The county board in counties which desire to exercise the powers conferred by this Division shall provide for a zoning commission of not less than 3 nor more than 9 members whose duty it shall be to recommend the boundaries of districts and appropriate regulations to be enforced therein, such commission to be appointed by the chairman or president of the county board, subject to confirmation by the county board. The members of the zoning commission shall be compensated on a per diem basis with a mileage allowance for travel, the amounts to be determined by the county board. Such commission shall prepare a tentative report and a proposed zoning ordinance or resolution for the entire county outside the limits of cities, villages and incorporated towns which have in effect municipal zoning ordinances. After the preparation of such tentative report and ordinance or resolution, the commission shall hold hearings thereon and shall afford persons interested an opportunity to be heard. A hearing shall be held in each township or road district affected by the terms of such proposed ordinance or resolution. Notice of each hearing shall be published at least 15 days in advance thereof in a newspaper of general circulation published in the township or road district in which such property is located. If no newspaper is published in such township or road district, then such notice shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation published in the county and having circulation where such property is located. Such notice shall state the time and place of the hearing and the place where copies of the proposed ordinance or resolution will be accessible for examination by interested parties. Such hearings may be adjourned from time to time. If any municipality having a zoning ordinance wishes to protest the proposed county zoning provisions for the area within one and one-half miles of its corporate limits, it shall appear at a hearing and submit in writing specific proposals to the commission for zoning such territory. If the Board of Trustees of any township located in a county with a population of less than 1,000,000 wishes to protest the proposed zoning of property in the unincorporated area of the township, it shall appear at a hearing and submit in writing specific proposals to the commission for zoning such territory. If the commission approves of such proposals they shall be incorporated within the report of the commission and its proposed ordinance.
Within 30 days after the final adjournment of such hearings the commission shall make a final report and submit a proposed ordinance or resolution to the county board. The county board may enact the ordinance or resolution with or without change, or may refer it back to the commission for further consideration. If a township located within a county with a population of less than 600,000 has a plan commission and the plan commission objects to the proposed zoning of property in the unincorporated areas of the township, the township board of trustees may submit its written objections to the county board within 30 days after the submission of a proposed zoning ordinance or resolution by the County Zoning Commission to the county board. In such case, the county board shall not adopt zoning provisions which affect the unincorporated areas of the township, except by the favorable vote of 3/4 of all the members of the county board. If the proposals made by a municipality as provided above in this Section are not incorporated in their entirety into the ordinance proposed to be enacted by the county board, the county board shall not enact the proposed zoning of such area within one and one-half miles of such municipality except by a three-fourths vote of all members. The zoning commission shall cease to exist, upon the adoption of a zoning ordinance or resolution for such county.
In the preparation of its report and proposed zoning ordinance or resolution the commission may incur such expenditures as shall be authorized by the county board. The provisions of the amendatory Act of 1963 (Laws 1963, p. 297) shall apply only to the initial and original proposed county zoning ordinance and shall not apply to any subsequent amendments or revisions of such county zoning ordinance once adopted or to the supplanting of such county zoning ordinance with an entirely new zoning ordinance; provided, that any zoning ordinance or resolution heretofore enacted which excludes municipalities subject to regulation shall be amended or modified, in the manner hereinabove prescribed for original enactment, to make provision to include any such municipality.
Appeals from final zoning decisions of the County Board must be filed within one year unless a shorter filing period is required by another law.
55 ILCS 5/5-12007