Division 12. Plan Commissions  

    (65 ILCS 5/11-12-4) (from Ch. 24, par. 11-12-4)
    Sec. 11-12-4. Every municipality may create a plan commission or a planning department or both. A plan commission shall be appointed by a mayor of a city or president of a village board subject to confirmation by the corporate authorities. Members of the plan commission shall reside within the municipality or within territory contiguous to the municipality and not more than one and one-half miles beyond the corporate limits and not included within any other municipality. A planning department shall be created, organized and staffed in such manner as the municipality may provide by ordinance. The plan commission shall consist of a chairman and members serving for such terms and such compensation, if any, as the corporate authorities of the municipality may prescribe by ordinance. The ordinance may provide that the plan commission shall have a paid secretary or staff or both. Any plan commission or planning department now existing and officially created by ordinance of any municipality may continue to function under the authority of such prior ordinance and any such plan commission or planning department shall have and exercise all the powers conferred by law as fully as if it had been created hereunder. Any municipality which has or shall hereafter create a plan commission or planning department may appropriate from any funds under its control and not otherwise appropriated, such sums as the corporate authorities may deem proper for the maintenance and operation of such plan commission or planning department, including the salaries of all paid members and employees; the development of a planning program; the preparation of regulations, projects and programs pertinent to the development, redevelopment and renewal of the municipality and such surrounding territory over which the municipality exercises subdivision jurisdiction; the preparation and revision of the official map and the exercise of such powers germane to the purposes for which it was created as may be conferred upon the plan commission or planning department by ordinance.
    Municipalities may accept, receive and expend funds, grants and services from the federal government or its agencies, or from the State of Illinois or its agencies or from private persons or corporations or foundations for planning purposes generally or for planning specific projects.
(Source: P.A. 76-601.)

    (65 ILCS 5/11-12-4.1) (from Ch. 24, par. 11-12-4.1)
    Sec. 11-12-4.1. Whenever a municipality of more than 500,000 population has created a plan commission pursuant to the provisions of this Division 12, every plan, design or other proposal by any public body or agency which requires the acquisition or disposition of real property within the territorial limits of the municipality by any public body or agency, or which changes the use of any real property owned or occupied by any public body or agency or the location of any improvement thereon within the territorial limits of the municipality, shall be referred to the plan commission by such public body or agency not less than 30 days prior to any election for the purpose of authorizing the borrowing of money for, or any action by such public body or agency to appropriate funds for, or to authorize such changes or the acquisition or disposition of such real property, but in no event shall such referral be less than 30 days prior to making such changes or acquiring or disposing of such real property. The plan commission shall review every such plan, design or other proposal and shall within 30 days after submission thereof report to the public body or agency having jurisdiction over such real property or improvement thereon concerning the conformity of the plan, design, or other proposal with the long range planning objectives of the municipality and with the official plan for the municipality or any part thereof if the same shall then be in effect as provided in Section 11-12-2. Such report shall be spread of record in the minutes or record of proceedings of such public body or agency. A report that any such plan, design, or other proposal is not in conformity with the long range planning objectives of the municipality, or the official plan for the municipality shall be accompanied by a written statement of the respects in which such conformity is lacking but such a report shall not bar the public body or agency having jurisdiction over such real property or improvement thereon from thereafter making such changes or acquiring or disposing of such real property. The failure of the plan commission to report on any such plan, design, or other proposal within 30 days after submission of the same to it, shall be deemed to be a report that such plan, design, or other proposal conforms in all respects with the long range planning objectives and the official plan of the municipality.
    As used in this section the terms "public body" or "agency" include the State of Illinois, any county, township, district including the Chicago Park District, school, authority, municipality, or any official, board, commission or other political corporation or subdivision of the State of Illinois, now or hereafter created, whether herein specifically mentioned or not.
(Source: P.A. 81-411.)

