765 ILCS 205/ Plat Act.

(765 ILCS 205/0.01) (from Ch. 109, par. 0.01)

Sec. 0.01. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Plat Act.

(Source: P.A. 86-1324.)

(765 ILCS 205/1) (from Ch. 109, par. 1)

Sec. 1. (a) Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph (b) of this Section whenever the owner of land subdivides it into 2 or more parts, any of which is less than 5 acres, he must have it surveyed and a subdivision plat thereof made by an Illinois Registered Land Surveyor, which plat must particularly describe and set forth all public streets, alleys, ways for public service facilities, ways for utility services and community antenna television systems, parks, playgrounds, school grounds or other public grounds, and all the tracts, parcels, lots or blocks, and numbering all such lots, blocks or parcels by progressive numbers, giving their precise dimensions. There shall be submitted simultaneously with the subdivision plat, a study or studies which shall show topographically and by profile the elevation of the land prior to the commencement of any change in elevations as a part of any phase of subdividing, and additionally, if it is contemplated that such elevations, or the flow of surface water from such land, will be changed as a result of any portion of such subdivision development, then such study or studies shall also show such proposed changes in the elevations and the flow of surface water from such land. The topographical and profile studies required hereunder may be prepared as a subsidiary study or studies separate from, but of the same scale and size as the subdivision plat, and shall be prepared in such a manner as will permit the topographical study or studies to be used as overlays to the subdivision plat. The plat must show all angular and linear data along the exterior boundaries of the tract of land divided or subdivided, the names of all public streets and the width, course and extent of all public streets, alleys and ways for public service facilities. References must also be made upon the plat to known and permanent monuments from which future survey may be made and the surveyor must, at the time of making his survey, set in such manner that they will not be moved by frost, good and sufficient monuments marking the external boundaries of the tract to be divided or subdivided and must designate upon the plat the points where they may be found. These monuments must be placed at all corners, at each end of all curves, at the point where a curve changes its radius, at all angle points in any line and at all angle points along a meander line, the points to be not less than 20 feet back from the normal water elevation of a lake or from the bank of a stream, except that when such corners or points fall within a street, or proposed future street, the monuments must be placed in the right of way line of the street. All internal boundaries, corners and points must be monumented in the field by like monuments as defined above. These monuments 2 of which must be of stone or reinforced concrete and must be set at the opposite extremities of the property platted, placed at all block corners, at each end of all curves, at the points where a curve changes its radius, and at all angle points in any line. All lots must be monumented in the field with 2 or more monuments.

The monuments must be furnished by the person for whom the survey is made and must be such that they will not be moved by frost. If any city, village or town has adopted an official plan, or part thereof, in the manner prescribed by law, the plat of land situated within the area affected thereby must conform to the official plan, or part thereof.

(b) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this Section, the provisions of this Act do not apply and no subdivision plat is required in any of the following instances:

1. the division or subdivision of land into parcels or tracts of 5 acres or more in size which does not involve any new streets or easements of access;

2. the division of lots or blocks of less than 1 acre in any recorded subdivision which does not involve any new streets or easements of access;

3. the sale or exchange of parcels of land between owners of adjoining and contiguous land;

4. the conveyance of parcels of land or interests therein for use as a right of way for railroads or other public utility facilities and other pipe lines which does not involve any new streets or easements of access;

5. the conveyance of land owned by a railroad or other public utility which does not involve any new streets or easements of access;

6. the conveyance of land for highway or other public purposes or grants or conveyances relating to the dedication of land for public use or instruments relating to the vacation of land impressed with a public use;

7. conveyances made to correct descriptions in prior conveyances;

8. the sale or exchange of parcels or tracts of land following the division into no more than 2 parts of a particular parcel or tract of land existing on July 17, 1959 and not involving any new streets or easements of access;

9. the sale of a single lot of less than 5 acres from a larger tract when a survey is made by an Illinois Registered Land Surveyor; provided, that this exemption shall not apply to the sale of any subsequent lots from the same larger tract of land, as determined by the dimensions and configuration of the larger tract on October 1, 1973, and provided also that this exemption does not invalidate any local requirements applicable to the subdivision of land;

10. the preparation of a plat for wind energy devices under Section 10-620 of the Property Tax Code.

