Environmental Rules in Rock Island County, IL (2026)
5 rules for unincorporated Rock Island County, Illinois.
Verified from official government sources
Stormwater Management
In unincorporated Rock Island County, surface water must follow its natural or already-regulated course: no one may force it onto a neighbor's land or block it from draining onto their own property without a grading and drainage permit. The Zoning and Building Director administers the county's stormwater chapter.
Rock Island County Stormwater Drainage Rules
Some RestrictionsRock Island County Code of Ordinances § 152.020
(A) Surface water shall be allowed to travel its natural or pre-regulated course unless changes are allowed by means of a grading and drainage permit or grading and drainage plans approved by the Zoning and Building Director, or his or her designee. (B) It shall be unlawful for any person to force surface water off that person's property and onto a neighboring property or to prevent surface...
Erosion Control
Anyone doing construction work in unincorporated Rock Island County must use best management practices to keep sediment from leaving the site, limit disturbed areas, and clean up any sediment tracked onto public streets right away. The property owner and contractor share responsibility for compliance.
Rock Island County Construction Erosion Control Rule
Some RestrictionsRock Island County Code of Ordinances § 152.158
BMPs shall be implemented to prevent the release of sediment from construction sites. Disturbed areas shall be minimized, disturbed soil shall be managed, and construction site entrances shall be managed to prevent sediment tracking. Excessive sediment tracked onto public streets shall be removed immediately.
Flood Zones
In unincorporated Rock Island County, no one may start development in a mapped floodplain without a permit from the Zoning and Building Safety Director. Floodways along the Rock River, Mississippi River, and nine named creeks are drawn from FEMA's April 5, 2010 flood insurance study, and new buildings must clear the base flood elevation plus two feet of freeboard.
Rock Island County Floodplain Development Permits
Some RestrictionsRock Island County Code of Ordinances § 154.614(A)-(B)
(A) No person, firm, corporation, or governmental body not exempted by law shall commence any development in the floodplain without first obtaining a development permit from the Director of the County Department of Zoning and Building Safety. (B) The Director of the County Department of Zoning and Building Safety shall not issue a development permit if the proposed development does not meet...
Boat Dock Permits
Rock Island County lets minor boat docks in the floodway meet its flood-height standard without a full engineering study if they satisfy the state's Statewide Permit Number 5 conditions written into § 154.615(A)(4). Docks must stay small, properly anchored, and clear of neighboring property lines and IDNR navigation limits.
Minor Boat Dock Permit Rules, Rock Island County
Some RestrictionsRock Island County Code of Ordinances § 154.615(A)(4)
(4) Minor boat docks meeting the following conditions of IDNR/OWR Statewide Permit Number 5: (a) The boat dock must not extend more than 50 feet into a waterway and no more than one-fourth of the width of the waterway and shall not extend beyond the navigational limited established by the IDNR and Corps of Engineers; (b) The width of the boat dock shall not be more than ten feet; (c) Fo...
Flood Elevation Requirements
Rock Island County requires new and substantially improved buildings in the floodplain to sit above a defined flood protection elevation, the base flood elevation plus two feet of mandatory freeboard. Section 154.616 sets the building-protection standard county-wide in the unincorporated area, and § 154.611 fixes the two-foot freeboard cushion.
Flood Protection Elevation Rules, Rock Island County
Some RestrictionsRock Island County Code of Ordinances § 154.611; § 154.616(A), (B)(1)(a)
FLOOD PROTECTION ELEVATION (FPE). The elevation of the base flood plus two feet of freeboard at any given location in the floodplain. ... (A) In addition to the damage prevention requirements of § 154.615, all buildings located in the floodplain shall be protected from flood damage below the flood protection elevation. ... (B) Residential or non-residential buildings can meet the building prote...
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