Illinois Compiled Statutes
Chapter 765 - PROPERTY
765 ILCS 130/ - Fence Act.

(765 ILCS 130/0.01) (from Ch. 54, par. 0.01)
Sec. 0.01.
Short title.
This Act may be cited as the
Fence Act.

(Source: P.A. 86-1324.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/1) (from Ch. 54, par. 1)
Sec. 1.

In counties under township organization the board of trustees shall
be ex officio fence viewers in their respective towns. In counties not
under township organization the presiding officer of the county board, with
the advice and consent of the county board, at the annual meeting of the
county board in December, shall appoint three fence viewers in each
precinct, who shall hold their office for one year, and until their
successors are appointed.

(Source: P.A. 82-783.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/2) (from Ch. 54, par. 2)
Sec. 2.

Fences four and one-half feet high, and in good repair, consisting
of rails, timber boards, stone, hedges, barb wire, woven wire or whatever
the fence viewers of the town or precinct where the same shall lie shall
consider equivalent thereto suitable and sufficient to prevent cattle,
horses, sheep, hogs and other stock from getting on the adjoining lands of
another, shall be deemed legal and sufficient fences: Provided, that in
counties under township organization, the electors, at any annual town
meeting, may determine what shall constitute a legal fence in the town; and
in counties not under township organization, the power to regulate the
height of fences shall be vested in the county board.

(Source: Laws 1917, p. 527.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/3) (from Ch. 54, par. 3)
Sec. 3.

When 2 or more persons have lands adjoining, each of them shall
make and maintain a just proportion of the division fence between them, and
if such fence shall be a hedge fence, then the owner or owners of such
hedge fence shall, during the year after such hedge has attained the age of
7 years, cut back or trim such hedge fence to a height not to exceed 4
feet, and shall at least once in every 2 years thereafter, cut back or trim
such hedge fence to the height of 5 feet. The provisions of this section
shall not apply to any hedge fence protecting either an orchard, buildings
or wind break, nor shall the provisions of this Section apply to any such
fence for the preservation of wildlife and protection against soil erosion.
Such hedge fences protecting wildlife, or orchards, or buildings or
windbreaks, and such fences protecting against soil erosion shall not
exceed 60 rods in length. If the owner or owners of such hedge fence shall
fail or refuse to comply with the provisions of this act, on or before the
15th day of June in the year that such hedge should be cut or trimmed, any
one of the owners of such division fence having complied with the
provisions of this act may give the owner or owners, or their agents, of
any such uncut or untrimmed hedge, 10 days notice, in writing to cut or
trim such hedge. And should the owner or owners, or their agents so
notified fail or refuse to comply with such notice it shall be lawful for
the person giving the notice to cut or trim or cause to be cut or trimmed,
in accordance with law, and the cost and damage of cutting or trimming such
hedge may be recovered off of the owner or owners of such hedge before any
court of competent jurisdiction.

(Source: Laws 1965, p. 3536.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/4) (from Ch. 54, par. 4)
Sec. 4.

When any person wishes to inclose his land, located in any county
having less than 1,000,000 population according to the last preceding
federal census and not within the corporate limits of any municipality in
such county, each owner of land adjoining his land shall build, or pay for
the building of, a just proportion of the division fence between his land
and that of the adjoining owner and each owner shall bear the same
proportion of the costs of keeping that fence maintained and in good
repair. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to fences on lands
held by public bodies for roadway purposes.

(Source: Laws 1967, p. 3001.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/5) (from Ch. 54, par. 5)
Sec. 5.

The value of such fence, and the proportion thereof to be paid by
such person, and the proportion of the division fence to be made and
maintained by him, in case of his inclosing his land, may be determined by
2 fence viewers of the town, in counties under township organization, and
in other counties by any 2 fence viewers of the precinct; or, at the option
of the aggrieved party, such value or proportion may be ascertained in an
action brought by him before any court of competent jurisdiction.

(Source: Laws 1965, p. 3536.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/6) (from Ch. 54, par. 6)
Sec. 6.

