Elmhurst, IL Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Property blight in unincorporated DuPage County is addressed through two related authorities. First, Chapter 26 of the DuPage County Code (Public Nuisances) defines a public nuisance to include any building or structure that is a menace to public health, welfare, or safety; that is structurally unsafe, unsanitary, or not provided with adequate safe egress; that constitutes a fire hazard; or that is otherwise no longer fit and habitable. The chapter establishes notice-and-abatement procedures by which the County may require correction and, if necessary, perform abatement at the property owner's expense.

Second, DuPage County has adopted the 2015 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), enforced by the County's Building & Zoning Division. The IPMC requires that exterior property and premises, and the interior of every structure, be kept free from any accumulation of rubbish or garbage; that occupants dispose of rubbish in approved containers; and that owners maintain weeds, grass, and noxious vegetation. Structures must be maintained in a sound condition with weather-tight roofs, walls, windows, and doors.

This dual framework — Chapter 26 plus the adopted IPMC — applies to unincorporated DuPage County. Each of DuPage's 39 municipalities has its own parallel property maintenance and nuisance code.