McHenry County, IL Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Section 8.04.080 of the McHenry County Public Health Ordinance declares a list of conditions to be nuisances prejudicial to public health across unincorporated territory, and subsection (E) covers weeds: failing to eradicate all noxious weeds within 150 feet of any property line. The Ordinance's definitions section, § 8.04.060, gives 'Noxious Weed' a specific botanical meaning rather than leaving it to the inspector's judgment: Canada thistle, perennial Sowthistle, Musk Thistle, Johnson grass and other perennial sorghum-genus plants, and Kudzu are noxious weeds countywide, while Giant ragweed and Common ragweed only count within the corporate limits of a city, village or incorporated town. Because the rule turns on distance from the property line rather than on whether a structure exists, it reaches an unmowed vacant parcel exactly as it reaches a weedy yard behind an occupied house.

Enforcement follows the same Article I procedure as every other Article II nuisance: an enforcing officer from the McHenry County Department of Health may inspect the lot, and a confirmed violation triggers a written notice under § 8.04.030(E) citing the subsection violated and giving the owner up to ten days to eradicate the weeds, with a right to request Health Authority review within that period. Where the Department views the growth as an immediate hazard, such as fire risk from dry noxious weeds, § 8.04.030(K) authorizes court-ordered emergency abatement at the owner's expense without advance notice.