St. Clair County bars permanent retaining walls within any public street or alley right-of-way unless the County Board authorizes it. Walls placed on easements must not obstruct drainage, and the owner pays to remove or replace them for maintenance.
Section 40-5-5(C) provides that no permanent fence or retaining wall may be constructed within any public street or alley right-of-way unless specifically authorized by the County Board. Walls erected on public easements or across ditches must not obstruct drainage, and if a wall must be removed for maintenance, removal and replacement are the property owner's responsibility and expense. A Certificate of Zoning Compliance is required before erecting the structure (Sec. 40-11-2). Rules apply in the unincorporated county only.
Building a retaining wall in the right-of-way without County Board authorization is a Class B misdemeanor, fined $50 to $500 plus costs (Sec. 40-11-10); the owner also bears removal costs.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
St. Clair County, IL
St. Clair County has no rule against backyard composting. Statewide, Illinois bans landscape waste (leaves, grass, brush) from sanitary landfills under 415 I...
St. Clair County, IL
St. Clair County has no ordinance addressing artificial turf, so installing synthetic grass in an unincorporated yard is not prohibited. Drainage, setbacks a...
St. Clair County, IL
St. Clair County has no ordinance requiring or restricting native plants or prairie/naturalized landscaping. The only limit is the weed nuisance rule: plants...
St. Clair County, IL
St. Clair County has no rainwater ordinance. Illinois' Rainwater Capture Act allows capturing and reusing rainwater for non-potable uses statewide. Systems m...
St. Clair County, IL
St. Clair County imposes no countywide lawn-watering or drought restrictions. Any watering limits come from your water utility (largely Illinois American Wat...
St. Clair County, IL
St. Clair County Code Chapter 25 names specific weeds (ragweed, thistle, poison ivy, Johnson grass and others) and declares them a nuisance on unincorporated...
See how Fairview Heights's retaining walls rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.