Nothing contained within the provisions of this Act shall prevent or preclude individual counties from establishing standards, ordinances, or specifications which reduce the acreage minimum to less than 5 acres, but not less than 2 acres, or supplementing the requirements contained herein when a survey is made by an Illinois Registered Land Surveyor and a plat thereof is recorded, under powers granted to them.

(c) However, if a plat is made by an Illinois Registered Surveyor of any parcel or tract of land otherwise exempt from the plat provisions of this Act pursuant to subsection (b) of this Section, such plat shall be recorded. It shall not be the responsibility of a recorder of deeds to determine whether the plat has been made or recorded under this subsection (c) prior to accepting a deed for recording.

(Source: P.A. 99-78, eff. 7-20-15.)

(765 ILCS 205/1.01) (from Ch. 109, par. 1.01)

Sec. 1.01. No area of land or any part thereof which has been disconnected from any park district pursuant to Section 3-6b of "The Park District Code", shall be subdivided into lots and blocks within one year from the date of such disconnection. No plan of any such proposed subdivision shall be presented by any person for recording or registration within such one year period unless the land comprising such proposed subdivision has thereafter been incorporated into a city, village or incorporated town.

(Source: Laws 1965, p. 2712.)

(765 ILCS 205/1.02) (from Ch. 109, par. 1.02)

Sec. 1.02. When any city, village, municipal corporation or political subdivision in the State annexes or disconnects territory, a plat of the land included in the disconnection or annexation must be filed with the recorder in the county or counties where the territory is located. In counties where the county clerk is not also the county recorder, a copy of the plat shall also be filed with the county clerk. Each plat shall state a legal description or descriptions sufficient to identify the boundaries of the annexed or disconnected territory, by reference to government surveys or by metes and bounds, including the section, township and range in which the territory is located. Such a plat must be prepared by a Registered Land Surveyor or in the case of cities, villages and incorporated towns by a Registered Land Surveyor or a duly employed municipal engineer registered under the laws of the State of Illinois, provided such engineer has had training in the field of civil engineering.

(Source: P.A. 87-1189.)

(765 ILCS 205/1.005)

Sec. 1.005. School district statement.

(a) When an owner is required to file a plat pursuant to Section 1 of this Act, the owner shall submit simultaneously with the subdivision plat a notarized statement indicating, to the best of the owner's knowledge, the school district in which each tract, parcel, lot, or block lies.

(b) An owner who knowingly files an incorrect statement under this Section is liable for damages to any subsequent purchaser of the property who relies on the incorrect statement to that person's detriment.

(Source: P.A. 90-286, eff. 1-1-98.)

(765 ILCS 205/2) (from Ch. 109, par. 2)

Sec. 2. The plat must be completed, a statement from a Registered Land Surveyor attached and acknowledged by the owner of the land, or his attorney duly authorized, in the same manner as deeds of land are required to be acknowledged. The plat must be submitted to the city council of the city or board of trustees of the village or town or to the officer designated by them, for their or his approval, if the land subdivided is located within the corporate limits of any such city, village or town or within contiguous territory which is affected by an official plan, or part thereof, of any city, village or town. If the land subdivided is located outside the corporate limits of any city, village or town and is not affected by such official plan, or part thereof, the plat must be submitted to the county board of the county in which the land is located for its approval. Within 3 business days after a plat is submitted for approval, the city council, board of trustees, designated officer, or county board shall notify the president of the school board of each school district in which any of the subdivided land is located that the plat has been submitted for approval and that it is available for inspection. The notice shall also give the date, time, and place of the hearing on approval or disapproval of the plat. The notice shall be served by certified mail, return receipt requested, or by personal delivery. Failure to notify the school board as required by this Section does not invalidate the plat.

Neither the city council of the city, the board of trustees of the village or town or the officer designated by them, or the county board of the county shall approve such plat, unless, in addition to any other requirements of such council, board of trustees or county board or the officer or officers designated by them, the topographical and profile studies to be submitted with the subdivision plat have on their face the signed statement of a Registered Professional Engineer, and the owner of the land or his duly authorized attorney, to the effect that to the best of their knowledge and belief the drainage of surface waters will not be changed by the construction of such subdivision or any part thereof, or, that if such surface water drainage will be changed, reasonable provision has been made for collection and diversion of such surface waters into public areas, or drains which the subdivider has a right to use, and that such surface waters will be planned for in accordance with generally accepted engineering practices so as to reduce the likelihood of damage to the adjoining property because of the construction of the subdivision. The topographical and profile studies required herein shall not be recorded, but shall be retained and filed by city, village or county to which submitted for approval of the subdivision plat, as permanent public documents.

