Vacant land and structures in unincorporated St. Clair County must be kept clean, safe, secure and sanitary so they don't become blight (SCC 29-3-3). A separate Garbage and Debris ordinance lets the county remove solid waste from neglected lots and lien the cost to the owner.
Two county tools cover neglected vacant lots. The Property Maintenance Code (29-3-3) requires vacant land be maintained clean, safe, secure and sanitary. Chapter 25, Article II (Garbage and Debris), adopted under 55 ILCS 5/5-1118, lets the county's Garbage and Debris Removal Coordinator remove garbage, waste and debris from unincorporated property after at least 15 days' certified-mail notice; costs become a lien superior to all but tax liens. Weeds over eight inches on residential subdivision lots are also a declared nuisance (SCC 25-1-2). These rules apply only outside incorporated cities.
The county may abate and lien removal costs; Property Maintenance violations are petty offenses under 730 ILCS 5/5-4.5-75 (SCC 29-1-36).
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
O'Fallon, IL
O'Fallon Code Section 94.01(M) lists 'any swine, goats, horses or chickens' as a nuisance animal when kept inside city limits unless on land zoned Agricultur...
St. Clair County, IL
St. Clair County has no rule against backyard composting. Statewide, Illinois bans landscape waste (leaves, grass, brush) from sanitary landfills under 415 I...
St. Clair County, IL
St. Clair County has no ordinance addressing artificial turf, so installing synthetic grass in an unincorporated yard is not prohibited. Drainage, setbacks a...
St. Clair County, IL
St. Clair County has no ordinance requiring or restricting native plants or prairie/naturalized landscaping. The only limit is the weed nuisance rule: plants...
St. Clair County, IL
St. Clair County has no rainwater ordinance. Illinois' Rainwater Capture Act allows capturing and reusing rainwater for non-potable uses statewide. Systems m...
St. Clair County, IL
St. Clair County imposes no countywide lawn-watering or drought restrictions. Any watering limits come from your water utility (largely Illinois American Wat...
See how O'Fallon's vacant lot maintenance rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.