Showing ordinances that apply to Long Lake, IL
Long Lake is an unincorporated community (population 3,663) in Lake County, Illinois. Because Long Lake is not an incorporated city, it does not have its own municipal code. Instead, Lake County ordinances apply directly to properties here. The grading & drainage rules below are the ones that govern your area.
Lake County WDO requires a Watershed Development Permit for any grading over 5,000 sq ft or 100 cubic yards of fill. Drainage must not redirect stormwater onto neighbors per Illinois civil law rule (reasonable-use doctrine).
Grading and drainage in Lake County are regulated primarily through the Watershed Development Ordinance (WDO) Articles III-V, supplemented by municipal building codes in Waukegan, Libertyville, Gurnee, Highland Park, and Lake Forest. A Watershed Development Permit is required for: any hydrologic disturbance over 5,000 sq ft, fill or excavation over 100 cubic yards, any work in a floodplain or wetland, and any new impervious surface over 15,000 sq ft (which triggers detention requirements). Detention volume must control the 2-year and 100-year storms to pre-development release rates. Retaining walls over 4 ft require structural engineering and a building permit. Illinois follows the reasonable-use civil law rule (Templeton v. Huss, 57 Ill.2d 134) — landowners may alter drainage but cannot unreasonably increase the burden on neighboring parcels. Compensatory storage required for any floodplain fill at a 1.5:1 ratio in Lake County.
Unpermitted grading: WDO stop-work and fines $500 to $2,500 per day (Art. XIV). Unauthorized floodplain fill: IDNR/FEMA penalties plus mandatory removal. Civil drainage claims: unlimited damages plus injunctive relief in circuit court.
See how Long Lake's grading & drainage rules stack up against other locations.
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