Neither the city council of the city, the board of trustees of the village or town or the officer designated by them, or the county board of the county shall approve such plat, unless, in addition to any other requirements of such council, board of trustees or county board or the officer or officers designated by them, the plat has been approved in writing (i) except in municipalities with a population of 1,000,000 or more, by the Illinois Department of Transportation with respect to roadway access where such access is to a state highway, (ii) by the relevant local highway authority with respect to all other roadway access, and (iii) by the local health department, if one exists, with respect to sewage disposal systems if any part of the platted land will not be served by a public sewer system. An applicant shall simultaneously file with the Illinois Department of Transportation, relevant local highway authority, or local health department, as appropriate, a copy of the application for preliminary approval of a proposed plat that is filed with the municipality or county. The department or authority receiving the application shall review the application based solely upon safety or access control standards and provide written approval or disapproval to the municipal or county plan commission and to the municipal or county corporate authorities not later than 90 days from the date the application is received. The 90 day period may be changed by mutual agreement. If disapproved, the department or authority shall provide reasons for the disapproval related to safety or access control standards and identify improvements that will remove the disapproval. The municipal or county corporate authorities may approve the plat once the improvements have been incorporated into the application or in the event that the department or authority fails to respond in writing to the municipality or county within the 90 day period or other period established by mutual agreement. The failure of the city council of a municipality with a population of 1,000,000 or more to obtain approval of a plat in writing by the Illinois Department of Transportation with respect to roadway access where such access is to a State highway, prior to the approval of any such plat as required by this Section, where such failure occurred on or after January 1, 1988 and before the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1989, shall not affect the validity of such plat, and any such plat otherwise complying with the provisions of this Section is validated.

The statement of the Registered Land Surveyor and of acknowledgment, together with the plat, must be recorded by the Land Surveyor who prepared the plat, or a person designated by that Land Surveyor, or upon the death, incapacity, or absence of that Land Surveyor, by the owner of the land or his or her representative, in the recorder's office of the county in which the land is situated, or if the title to the land is registered under the Land Titles Act, must be filed in the office of the registrar of titles for the county, and such acknowledgment and recording or such acknowledgment and filing as aforesaid, shall have like effect and certified copies thereof and of such plat, or of any plat heretofore acknowledged and certified according to law, may be used in evidence to the same extent and with like effect, as in case of deeds. The recorder or registrar of titles shall not record or register a plat offered for recording or registration after October 1, 1977, unless such plat is at least 8 1/2 inches by 14 inches but not more than 30 inches by 36 inches. In counties of 1,000,000 or more population the recorder or the registrar of titles must not record or register the plat unless the persons submitting the plat for recording or registration simultaneously therewith deliver to the recorder or registrar of titles 6 true and exact copies thereof. In all counties, the recorder or registrar of titles shall not record or register a plat, unless the plat states the current mailing address of the person submitting the plat for recording or registration. Any changes to the unrecorded plat as may be desired or required by any party must be made by the Registered Land Surveyor who prepared the original plat, and in the event of the death, incapacity, or absence of that Land Surveyor, by another Registered Land Surveyor who shall specifically identify the change or changes made on the face of the plat.

An original plat, having been properly certified, acknowledged, approved and recorded or filed as above provided in this Section, may be retained as the permanent record by the recorder or registrar.

(Source: P.A. 86-284; 86-768; 86-1028; 86-1238; 86-1349; 86-1475; 87-705.)

(765 ILCS 205/3) (from Ch. 109, par. 3)

Sec. 3. The acknowledgment and recording of such plat, or the acknowledgment and the filing of the same shall be held in all courts to be a conveyance in fee simple of such portions of the premises platted as are marked or noted on such plat as donated or granted to the public, or any person, religious society, corporation or body politic, and as a general warranty against the donor, his or her heirs and representatives, to such donee or grantee, for their use or for the use and purposes therein named or intended, and for no other use or purpose; and the premises intended for any street, alley, way, common or other public use in any city, village or town, or addition thereto, shall be held in the corporate name thereof in trust to and for the uses and purposes set forth or intended.

