Waukegan, IL Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Scope
- City-owned facilities only, 2+ stories
- Glass coverage required
- 80 percent bird-friendly, ground to 100 feet
- Threat factor standard
- American Bird Conservancy rating ≤ 30
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 25-O-36, Feb. 3, 2025
Summary
Waukegan's bird-friendly design ordinance requires at least 80 percent of exterior glass, from ground level to 100 feet, to be bird-safe glazing on new or renovated city-owned buildings two stories or taller, but it does not reach privately owned structures.
The requirements of this article shall only apply to buildings and structures owned and operated by the City of Waukegan with a height of two stories or more, hereinafter referred to as facilities. ... At least 80 percent of the exterior glass of each newly constructed facility, as defined in section 6-383, from ground level to 100 feet, including but not limited to glass surrounding a green roof or landscaped area, shall be bird friendly glass with a threat factor of 30 or less.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 113).
Full Breakdown
Article XIII, adopted by Ord. No. 25-O-36 on February 3, 2025, was written after the city recognized that 'as many as one billion birds may be killed by collisions with windows every year in the United States' (Sec. 6-381). Sec. ' Sec. ' Subsection (b) extends the same 80 percent threshold to renovations or additions that replace or add glass or other transparent or reflective material in that same ground-to-100-foot zone. Sec. 6-383 defines 'bird friendly glass' by reference to the American Bird Conservancy's Material Threat Factor Rating system: qualifying materials include ABC-tested products rated 30 or below, glass covered by exterior structures without gaps larger than 12 inches, or continuous-surface materials such as spandrel glass or polished metal with 15 percent or less manufacturer-specified reflectivity.
Because the article is expressly limited to city-owned facilities, private homeowners, landlords, and commercial building owners in Waukegan are not covered by this glazing mandate.
Violations & Fines
The article states requirements for city-owned facility design and construction rather than a citation scheme for private parties; noncompliance would be addressed administratively within the city's own building and procurement process rather than through the general Sec. 1-13 fine schedule that governs private code violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Waukegan's bird-friendly glass rule apply to my house or business?
How much of a covered city building's glass must be bird-safe?
What glass qualifies as bird-friendly under Waukegan's ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Waukegan
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