If any person neglect to repair or rebuild a division fence, or
portion thereof, which he ought to maintain, any two fence viewers of the
town or precinct, as the case may be, shall, on complaint by the party
aggrieved, after giving due notice to each party, examine such fence, and
if they deem the same to be insufficient, they shall so notify the
delinquent party, and direct him to repair or rebuild the same within such
time as they may deem reasonable.

(Source: R.S. 1874, p. 527.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/7) (from Ch. 54, par. 7)
Sec. 7.

If disputes arise between the owners of adjoining lands concerning
the proportion of fence to be made or maintained by either of them, such
dispute may be settled by any two of the fence viewers of the town or
precinct, as the case may be, and in such cases it shall be the duty of the
two fence viewers to distinctly mark and define the proportion of the fence
to be made or maintained by each.

(Source: Laws 1917, p. 527.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/8) (from Ch. 54, par. 8)
Sec. 8.

When any of the above mentioned matters shall be submitted to fence
viewers, each party shall choose one; and if either neglect, after eight
days' notice in writing, to make such choice, the other party may select
both. And for all purposes of notice under this act, it shall be sufficient
to notify the tenant or person in possession of said adjoining premises,
when the owner thereof is not a resident of the town in which such fences
are situated.

(Source: R.S. 1874, p. 527.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/9) (from Ch. 54, par. 9)
Sec. 9.

The two fence viewers so chosen shall examine the premises, and
hear the allegations of the parties. In case of their disagreement, they
shall select another fence viewer to act with them; and the decision of any
two of them shall be final upon the parties to such dispute, and upon all
parties holding under them.

(Source: R.S. 1874, p. 527.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/10) (from Ch. 54, par. 10)
Sec. 10.

The decision of the fence viewers shall be reduced to writing;
shall contain a description of the fence, and of the proportion to be
maintained by each, and their decision upon any other point in dispute
between the parties, submitted to them as aforesaid; and shall be forthwith
filed in the office of the town clerk, or in the office of the county clerk
in counties which shall not have adopted township organization.

(Source: R.S. 1874, p. 527.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/10.1) (from Ch. 54, par. 10.1)
Sec. 10.1.

If for any reason the fence viewers shall fail to make a
decision within 90 days after the matter has been submitted to them, either
the county board or the township board of trustees may assume jurisdiction
of the matter and make a decision thereon. If neither the county board
nor the township board of trustees makes a decision thereon within 60 days
after the expiration of such 90 day period, either party may petition the
circuit court of the county in which the fence is located to make the decision
thereon and in such case the circuit court shall have original jurisdiction
to hear and decide the matter.

(Source: P.A. 84-339.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/11) (from Ch. 54, par. 11)
Sec. 11.

If any person who is liable to contribute to the erection or
reparation of a division fence shall neglect or refuse to make or repair
his proportion of such fence, the party injured, after giving 60 days'
notice, in writing, that a fence should be erected, or 10 days' notice, in
writing, that the reparation of a fence is necessary, may make or repair
the same at the expense of the party so neglecting or refusing, to be
recovered from him, with costs of suit, in the circuit court; and the party
so neglecting or refusing, after notice in
writing, shall be liable to the party injured for all damages which shall
thereby accrue.

(Source: P.A. 79-1362.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/12) (from Ch. 54, par. 12)
Sec. 12.

Whenever a division fence shall be injured or destroyed by fire,
floods, or other casualty, the person bound to make and repair such fence,
or any part thereof, shall make or repair the same, or his just proportion
thereof, within ten days after he shall be thereto required by any person
interested therein--such requisition to be in writing, and signed by the
party making the same: Provided, that when a flood gate or that portion of
a division fence which crosses a stream or natural water course is
destroyed by flood, the person bound to make or repair the same shall make
or repair the same or his just proportion thereof within two days after he
shall be thereto required by any interested person.

(Source: Laws 1919, p. 569.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/13) (from Ch. 54, par. 13)
Sec. 13.

If such person shall neglect or refuse to make or repair his
proportion of such fence or flood gate within the periods specified in
section 12 of this Act, the party injured may make or repair the same at
the expense of the party so refusing or neglecting, to be recovered with
costs of suit.

