Kane County, IL Historic Preservation: Historic-Cultural Monuments (2026)

The Kane County Historic Preservation Commission, created under Chapter 16, Article IV, surveys the unincorporated county for sites with historic, architectural or scenic significance and can nominate landmarks, preservation districts or road corridors for county board designation. Under Section 16-76, the commission recommends designation only after a nomination meets at least one of twelve criteria, such as association with a significant person or event, distinguished architectural style, or inclusion in the National or Illinois Register of Historic Places; owner consent or 51% owner approval within a proposed district is required unless the property's significance justifies designation without consent.

Following a public hearing noticed by certified mail at least fifteen days out (Section 16-78), the county board must, within sixty days of the commission's recommendation, either designate the property by ordinance or send the recommendation back for revision (Section 16-81). Once a nomination is filed, and permanently once designated, Section 16-94 requires a certificate of appropriateness from the commission before any significant alteration, construction, demolition or removal affecting the landmark, district or road corridor. County departments cannot issue a building or demolition permit until the certificate is issued; the commission reviews height, window and door proportions, massing, roofline, scale, landscaping and architectural detailing, and must act within ninety days or the application is deemed approved.

A demolition certificate can be denied if the commission finds the structure meets national, state or local landmark criteria, is of unusual or uncommon design that cannot be reproduced, or its retention helps preserve another qualifying structure (Section 16-94I). An owner denied a certificate on economic-hardship grounds can apply under Section 16-95 for relief, and the commission must respond within 120 days with financing or tax incentives, an offer to purchase (or eminent domain), or issuance of the certificate. Denials of either certificate are reviewable as administrative decisions under the Illinois Administrative Review Law, 735 ILCS 5/3-101.