Horses, cattle, goats and other livestock are allowed on agricultural and rural-residential lots in unincorporated McHenry County under the Unified Development Ordinance zoning; denser residential districts prohibit them. Established farms are shielded from nuisance suits by the Illinois Farm Nuisance Suit Act (740 ILCS 70).
McHenry County retains large agricultural and rural areas, and its animal-control ordinance focuses on dogs, cats and dangerous animals rather than farm stock. Whether you may keep livestock in unincorporated areas turns on your zoning district under the Unified Development Ordinance — agricultural (A-1) and larger rural-residential lots permit horses, cattle, sheep and goats subject to acreage and setback standards, while suburban residential districts do not. A farm in operation more than one year that was not a nuisance when it began is protected from nuisance lawsuits under the Farm Nuisance Suit Act. Cities such as Woodstock and Crystal Lake set their own livestock rules within municipal boundaries.
Keeping livestock in a non-permitting zoning district is a UDO violation enforced by Planning & Development, abated by notice and escalating daily fines.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
mchenry-county-il
Crystal Lake collects yard waste and food-scrap compost weekly at the curb from April 1 through November 30. Leaves and grass must go in biodegradable paper ...
mchenry-county-il
Crystal Lake and McHenry County have no ordinance specifically banning or approving residential artificial turf. Installations must still meet Unified Develo...
mchenry-county-il
Illinois' Homeowners' Native Landscaping Act bars community associations from banning native-species plantings that are kept free of weeds and don't encroach...
mchenry-county-il
Neither Crystal Lake nor McHenry County prohibits residential rain barrels or rainwater collection, and Illinois has no statewide ban. The McHenry County Sto...
mchenry-county-il
Crystal Lake uses a color-coded water-conservation system. During a declared 'Yellow' condition, odd-numbered addresses water on odd dates and even addresses...
mchenry-county-il
Crystal Lake Chapter 526 lists noxious weeds - burdock, ragweed, thistle, poison ivy, wild mustard and others - plus any unmanaged vegetation as nuisance gre...
See how McHenry County's livestock rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.