Macon County, IL Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Grounds for unfit finding
- Structural instability, vermin-breeding accumulation, or illegal drug activity
- Enforcing dept
- County Planning and Zoning staff
- Abatement notice
- 15 days (72 hrs if chronic nuisance)
- Standard penalty
- Up to $1,000/day under § 10.99
- Chronic nuisance penalty
- $400-$1,000 per day (§ 90.99(C))
Summary
Macon County Code § 90.19 bars owners from letting any structure or premises in the unincorporated area become unfit through structural instability, garbage and rubbish accumulation that breeds vermin, or use for illegal drug sales or other activity dangerous to neighbors' health and safety.
No owner shall allow, permit or suffer any structure or premises under iris control to become unfit by reason of: (A) Structures’ and dwellings’ instability and/or inadequacy, rendering any structure to be unfit for occupancy or use; (B) Accumulation of garbage, rubbish, standing water, or other condition which is likely to become an area that promotes and harbors the breeding of rodents, vermin, mosquitoes, or other harmful insects; (C) Promoting, permitting, or allowing any structure to be used for the unlawful purpose of illegal sale of controlled substance or for other illegal activity dangerous to the health or safety of residents of the neighborhood or to the public;
Full Breakdown
19, prohibits an owner from allowing, permitting or suffering any structure or premises in unincorporated Macon County to become unfit for three reasons. The first is structural: instability or inadequacy that renders a structure unfit for occupancy or use. The second is sanitary: accumulation of garbage, rubbish or standing water, or any other condition likely to become an area that promotes and harbors the breeding of rodents, vermin, mosquitoes, or other harmful insects. The third is use-based: promoting, permitting, or allowing a structure to be used for the illegal sale of a controlled substance or other illegal activity dangerous to the health or safety of neighborhood residents or the public.
01 backs this up, describing a structure so damaged, decayed, dilapidated, unsanitary, unsafe, vermin-infested, or used for illegal purposes that it creates a hazard to residents, occupants, or the public. 03 requires the county to mail written notice to the owner's last known address and allow at least 15 days to fix the condition before the county can step in. 05, which lets Planning and Zoning staff serve notice giving as little as 72 hours to abate before the county acts and bills the owner. 99(C).
Violations & Fines
A bare violation of § 90.19 falls under § 90.99(A), which routes to the county's general penalty in § 10.99: up to $1,000 per violation, with each day counted separately. If Planning and Zoning staff instead classify the property a chronic nuisance under § 90.05, § 90.99(C) sets a steeper $400-$1,000-per-day fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a property 'unfit' under Macon County's nuisance code?
How much notice does the county give before acting on an unfit structure?
What's the fine for an unfit structure violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Macon County
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