Kankakee County, IL Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Kankakee County Code § 6-25
- Who is regulated
- liquor licensees, not the public generally
- Prohibited conduct
- letting under-21 or intoxicated patrons loiter
- Minimum fine
- $50.00 per day (§ 6-31)
- License discipline
- suspension up to 90 days or revocation
- Enforcer
- County Liquor Control Commissioner / Sheriff's Office
Summary
Kankakee County's liquor code makes it illegal for a licensee to let anyone under 21 or anyone intoxicated loiter on a licensed bar or store's premises in unincorporated Kankakee County. Section 6-25 targets the floor of the licensed establishment itself, not public sidewalks, and the county Liquor Control Commissioner can suspend or revoke the license over repeat violations.
No licensee shall knowingly allow or permit any person who is under the age of 21 years or any person who is intoxicated or otherwise under the influence to loiter in or upon the premises licensed hereunder.
Full Breakdown
" The rule does not police the general public standing on a street corner in unincorporated Kankakee County; it polices the license holder's tolerance of underage or intoxicated patrons hanging around a bar, tavern, package store or club holding a class A, B, C or D county liquor license. The provision traces to a 1967 county board resolution and was amended by Ordinance No. 000011 in 1993. It works alongside section 6-24, which bars anyone under 21 or with a disqualifying record from tending bar, and section 6-35, which bars selling or delivering liquor to anyone under 21 or to an intoxicated person.
All three sit under the same enforcement umbrella: the county's local Liquor Control Commissioner, who under the board's structure is the county board chairman (or vice chairman if unavailable), holds hearings on license discipline with the sheriff's department, a citizen or a county official able to bring a complaint. Appeals from a commissioner decision go to the Illinois Liquor Control Commission for review of the hearing record.
Violations & Fines
A section 6-25 violation is punished under section 6-31's chapter-wide penalty: a fine of not less than $50.00, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense. Beyond the fine, section 6-28 lets the commissioner suspend a license for up to seven days without a hearing if public safety is threatened, or after a hearing suspend for up to 90 days, revoke it, or refuse renewal, plus a discretionary fine escalating from $1,000 for a first offense to $2,500 for a third within 12 months, capped at $15,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Kankakee County's loitering law apply to sidewalks or parks?
Who gets fined under this ordinance, the loiterer or the bar?
Can the county shut down a bar for repeat loitering violations?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kankakee County
Compare Kankakee County to another location·View the Illinois public conduct overview
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