Cook County enforces property maintenance standards in unincorporated areas through the Department of Building and Zoning. Properties must comply within 30 days of violation notice. Fines range from $100 to $1,000 per offense per day.
Cook County Building and Zoning enforces property maintenance standards in unincorporated areas. Properties must comply with the 2009 International Building Code, 2009 International Residential Code, and the Cook County Zoning Ordinance. Blighted conditions including peeling paint, broken windows, junk accumulation, overgrown vegetation, and structural deterioration are violations. Properties cited for violations have 30 days to achieve compliance. Fines range from $100 to $1,000 per offense, with each day of continued violation constituting a separate offense. The Cook County Vacant Building Ordinance imposes additional requirements on vacant properties, with penalties of $500 to $1,000 per offense. Property owners who fail to appear at hearings may have a default order entered against them.
Property blight: $100–$1,000 per day. Vacant building violation: $500–$1,000 per offense. Default judgment for failure to appear at hearing.
Cook County, IL
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See how Cook County's property blight rules stack up against other locations.
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