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Will County land-use committee tables building-code update after members raise definitions and formatting concerns
Summary
Committee members questioned whether the proposed Chapter 150 updates adopt the most recent state codes, flagged formatting and definitional errors, and voted to table the measure so Land Use staff can fix charts and reconcile code references.
The Will County Land Use Committee voted to table proposed updates to Chapter 150 of the county code — the county building code — after members raised questions about which versions of state and national codes the draft would adopt and flagged scanning and definitional errors that could change enforcement.
The committee chair opened the ordinance review, and a staff member summarized the changes as largely editorial — removing prior-adoption parentheticals and adding statutory-authority citations. Committee members pressed staff on whether the draft adopts current editions of referenced codes, citing the example that the draft lists the Illinois Plumbing Code as 2014.
“Are we way behind on moving up to the new codes?” Committee member Newquist asked, noting that some municipalities opt not to adopt the latest editions for policy or cost reasons. Staff responded they had deferred detailed currency checks to the Land Use department and offered to confirm whether any health-and-safety items were omitted.
Members also questioned several technical points in the draft. A staff presenter explained why a phrase such as “process components” appears in an exemption — it targets industrial installations (chemical or power plants), not ordinary residential plumbing — and described how demolition and inspection rules interact with asbestos and hazardous-waste disposal requirements.
Other concerns included a misformatted climate chart (missing or mis-scanned letters), inconsistent table headings and the potential for the draft to inadvertently require costly features such as sprinklers in single-family homes. A committee member warned that adding sprinklers could raise construction costs by “about $22,000 to $25,000” per home, a point members said warranted close review before policy changes were adopted.
Given the range of substantive and formatting issues, Member Freeman moved to table Chapter 150 so staff can correct charts, reconcile code-version references, and confirm whether any substantive policy changes were intended rather than merely editorial. Member Newquist seconded the motion and it carried.
What’s next: Staff will reconcile code citations and fix Scrivener and charting errors; the committee agreed to revisit Chapter 150 at its next monthly meeting once Land Use has provided corrected text and clarifications.
Votes and actions: The motion to table Chapter 150 was made by Member Freeman and seconded by Member Newquist; the committee approved the postponement.
