McHenry Times

Municipalities will have the ability to waive permit and inspection fees for repairs and rebuilds that are due to disasters, after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed House Bill 1932 on June 25.

“When rebuilding after a disaster, the last thing people need to worry about is permit and inspection fees. The Gov. just signed this bill into law,” wrote Sen. Craig Wilcox (R-McHenry) in a June 28 Facebook post where shared a link to a press release from his website as well.

The bill allows municipalities, village and township boards, and counties to waive building permit and building inspection fees after a disaster occurs. Wilcox was the Senate chief co-sponsor of the bill, and  the waivers are not mandatory, according to his website.

“Just last week in the western suburbs we saw significant devastation caused by tornadoes,” Wilcox said. “Some people lost everything. Through this legislation, those who have to rebuild and repair the structure of their homes or businesses following a disaster can seek permission to have building permit and inspection costs waived.”

Incidents that could qualify under this bill include fire, flood, wind, domestic terrorism, hazardous materials spills, riot, explosion, or public health emergencies.

The bill took effect immediately and received unanimous support in the Senate and House. .