    (65 ILCS 5/11-12-5) (from Ch. 24, par. 11-12-5)
    Sec. 11-12-5. Every plan commission and planning department authorized by this division 12 has the following powers and whenever in this division 12 the term plan commission is used such term shall be deemed to include the term planning department:
    (1) To prepare and recommend to the corporate authorities a comprehensive plan for the present and future development or redevelopment of the municipality. Such plan may be adopted in whole or in separate geographical or functional parts, each of which, when adopted, shall be the official comprehensive plan, or part thereof, of that municipality. This plan may include reasonable requirements with reference to streets, alleys, public grounds, and other improvements hereinafter specified. The plan, as recommended by the plan commission and as thereafter adopted in any municipality in this state, may be made applicable, by the terms thereof, to land situated within the corporate limits and contiguous territory not more than one and one-half miles beyond the corporate limits and not included in any municipality. Such plan may be implemented by ordinances (a) establishing reasonable standards of design for subdivisions and for resubdivisions of unimproved land and of areas subject to redevelopment in respect to public improvements as herein defined; (b) establishing reasonable requirements governing the location, width, course, and surfacing of public streets and highways, alleys, ways for public service facilities, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, street lights, parks, playgrounds, school grounds, size of lots to be used for residential purposes, storm water drainage, water supply and distribution, sanitary sewers, and sewage collection and treatment; and (c) may designate land suitable for annexation to the municipality and the recommended zoning classification for such land upon annexation.
    (2) To recommend changes, from time to time, in the official comprehensive plan.
    (3) To prepare and recommend to the corporate authorities, from time to time, plans for specific improvements in pursuance of the official comprehensive plan.
    (4) To give aid to the municipal officials charged with the direction of projects for improvements embraced within the official plan, to further the making of these projects, and, generally, to promote the realization of the official comprehensive plan.
    (5) To prepare and recommend to the corporate authorities schemes for regulating or forbidding structures or activities which may hinder access to solar energy necessary for the proper functioning of solar energy systems, as defined in Section 1.2 of The Comprehensive Solar Energy Act of 1977, or to recommend changes in such schemes.
    (6) To exercise such other powers germane to the powers granted by this article as may be conferred by the corporate authorities.
    (7) For purposes of implementing ordinances regarding developer donations or impact fees, and specifically for expenditures thereof, "school grounds" is defined as including land or site improvements, which include school buildings or other infrastructure, including technological infrastructure, necessitated and specifically and uniquely attributed to the development or subdivision in question. This amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly applies to all impact fees or developer donations paid into a school district or held in a separate account or escrow fund by any school district or municipality for a school district.
(Source: P.A. 98-741, eff. 1-1-15.)

    (65 ILCS 5/11-12-5.1) (from Ch. 24, par. 11-12-5.1)
    Sec. 11-12-5.1. School land donations. The governing board of a school district may submit to the corporate authorities of a municipality having a population of less than 500,000 which is served by the school district a written request that a meeting be held to discuss school land donations from a developer of a subdivision or resubdivision of land included within the area served by the school district. For the purposes of this Section, "school land donation" means a donation of land for public school purposes or a cash contribution in lieu thereof, or a combination of both.
(Source: P.A. 86-1023; 86-1039.)

    (65 ILCS 5/11-12-6) (from Ch. 24, par. 11-12-6)
    Sec. 11-12-6. An official comprehensive plan, or any amendment thereof, or addition thereto, proposed by a plan commission shall be effective in the municipality and contiguous area herein prescribed only after its formal adoption by the corporate authorities. Such plan shall be advisory and in and of itself shall not be construed to regulate or control the use of private property in any way, except as to such part thereof as has been implemented by ordinances duly enacted by the corporate authorities. At any time or times, before or after the adoption of the official comprehensive plan by the corporate authorities, such corporate authorities may designate by ordinance an official map, which map may consist of the whole area included within the official comprehensive plan or one or more separate geographical or functional parts, and may include all or any part of the contiguous unincorporated area within one and one-half miles from the corporate limits of the municipality. Such map or maps shall be made a part of the ordinance, which ordinance shall specifically state standard requirements of the municipality relating to size of streets, alleys, public ways, parks, playgrounds, school sites, other public grounds, and ways for public service facilities; the kind and quantity of materials which shall be used in the construction of streets, and alleys; and the kind and quality of materials for public service facilities as may be consistent with Illinois Commerce Commission or industry standards, and shall contain the standards required for drainage and sanitary sewers and collection and treatment of sewage. The map shall be drawn to scale, shall be reasonably accurate, and shall show north point, section lines and numbers, and streams.
    Said official comprehensive plan and the ordinance or ordinances including the official map shall be placed on file with the Municipal Clerk and shall be available at all times during business hours for public inspection. Copies of said plan, all ordinances implementing the same and including the official map, shall be made available to all interested parties upon payment of such sum as the corporate authorities shall determine to be adequate to reimburse the general fund of the municipality for the cost of printing and distributing the same.
(Source: Laws 1961, p. 2757.)

