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Mount Prospect, IL Public Conduct: Jaywalking (2026)

Light Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Crossing outside a crosswalk
Pedestrian yields to all vehicles (§ 18.1003A)
Between signalized intersections
Cross only in a marked crosswalk (§ 18.1003C)
Diagonal crossing
Barred unless official traffic control devices authorize it
Tunnel or overhead crossing
Pedestrian crossing the roadway there still yields (§ 18.1003B)
Fine
Set in appendix A, division III (§ 18.1905A)
Enforcer
Mount Prospect Police Department

Summary

In the Village of Mount Prospect, a pedestrian who crosses a street anywhere other than a marked crosswalk, or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, must yield the right of way to all vehicles. Between adjacent intersections where traffic signals operate, pedestrians cross only in a marked crosswalk, and diagonal crossing at an intersection needs an official traffic control device.

A. Every pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right of way to all vehicles upon the roadway. B. Any pedestrian crossing a roadway at a point where a pedestrian tunnel or overhead pedestrian crossing has been provided shall yield the right of way to all vehicles upon the roadway. C. Between adjacent intersections at which traffic control signals are in operation pedestrians shall not cross at any place except in a marked crosswalk. D. No pedestrian shall cross a roadway intersection diagonally unless authorized by official traffic control devices; and, when authorized to cross diagonally, pedestrians shall cross only in accordance with the official traffic control devices pertaining to such crossing movement.

Full Breakdown

Section 18.1003 of the Mount Prospect Village Code sets the crossing rules for pedestrians in the Village of Mount Prospect. Subsection A puts the duty on the walker: a pedestrian crossing at any point other than a marked crosswalk, or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, yields the right of way to all vehicles upon the roadway. Subsection B carries the same yield duty to any point where the village has provided a pedestrian tunnel or overhead crossing and the pedestrian crosses the roadway there. Subsection C is the mid-block rule: between adjacent intersections at which traffic control signals are in operation, pedestrians cross only in a marked crosswalk. Subsection D prohibits crossing an intersection diagonally unless official traffic control devices authorize it, and a pedestrian who is authorized follows the devices for that crossing movement only.

Other sections in the same article fill in the picture. Section 18.1002E forbids a pedestrian from suddenly leaving a curb or other place of safety and walking or running into the path of a moving vehicle so close as to be an immediate hazard. Section 18.1005 tells pedestrians to use the right half of crosswalks whenever practicable, and section 18.1007 makes it unlawful to walk along the roadway where a sidewalk is provided and its use is practicable. Section 18.1010 keeps a pedestrian who is under the influence of alcohol or any drug to a degree that makes him a hazard off the highway except on a sidewalk.

Drivers carry duties too. Subsection 18.1003E requires every driver to exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian on a roadway, to sound the horn when necessary, and to take proper precaution on seeing a child or an obviously confused or incapacitated person. The Mount Prospect Police Department enforces the article.

Violations & Fines

Section 18.1905A punishes any violation of the traffic chapter by a fine set in appendix A, division III of the Village Code, and the dollar figure sits in that appendix rather than in the section. Article X, sections 18.1001 through 18.1011, prints no penalty clause of its own. Police officers issue traffic violation tickets under section 18.1903 that state the date, time, place and nature of the offense and tell the offender when to appear in court. Under section 18.1011A, willfully and unnecessarily hindering or delaying another person's lawful travel on a village street is a misdemeanor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it illegal to cross mid-block in Mount Prospect?
Section 18.1003A sets a yield duty: a pedestrian crossing outside a marked crosswalk, or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, yields to all vehicles on the roadway. Subsection C goes further. Between adjacent intersections where traffic control signals are in operation, pedestrians cross only in a marked crosswalk, so a block between two signalized corners is off limits for crossing elsewhere.
Can a pedestrian cross an intersection diagonally?
Only when official traffic control devices authorize it. Section 18.1003D bars diagonal crossing of a roadway intersection otherwise, and a pedestrian who is authorized must cross in accordance with the devices pertaining to that crossing movement. A diagonal scramble signal is the kind of device that would qualify; a plain walk signal for one direction does not.
What duty do drivers have toward pedestrians outside crosswalks?
Section 18.1003E says the yield rule for pedestrians does not excuse drivers. Every driver must exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian upon any roadway, sound the horn when necessary, and take proper precaution on seeing a child or an obviously confused or incapacitated person on the roadway.
What is the penalty for a pedestrian violation?
A person violating the traffic chapter is punished by a fine set in appendix A, division III of the Village Code (§ 18.1905A). Officers write a traffic violation ticket under section 18.1903 naming the offense and the court date. The section text does not print the dollar amount, so the appendix controls.

Sources & Official References

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