McLean County, IL Environmental Rules: Erosion Control (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- McLean County Code § 350-19B
- Disturbance trigger
- More than 5,000 square feet
- Final-grade deadline
- Stabilize within 14 days
- Idle-site deadline
- Stabilize within 21 days
- Stockpile rule
- Controls required after 3 days
- Exemption
- Agricultural uses exempt
Summary
McLean County's zoning construction-permit rule forces erosion and sediment control on any building site in the unincorporated county disturbing over 5,000 square feet, with fixed 14-day and 21-day deadlines for stabilizing bare ground.
Erosion and sediment control. Erosion is the process whereby soil or earth is moved by rainfall, flowing water, wind or wave action. Erosion and sediment control measures shall be installed at the time of construction and maintained during both the construction season and any construction shutdown periods where more than 5,000 square feet of land are disturbed or by the time of the stake-out inspection when a permit is obtained for a residence, a detached building or a building addition, or within 14 days after final grade is reached or when disturbed areas are left idle for more than 21 days. ... Standards for control measures for soil erosion shall be at least as protective as the requirements contained in the IEPA's Illinois Urban Manual, 2002, or as amended. Erosion and sediment control measures shall be provided for stockpiles of soil that remain in place for more than three days. ... Agricultural uses are exempt from this subsection.
Full Breakdown
§ 350-19B of the Zoning chapter, titled Construction permits, is the county's operative erosion-control standard, separate from the subdivision-stage rule in Chapter 317. It applies whenever a construction permit is sought in the unincorporated area. Control measures such as silt fences and straw bales must go in at the time of construction and stay in place through both the active construction season and any shutdown period once more than 5,000 square feet of land is disturbed, or by the stake-out inspection for a residence, detached building or addition.
If final grade is reached, stabilization is due within 14 days; if a disturbed area simply sits idle, it's due within 21 days. Soil stockpiles left in place more than three days need their own control measures. The Director of Building and Zoning can order additional measures if the installed ones prove inadequate, and final vegetative or equivalent stabilization has to be in place before silt fences or straw bales come out. The county measures adequacy against the IEPA's Illinois Urban Manual, 2002 edition, as amended.
Site waste, including concrete washout, chemicals and litter, must be kept from washing or blowing off-site. Agricultural uses are carved out of this specific subsection.
Violations & Fines
This is a condition of the construction permit itself: the Director of Building and Zoning inspects for compliance and can require additional erosion control measures at any point a deficiency is found, before the project can proceed to occupancy permit under § 350-19A. Because the rule sits within Chapter 350, Zoning, a builder who ignores it is exposed to the chapter's general penalty in § 350-22, a petty offense fined up to $500, with each week the condition continues counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
At what disturbance size does McLean County require erosion control?
How fast must a bare construction site be stabilized in McLean County?
Are farms exempt from McLean County's erosion control rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in McLean County
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