    (65 ILCS 5/11-12-7) (from Ch. 24, par. 11-12-7)
    Sec. 11-12-7. The corporate authorities may initiate plans and maps by requesting the plan commission to prepare an official comprehensive plan and recommend the same, or may originate an official comprehensive plan, or a part thereof, or an amendment thereto, and may refer same or suggested changes in an existing comprehensive plan to the plan commission for its consideration and recommendation thereon. No comprehensive plan or amendment thereto shall be adopted that has not been submitted to the plan commission.
    The corporate authorities may adopt parts of a comprehensive plan recommended by a plan commission without adopting the entire comprehensive plan as recommended, or may modify or amend portions of a recommended comprehensive plan without a re-reference of same to the plan commission, and may adopt such comprehensive plan, as modified or amended. Such comprehensive plan, when adopted, shall be the official comprehensive plan, or part thereof, of that municipality.
    Upon submission by the corporate authorities of any suggested comprehensive plan, part thereof, or amendment to an existing comprehensive plan to the plan commission for consideration and recommendation, the corporate authorities may require a report thereon from the plan commission with its recommendation within 90 days from the date of such submission, and if the plan commission shall fail to make such report within such 90 days, then the corporate authorities may proceed to consider such comprehensive plan, or part thereof or amendment to an existing comprehensive plan, for adoption, including arranging for and holding of a public hearing thereon in accordance with the provisions hereinafter contained in the same manner as if the plan commission had made its recommendation.
    On and after the effective date of this amendatory act of 1961, an official comprehensive plan, or any amendment thereof, shall not be adopted by a municipality until notice and opportunity for public hearing have first been afforded in the manner herein provided. Upon submission of a comprehensive plan by the plan commission, or a proposed amendment to an existing comprehensive plan, the corporate authorities shall schedule a public hearing thereon, either before the plan commission or the corporate authorities. Not less than 15 days' notice of the proposed hearing, and the time and place thereof, shall be given by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the county or counties in which the municipality and contiguous unincorporated territory are located. The hearing shall be informal, but all persons desiring to be heard in support or opposition to the comprehensive plan or amendment shall be afforded such opportunity, and may submit their statements, orally, in writing, or both. The hearing may be recessed to another date if not concluded, if notice of the time and place thereof is publicly announced at the hearing or is given by newspaper publication not less than 5 days prior to the recessed hearing.
    Within 90 days after the conclusion of the hearing, the corporate authorities, after consideration of the recommendation of the plan commission and such information as shall have been derived from the hearing, shall either adopt the comprehensive plan or amendment in whole or in part or reject the entire comprehensive plan or amendment. If adopted, the corporate authorities shall enact the ordinance including a map or maps as hereinbefore provided. In adopting an official comprehensive plan, except as herein otherwise provided, the corporate authorities shall be subject to the same limitations as to subject matter as apply to the plan commission. If at the expiration of such 90 days, the corporate authorities have taken no formal action, the comprehensive plan or amendment thereto may thereafter not be acted upon by the corporate authorities without again complying with the conditions of notice and hearing heretofore provided.
    No official map, or amendment or addition thereto, shall be ground for rejection of any plat of subdivision or resubdivision by the corporate authorities, if application for final approval of such subdivision or resubdivision is filed with the corporate authorities 15 days or more prior to the date on which the ordinance approving the official map, or amendment or addition thereto, is adopted.
    The comprehensive plan or amendment shall become effective upon the expiration of 10 days after the date of filing notice of the adoption of such comprehensive plan or amendment with the recorder of the county. Whenever used in this Section 11-12-7 the words "plans" or "comprehensive plan" shall be deemed to mean and include, where applicable, an official map or maps.
(Source: P.A. 83-358.)

