Announcements/Events
Effective immediately, cash contributions in lieu of school site donation, which are required for new home developments in unincorporated McHenry County, have been significantly reduced. As a result, the payment required to affected school districts for a detached single-family residence has been reduced by approximately 58%.
This change is due to an amendment to the McHenry County Subdivision Ordinance passed by the McHenry County Board on May 7, 2013. The amendment states that “fair market value will be established through an annual market analysis conducted by the Chief County Assessment Officer… and approved by the Planning and Development Committee.” Fair market value is the figure used to calculate the amount of a cash contribution (in lieu of land donation) required to be made to affected school districts at the time of application for a new residence permit. With the adoption of the ordinance amendment, the fair market value was established to be $55,000, which was the figure put forth in a market analysis by the Chief County Assessment Officer to the Planning and Development Committee and approved at their meeting on March 21, 2013.
Click here to download the 2013 McHenry County School Donation Formula, which contains the required cash contribution amounts for both attached and detached single-family residences as well as multifamily residences.
Work continues on the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). Draft 1.5 of the ordinance is now available on the McHenry County UDO website. In this draft, edits based on several joint meetings of the Planning and Development Committee and the Zoning Board of Appeals are visible in a 'redline' format. In the coming weeks, joint meetings will resume to review the propsed edits.
The Department of Planning and Development 2012 Annual Report is now available. The report provides information on the department's mission, duties, staff, and accomplishments in 2012. It also identifies several department goals for 2013.
The McHenry County Green Infrastructure Plan has earned the American Planning Association-Illinois Chapter (APA-IL) 2012 Award for a Strategic Plan. This is the second award for McHenry County from APA-IL. In 2010, the county received the Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehenive Plan for the McHenry County 2030 Comprehensive Plan. For more information on the APA-IL awards, click here.
2012 Fee Increase
New fees will be in effect on January 1, 2012. Click to view 2012 Fee Schedule.
Department Functions
FOIA Request Forms may be submitted via fax, mail or in person)
Mission Statement
To direct the orderly and timely development of McHenry County while establishing a harmonious relationship between people, land use, and the environment to assure the public health, safety and welfare by the promotion, the protection and the preservation of unique and irreplaceable natural and historic resources of McHenry County, through the adoption, implementation and enforcement of plans, ordinances and policies as established by the McHenry County Board.