a road right-of-way and within 1,000 feet of a school, park, library, museum, pool or residence (section 5-40), reflecting the same wildlife-protection purpose. Violations of section 5-36 are prosecuted as ordinance offenses under section 5-49, with the Kane County state's attorney directing proceedings once the administrator reports a case.