    (65 ILCS 5/11-12-8) (from Ch. 24, par. 11-12-8)
    Sec. 11-12-8. Compliance of plat with map; designation of public lands; approval; bond; order; failure to act upon plat. The corporate authorities of the municipality shall determine whether a proposed plat of subdivision or resubdivision complies with the official map. To secure such determination, the person requesting the subdivision or resubdivision shall file four copies of a plat thereof with the clerk of the municipality, and shall furnish therewith four copies of all data necessary to show compliance with all applicable municipal regulations and shall make application for preliminary or final approval of the proposed plat.
    Whenever the reasonable requirements provided by the ordinance including the official map shall indicate the necessity for providing for a school site, park site, or other public lands within any proposed subdivision for which approval has been requested, and no such provision has been made therefor, the municipal authority may require that lands be designated for such public purpose before approving such plat. Whenever a final plat of subdivision, or part thereof, has been approved by the corporate authorities as complying with the official map and there is designated therein a school site, park site or other public land, the corporate authorities having jurisdiction of such use, be it a school board, park board or other authority, such authority shall acquire the land so designated by purchase or commence proceedings to acquire such land by condemnation within one year from the date of approval of such plat; and if it does not do so within such period of one year, the land so designated may then be used by the owners thereof in any other manner consistent with the ordinance including the official map and the zoning ordinance of the municipality.
    The corporate authorities may by ordinance provide that a plat of subdivision may be submitted initially to the plan commission for preliminary approval. The application for preliminary approval shall show location and width of proposed streets and public ways, shall indicate proposed location of sewers and storm drains, proposed dedication of public grounds, if any, lot sizes, proposed easements for public utilities, and proposed method of sewage and waste disposal, but need not contain specifications for proposed improvements.
    The plan Commission shall approve or disapprove the application for preliminary approval within 90 days from the date of the application or the filing by the applicant of the last item of required supporting data, whichever date is later, unless such time is extended by mutual consent. If such plat is disapproved, then within said 90 days the plan commission shall furnish to applicant in writing a statement setting forth the reason for disapproval and specifying with particularity the aspects in which the proposed plat fails to conform to the ordinances including official map. If such plat is approved the corporate authority shall accept or reject said plat within 30 days after its next regular stated meeting following the action of the plan commission. Preliminary approval shall not qualify a plat for recording.
    Application for final approval of a plat shall be made not later than one year after preliminary approval has been granted. This application must be supported by such drawings, specifications and bond as may be necessary to demonstrate compliance with all requirements of this statute and such regulations as the corporate authorities may provide by ordinance under authority of this statute. This Section is subject to the provisions of Section 11-39-3 of this Code.
    The applicant may elect to have final approval of a geographic part or parts of the plat that received preliminary approval, and may delay application for approval of other parts until a later date or dates beyond one year with the approval of the municipal authorities; provided, all facilities required to serve the part or parts for which final approval is sought have been provided. In such case only such part or parts of the plat as have received final approval shall be recorded.
    When a person submitting a plat of subdivision or resubdivision for final approval has supplied all drawings, maps and other documents required by the municipal ordinances to be furnished in support thereof, and if all such material meets all municipal requirements, the corporate authorities shall approve the proposed plat within 60 days from the date of filing the last required document or other paper or within 60 days from the date of filing application for final approval of the plat, whichever date is later. The applicant and the corporate authorities may mutually agree to extend the 60 day period.
    Except as provided in Section 3 of the Public Construction Bond Act, the corporate authorities may provide that any person, firm or corporation seeking approval of a subdivision or resubdivision map or plat shall post a good and sufficient cash bond, irrevocable letter of credit, or surety bond with the municipal clerk in a penal sum sufficient to cover the estimate made by the municipal engineer, or other authorized person, of expenditures, including but not limited to reasonable inspection fees to be borne by the applicant, necessary to conform to the requirements established and conditioned upon completion of said requirements in a reasonable time. The corporate authorities may, by ordinance, prescribe the form of the cash bond, irrevocable letter of credit, or surety bond and may require surety to be approved by the corporate authorities; provided, that a municipality may permit the depositing of cash or other security acceptable to the corporate authorities, to complete the improvements required in lieu of a bond if it shall so provide by ordinance; and further provided, that no bond or security shall be required to be filed until the corporate authorities have approved the plat in all other respects and have notified the applicant of such approval. If the corporate authorities require a cash bond, letter of credit, surety, or any other method to cover the costs and expenses and to insure completion of the requirements, the requirements shall be subject to the provisions of Section 11-39-3 of this Code.
    If the preliminary or final plat is approved, the municipal clerk shall attach a certified copy of the order or resolution of approval to a copy of the plat. If the proposed plat is disapproved, the order or resolution shall state the reasons for the disapproval, specifying with particularity the aspects in which the proposed plat fails to conform to the official map. A copy of the order or resolution shall be filed in the office of the municipal clerk.
    If the corporate authorities fail to act upon the final plat within the time prescribed the applicant may, after giving 5 days written notice to the corporate authorities, file a complaint for summary judgment in the circuit court and upon showing that the corporate authorities have failed to act within the time prescribed the court shall enter an order authorizing the recorder to record the plat as finally submitted without the approval of the corporate authorities. A plat so recorded shall have the same force and effect as though that plat had been approved by the corporate authorities. If the corporate authorities refuse to act upon the final plat within the time prescribed and if their failure to act thereon is wilful, upon such showing and upon proof of damages the municipality shall be liable therefor.
(Source: P.A. 91-328, eff. 1-1-00; 92-479, eff. 1-1-02.)

