HB 5829 Summary

• Amends Property Tax Code Section 21-90 to allow counties to convey vacant, irregularly-shaped non-farm property acquired through tax sales to adjacent property owners at no cost, with 60 days' notice by certified mail to all adjacent property owners.

• Amends Illinois Municipal Code Section 11-31-1 to expand grounds for declaring property abandoned to include situations where municipal authorities have abated code violations on the property more than 3 times within a 12-month period, in addition to existing criteria of tax delinquency and dangerous/unsafe buildings.

• Establishes expedited procedures for municipalities to demolish, repair, or enclose open and vacant buildings determined to be immediate hazards, including posting visible notice, certified mail notification, and newspaper publication with 30-day cure periods before municipal action.

• Creates municipal lien authority for costs of inspection, testing, remediation of hazardous substances, and demolition/repair work, with liens superior to most prior encumbrances except taxes and liens from earlier remediation actions.

• Authorizes municipalities to bring separate money judgment actions against property owners for lien amounts and establish judgment liens enforceable under civil procedure.