12 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 10 cities in Cook County, Illinois.
Verified from official government sources
The MWRD Watershed Management Ordinance requires stormwater detention for new development countywide. The design standard is the 100-year event with retention of the first inch of runoff from impervious area. Applies to all development in Cook County.
The MWRD Watershed Management Ordinance includes soil erosion and sediment control requirements for all construction in Cook County. Erosion control plans are required for land-disturbing activities. IEPA NPDES permits may also be required.
Cook County is not a coastal jurisdiction. There are no coastal development regulations, Coastal Commission requirements, or shoreline setback rules. Properties along Lake Michigan within Cook County are governed by the Illinois Coastal Management Program, but unincorporated Cook County has no Lake Michigan shoreline.
Cook County has a Floodplain Ordinance governing development in FEMA-designated flood zones. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District's Watershed Management Ordinance establishes countywide stormwater and floodplain standards including 100-year event design.
Cook County Ordinances and Codes — Floodplain Ordinance for Cook County
On July 29, 2019, the Cook County Board of Commissioners approved an ordinance adopting new regulatory codes. Cook County Codes 2023 — More information: Water and Sewage – Plumbing Code; Amendments to Plumbing Code; Electrical Code [...] Amendments to Electrical Code; International Code Council – Purchase the ICC Codes online; Chapter 102- Building and Building Regulations; Chapter 32-FEES; Ene...
Cook County requires compliance with the MWRD Watershed Management Ordinance for grading and drainage. Building permits include drainage plan review. Changes to site grading must not direct water onto neighboring properties.
Illinois Vehicle Code 625 ILCS 5/11-1429 limits heavy-duty diesel vehicles to 10 minutes of idling per hour in Cook County and other regulated areas. Cook County Department of Public Health enforces air-quality complaints in suburban Cook.
Cook County does not regulate gas-powered leaf blowers countywide, and Illinois has no statewide ban. Suburban Cook municipalities Evanston and Wilmette have adopted seasonal restrictions, while most other suburbs follow only general noise ordinances.
Cook County declared a climate emergency in 2021 and adopted the Cook County Climate Action Plan in 2024, targeting net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 with interim 50 percent reduction by 2030 across county operations and incentives for suburban municipalities.
Cook County Sustainable Procurement Ordinance 14-O-2543 directs the Chief Procurement Officer to weigh environmental impact, recycled content, energy efficiency, and minority-owned business participation when awarding county contracts above set thresholds.
Cook County does not operate a cool pavement program. Pavement albedo policy is left to individual municipalities and the Illinois Department of Transportation. The county climate plan references heat-island reduction without mandating reflective surface treatments.
Cook County Building Code Ch. 32 adopts the International Energy Conservation Code without a separate cool-roof reach code. Reflective roofing is incentivized but not mandated outside Chicago, which has its own cool-roof requirement under the Chicago Energy Code.
Cook County's 2024 Climate Action Plan and the Chicago Region Trees Initiative target a 30 percent tree canopy across the county by 2050 to reduce urban heat-island impacts in suburban Cook neighborhoods that face the highest summer temperature differentials.
10 cities in Cook County have their own environmental rules rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
13 verified rules • Climate Emergency Mobilization, Coastal Development
8 verified rules • Coastal Development, Erosion Control
9 verified rules • Boat Dock Permits, Coastal Development
4 verified rules • Erosion Control, Flood Zones
4 verified rules • Erosion Control, Flood Zones
4 verified rules • Erosion Control, Flood Zones
4 verified rules • Erosion Control, Flood Zones
4 verified rules • Erosion Control, Flood Zones
4 verified rules • Erosion Control, Flood Zones
9 verified rules • Boat Dock Permits, Coastal Development
See every category we cover for Cook County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Cook County Ordinance Hub →