IL HB2729

Creates the Riparian Protection and Water Quality Practices Act requiring landowners with property adjacent to mapped water bodies to maintain vegetative buffers to protect water resources from erosion and runoff pollution

Public waters require a 50-foot average width (30-foot minimum) continuous buffer of perennial vegetation; public drainage systems require a minimum 16.5-foot continuous buffer

Implementation deadlines are November 1, 2026 for public waters buffers and November 1, 2027 for public drainage system buffers

Soil and water conservation districts must submit watercourse summaries to local water management authorities by July 1, 2026, with authorities incorporating recommendations into water management plans by July 1, 2027

Exemptions include land enrolled in the federal Conservation Reserve Program, public or private water access areas, land covered by structures, land regulated by NPDES permits, and land temporarily nonvegetated due to authorized projects