Cook County adopts the Illinois Energy Conservation Code statewide minimum and supplements it with the Cook County Sustainable Building Ordinance for county-owned projects, while many suburbs require LEED, Energy Star, or stretch energy code compliance for private development.
Illinois preempts local energy codes through the Energy Efficient Building Act (20 ILCS 3125), mandating a uniform statewide energy code based on the IECC. Cook County's Sustainable Building Ordinance applies LEED Silver or equivalent to county-funded buildings over 10,000 square feet. Several suburban Cook municipalities (Evanston, Oak Park, Highland Park) have adopted climate action plans requiring private-sector benchmarking, electrification incentives, or green roofs. Chicago has its own Energy Transformation Code. New residential construction must meet IECC 2021 envelope, lighting, and HVAC requirements, verified through blower-door and duct-leakage testing.
Failing IECC envelope or duct-leakage testing prevents certificate of occupancy. Missing benchmarking deadlines in opt-in suburbs triggers escalating administrative fines under local sustainability ordinances.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Oak Lawn, IL
Oak Lawn relies primarily on a plainly-audible standard for residential noise enforcement, with numerical decibel limits applying to commercial and industria...
Oak Lawn, IL
Oak Lawn regulates residential driveways through its zoning and building codes. Driveways must be paved with concrete, asphalt, brick, or approved pavers, me...
Oak Lawn, IL
Oak Lawn does not recognize the Chicago 'dibs' tradition of saving shoveled parking spaces with chairs, cones, or other objects. Placing items in the public ...
Oak Lawn, IL
Oak Lawn requires all swimming pools capable of holding more than 24 inches of water to be enclosed by a barrier at least 4 feet high with self-closing, self...
Oak Lawn, IL
Oak Lawn prohibits barbed wire, razor wire, and electrified fencing in residential districts. Chain link, wood, vinyl, and ornamental metal are generally per...
Oak Lawn, IL
Oak Lawn requires all dogs to be leashed when off their owner's property. Cook County requires all dogs over 4 months old to have a current rabies vaccinatio...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Cook County.
See how Oak Lawn's green building code rules stack up against other locations.
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