    (65 ILCS 5/11-12-9) (from Ch. 24, par. 11-12-9)
    Sec. 11-12-9. If unincorporated territory is within one and one-half miles of the boundaries of two or more corporate authorities that have adopted official plans, the corporate authorities involved may agree upon a line which shall mark the boundaries of the jurisdiction of each of the corporate authorities who have adopted such agreement. On and after September 24, 1987, such agreement may provide that one or more of the municipalities shall not annex territory which lies within the jurisdiction of any other municipality, as established by such line. In the absence of such a boundary line agreement, nothing in this paragraph shall be construed as a limitation on the power of any municipality to annex territory. In arriving at an agreement for a jurisdictional boundary line, the corporate authorities concerned shall give consideration to the natural flow of storm water drainage, and, when practical, shall include all of any single tract having common ownership within the jurisdiction of one corporate authority. Such agreement shall not become effective until copies thereof, certified as to adoption by the municipal clerks of the respective municipalities, have been filed in the Recorder's Office and made available in the office of the municipal clerk of each agreeing municipality.
    Any agreement for a jurisdictional boundary line shall be valid for such term of years as may be stated therein, but not to exceed 20 years, and if no term is stated, shall be valid for a term of 20 years. The term of such agreement may be extended, renewed or revised at the end of the initial or extended term thereof by further agreement of the municipalities.
    In the absence of such agreement, the jurisdiction of any one of the corporate authorities shall extend to a median line equidistant from its boundary and the boundary of the other corporate authority nearest to the boundary of the first corporate authority at any given point on the line.
    On and after January 1, 2006, no corporate authority may enter into an agreement pursuant to this Section unless, not less than 30 days and not more than 120 days prior to formal approval thereof by the corporate authority, it shall have first provided public notice of the proposed boundary agreement by both of the following:
        (1) the posting of a public notice for not less than

    (65 ILCS 5/11-12-10) (from Ch. 24, par. 11-12-10)
    Sec. 11-12-10. The provisions of this amendatory Act of 1961 shall not affect the validity of any official plan or map adopted and in force prior to the effective date hereof.
(Source: Laws 1961, p. 2757.)

