Macon County, IL Environmental Rules: Flood Zones (2026)

Macon County Code § 151.05 requires anyone, including a firm, corporation, or governmental body not otherwise exempted by law, to get a development permit from the Planning and Zoning Administrator before starting any development inside a mapped floodplain in unincorporated Macon County. 'Development' under the chapter's definitions reaches well beyond new buildings: it covers grading, filling, dredging, excavating, paving, installing utilities, building roads or culverts, and erecting levees, dams, walls, or fences, so a driveway regrade or a new farm pond on floodplain land can trigger the same permit step as a house. The Planning and Zoning Administrator will not issue the permit if the proposed work fails to meet the chapter's requirements, and the application has to include scaled site drawings showing property lines, existing and proposed grade elevations, the location and dimensions of buildings, the lowest-floor elevation for any proposed building, and a project cost estimate from a licensed engineer, architect, or contractor.

The county treats an unpermitted floodplain project as a standing violation, not a one-time citation. Under § 151.99, failing to get the permit, or failing to follow the conditions attached to one, is deemed a violation of the whole chapter, and after the Planning and Zoning Department gives written notice, the owner can be fined between $50 and $750 for each offense on conviction, with every day the violation continues counted as a separate offense. The county can also seek a circuit-court injunction to force compliance and record a notice of violation against the property's title.