(Source: P.A. 83-345.)

(765 ILCS 205/4) (from Ch. 109, par. 4)

Sec. 4. Whoever shall lay out any town or make any addition to any city, village or town, or re-subdivide any lots or blocks therein, and neglect to plant any corner stone when required by this Act, or shall survey the same or cause it to be surveyed in any other manner than that which is prescribed in this Act, shall be guilty of a petty offense and fined in any sum not less than $25 nor exceeding $100.

(Source: P.A. 77-2561.)

(765 ILCS 205/5) (from Ch. 109, par. 5)

Sec. 5. Whoever sells or leases for any time exceeding five years, any lot or block in or outside of any town, city or village before all the requirements of this Act have been complied with, shall be guilty of a petty offense and fined $25 for each lot or block or part thereof so disposed of or leased. Nothing in this Section shall prohibit an offer of sale or acceptance of deposit by a seller before compliance with the requirements of this Act, provided that compliance occurs before conveyance of any deed to the property.

(Source: P.A. 90-308, eff. 8-1-97.)

(765 ILCS 205/5a) (from Ch. 109, par. 5a)

Sec. 5a. The recorder or the Registrar of Title of any county shall not record deeds or leases which attempt to convey property contrary to the provisions of this Act. In case of doubt, the recorder or the Registrar of Title of any county may require the person presenting such deed or lease to give evidence of the legality of a conveyance by an affidavit as to the facts which exempt such conveyance from the provisions of this Act.

(Source: P.A. 83-358.)

(765 ILCS 205/6) (from Ch. 109, par. 6)

Sec. 6. Any plat may be vacated by the owner of the premises at any time before the sale of any lot therein, by a written instrument to which a copy of the plat is attached, declaring it to be vacated. If there are public service facilities in the highways, streets, alleys and other public ways and in easements shown on the plat, the instrument shall reserve to the public body or public utility owning such facilities, the property, rights of way and easements necessary for continuing public service by means of those facilities and for the maintenance, renewal and reconstruction of the same. The instrument shall be approved by the city council or village or county board in the same manner as plats of subdivisions. The instrument shall also be submitted for approval to the Highway Commissioner and to the county engineer or superintendent of highways and to the District Engineer of the Department of Transportation of this State and to the public utility or utilities involved. The council, board, Highway Commissioner, county engineer or superintendent of highways or District Engineer of the Department of Transportation of this State, as the case may be, may reject any instrument that abridges or destroys any public rights in any of its streets and alleys. The instrument shall be executed, acknowledged or proved and recorded or filed in the same manner as plats or subdivisions. Once recorded or filed the instrument operates to destroy the effect of the recording of the plat vacated and to divest all public rights in the streets, alleys and public grounds and all dedications laid out or described in the plat and to render effective any reservation set forth in the instrument as provided in this Section. When lots have been sold the plat may be vacated in the manner provided in this Section by all the owners of lots in the plat joining in the execution of the writing.

(Source: P.A. 87-217.)

(765 ILCS 205/7) (from Ch. 109, par. 7)

Sec. 7. Any part of a plat may be vacated in the manner provided in the preceding section, and subject to the conditions therein prescribed: Provided, such vacation shall not abridge or destroy any of the rights or privileges of other proprietors in such plat: And, provided, further, that nothing contained in this section shall authorize the closing or obstructing of any public highway laid out according to law.

(Source: R.S. 1874, p. 771.)

(765 ILCS 205/8) (from Ch. 109, par. 8)

Sec. 8. When any plat or part thereof is vacated the recorder or registrar of titles in whose office the plat is recorded or filed as aforesaid, shall, upon the recording of such vacation, write in plain letters across the plat or part so vacated the word "vacated," and shall also make a reference on the same to the volume and page in which the instrument of vacation is recorded.

(Source: Laws 1921, p. 677.)