    (65 ILCS 5/11-12-11) (from Ch. 24, par. 11-12-11)
    Sec. 11-12-11. If a municipality has adopted an official plan or map pursuant to the authority granted by this Division 12, the territory subject to that plan shall be exempt from the application of any less restrictive rules or regulations adopted by a County Board under the provisions of Section 5-1042 of the Counties Code.
(Source: P.A. 86-1475.)

    (65 ILCS 5/11-12-12) (from Ch. 24, par. 11-12-12)
    Sec. 11-12-12. No map or plat of any subdivision presented for record affecting land (1) within the corporate limits of any municipality which has heretofore adopted, or shall hereafter adopt an ordinance including an official map in the manner prescribed in this Division 12, or (2) within contiguous territory which is not more than 1 1/2 miles beyond the corporate limits of an adopting municipality, shall be entitled to record or shall be valid unless the subdivision shown thereon provides for streets, alleys, public ways, ways for public service facilities, storm and flood water run-off channels and basins, and public grounds, in conformity with the applicable requirements of the ordinances including the official map; provided, that a certificate of approval by the corporate authorities, certified by the clerk of the municipality in whose jurisdiction the land is located, or a certified copy of an order of the circuit court directing the recording as provided in Section 11-12-8, shall be sufficient evidence of compliance with this section upon which the recorder may accept the plat for recording.
    The provisions of this Section do not apply to any plat for consolidation of 2 or more contiguous parcels, located within any territory that is outside of the corporate limits of a municipality but within a county that has adopted a subdivision ordinance and that has a population of more than 250,000, into a smaller number of parcels if the sole purpose of the consolidation is to bring a non-conforming parcel into conformance with local zoning requirements. The exemption created by this amendatory Act of the 92nd General Assembly does not apply to a plat for consolidation for an area in excess of 10 acres or to any consolidation that results in a plat of more than 10 individual lots following the consolidation. If the county receives a request to approve a plat for consolidation pursuant to this Section, the county must notify all municipalities located within 1 1/2 miles of the subject property within 10 days after receiving the request.
(Source: P.A. 92-361, eff. 1-1-02.)

    (65 ILCS 5/11-12-13)
    Sec. 11-12-13. Joint plan commissions. Whenever the corporate authorities of 2 or more municipalities having a population less than 500,000 determine that unincorporated land and territory lying adjacent to any one or more of such municipalities, or land and territory comprising a portion of such municipalities, or land and territory both lying adjacent to such municipalities and being a part of such municipalities forms a contiguous region and such land and territory (i) is or was formerly owned by the United States of America or any department thereof, (ii) is located entirely within a county having a population of not less than 500,000 nor more than 1,000,000 persons, (iii) has been annexed or is intended to be annexed to one or more of such municipalities, and (iv) comprises not less than 500 nor more than 800 acres, the said corporate authorities are hereby empowered, by intergovernmental agreement between or among the municipalities, to define the boundaries of such region and to create a joint plan commission having one, some, or all of the powers set forth in this Section.
    (1) Membership of joint plan commissions. The joint plan commission shall consist of such number of persons known as "members" as shall be set forth in the intergovernmental agreement. The parties, acting by and through their mayors or village presidents with the advice and consent of each of their respective corporate authorities, shall appoint the members who shall hold office as set forth in such intergovernmental agreement. If authorized to do so by such intergovernmental agreement, the joint plan commission may employ a staff to assist in the administration and enforcement of zoning and building codes or ordinances throughout the region.
    (2) Powers and duties of joint plan commissions. The corporate authorities by such intergovernmental agreement may provide for the joint plan commission to have all or some of the functions, powers and duties contained in Divisions 12, 13, 14, and 15 of this Article 11 of this Code.
        (a) The joint plan commission shall be a