(Source: Laws 1919, p. 569.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/14) (from Ch. 54, par. 14)
Sec. 14.

If any person is disposed to remove a division fence, or part
thereof, owned by him or her, and allow his or her lands to be uncultivated
and not used for pasture purposes, after having first given the adjoining
owner one year's notice, in writing, of his or her intention so to do
and having received such adjoining owner's permission, he or she may,
at any time thereafter, remove the same, unless such adjoining owner
shall previously cause the value of the fence to be ascertained by
fence viewers, selected as hereinbefore provided, and pay or tender the
same to such person; provided that if, in accordance with such
provisions, the fence has been removed entirely and a new one erected,
any person who seeks to make use of the new fence shall pay to the owner
one-half of the original cost thereof. With reference to the removal or
use of a fence as set forth in this Section, a landlord shall be
responsible for the acts of a tenant.

(Source: P.A. 84-551.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/15) (from Ch. 54, par. 15)
Sec. 15.

If any such fence shall be removed without such notice, the party
removing the same shall pay to the party injured all such damages as he may
thereby sustain, to be recovered with costs of suit.

(Source: R.S. 1874, p. 527.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/16) (from Ch. 54, par. 16)
Sec. 16.

When a person has made a fence on an inclosure which afterward on
making division lines is found to be on the land of another, and the same
has occurred through mistake, such first person may enter on the land of
the other and remove his fence and material within six months after such
line has been run.

(Source: R.S. 1874, p. 527.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/17) (from Ch. 54, par. 17)
Sec. 17.

But such fence shall not be removed if it was made of material
taken from the land on which it is built, until the party pays or tenders
to the owner of the land the value of such material, to be ascertained by
the fence viewers; nor shall a fence be removed at a time when the removal
will throw open or expose the crops of either party, but it may be removed
within a reasonable time after the crops are secured, although the six
months above specified have passed.

(Source: Laws 1951, p. 1734.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/18) (from Ch. 54, par. 18)
Sec. 18.

Fence viewers may examine witnesses on any and all questions
submitted to them, and either of such fence viewers shall have power to
issue subpoenas for, and administer oaths to such witnesses.

(Source: R.S. 1874, p. 527.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/19) (from Ch. 54, par. 19)
Sec. 19.

Fence viewers shall be entitled to $15 per
day, each, for the time necessarily spent as above provided, to be paid in
the first instance by the party requiring the services; and all expenses of
the view shall be borne equally between the parties, except in case of view
to appraise damages for neglect or refusal to make or maintain a just
proportion of a division fence, in which case the costs of view shall be
paid by the party in default, and may be recovered as part of the damages
assessed.

(Source: P.A. 84-369.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/20) (from Ch. 54, par. 20)
Sec. 20.

If any horse, mule or ass, or any neat cattle, hogs or sheep, or
other domestic animals, shall break into any person's inclosure, the fence
being good and sufficient, the owner of such animal or animals shall be
liable, in a civil action, to make good all damages to the owner or
occupier of the inclosure. This section shall not be construed to require
such fence, in order to maintain an action for injuries done by animals
running at large contrary to law.

(Source: Laws 1935, p. 880.)
 
(765 ILCS 130/21) (from Ch. 54, par. 21)
Sec. 21.

If any such animal or animals shall break into an enclosure
surrounded by a fence of the height and sufficiency prescribed by this
act, or shall be wrongfully upon the premises of another, the owner or
occupier of such enclosure or premises may take into possession such
animal or animals trespassing, and keep the same until damages, with
reasonable charges for keeping and feeding, and all costs of action be
paid, to be recovered in the circuit court, and any
person who shall take or rescue any such animal so taken up from the
possession of the holder of the animal without such holder's consent, shall
be liable to a fine
of not less than 3 nor more than 5 dollars for each of such
animals so rescued, to be recovered in the circuit court of the county where
such offense has been committed,
for the
use of the school fund of the proper county. Within 24 hours after taking
such animal into his or her possession, such holder of the animal shall
give notice to the owner thereof, if known, or if unknown, he or she shall post
notices at some public place near the premises.

(Source: P.A. 83-337.)

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