(765 ILCS 205/9) (from Ch. 109, par. 9)

Sec. 9. Whenever any highway, road, street, alley, public ground, toll-road, railroad, reservoir or canal is laid out, located, opened, widened or extended, or its location altered, it is the duty of the commissioners, authorities, officers, persons or corporations, public or private, laying out, locating, opening, widening, extending or altering the same, to make a plat, showing its width, courses and extent, and making reference to known and established corners or monuments. When the location of a subdivision, lots or parcel within a subdivision, tract, highway, road, street, alley, public ground, toll-road, railroad, reservoir or canal is known either by established corners or adequate, existing records, the monument or monuments shall be located and referenced either by or under the direction of a Registered Land Surveyor at the time such highway, road, street, alley, public ground, toll-road, railroad, reservoir or canal is laid out, located, widened or extended, or its location altered. Suitable permanent monuments shall be reset in the surface of new construction or permanent witness monuments set to perpetuate their location and certified as correct by a Registered Land Surveyor. The plat shall be recorded in the office of the recorder of the county in which the premises are taken or used, or any part thereof, are situated, or in case of land the title to which is registered under "An Act concerning land titles", approved May 1, 1897, as amended, to be filed in the office of the registrar of titles for the county, within 6 months after such highway, road, street, alley, public ground, toll-road, railroad, reservoir or canal is laid out, located, opened, widened, or extended, or the location thereof altered and when any highway, road, street, alley, public ground, toll-road, railroad, reservoir or canal is vacated, the order, ordinance or other declaration of vacation must be in like manner recorded or filed. The recorder or registrar of titles shall not record or register a plat offered for recording or registration after October 1, 1977, unless such plat is at least 8 1/2 inches by 14 inches but not more than 30 inches by 36 inches. Sufficient controlling monuments shall be retained or replaced in their original positions or reference monuments established from original controlling monuments, so as to enable land lines, property corners or tract boundaries to be re-established without surveys based on monuments differing from the ones which currently control the area. Every land surveyor is under a duty to cooperate in matters of maps, field notes and other pertinent records. This Act shall not be construed to alter or affect any law specifically providing for the recording or filing of any plat, or to require the same to be recorded or filed sooner than is so specifically provided; except that any requirements to record or file such plat in any other place than is provided herein do not excuse the parties from complying with this Act. Any party who refuses or neglects to comply with this Section shall be guilty of a petty offense for every month he continues in such refusal or neglect after conviction, to be recovered by an action in the circuit court of the county, in the name of the county, 1/2 to the use of the county and the other 1/2 to the use of the person complaining.

The provisions of this Section shall not apply to a railroad subject to the jurisdiction of the Interstate Commerce Commission or any abandonment of all or a portion of such railroad, except that the provisions of this Section shall apply to the construction of a new line of railroad.

(Source: P.A. 88-81.)

(765 ILCS 205/9.1) (from Ch. 109, par. 9.1)

Sec. 9.1. When any county or township authority proposes to extend or widen a public highway by obtaining easements from abutting property owners without transfer of land titles, then such map or plat of the land parcels involved in the easement must be prepared by a Registered Land Surveyor or by a duly employed county engineer or superintendent of highways registered as an engineer under the laws of the State of Illinois.

(Source: P.A. 87-217.)

(765 ILCS 205/10) (from Ch. 109, par. 10)

Sec. 10. Whenever it shall come to the knowledge of the recorder or of the registrar of titles of any county that any of the provisions of this Act have been violated, it shall be his duty to notify the State's attorney of the fact, and the State's attorney shall immediately institute proceedings, and prosecute the same to final judgment against the person offending.

(Source: P.A. 83-358.)

(765 ILCS 205/11) (from Ch. 109, par. 10.1)

Sec. 11. Any unauthorized person who knowingly damages, destroys or removes a stake, pin, monument or other survey marker shall, be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. For purposes of this Section, a surveyor who moves a stake, pin, monument or other survey marker for the purpose of correcting a survey is an authorized person.

(Source: P.A. 77-2561.)

(765 ILCS 205/56)

Sec. 56. Duty of counties issuing building/improvement permits. Counties that are authorized by law to exercise land use control through a building/improvement permit process may deny the issuance of a building permit for building or other improvement to be constructed on a parcel of land subdivided contrary to the provisions of this Act.

(Source: P.A. 93-744, eff. 7-15-04.)