(70 ILCS 605/Art. I heading)

(70 ILCS 605/1-1) (from Ch. 42, par. 1-1) Sec. 1-1. Short title. This Act may be known and cited as the Illinois Drainage Code. (Source: Laws 1955, p. 512.)

(70 ILCS 605/1-2) (from Ch. 42, par. 1-2) Sec. 1-2. Definitions. When used in this Act unless the context requires otherwise: (a) "Clerk", when used without qualifying words, means the clerk of the circuit court acting, ex officio, as clerk of a district. (b) "Court" means the circuit court of the county in which a district was organized. (c) "Ditch" means an artificially constructed open drain or a natural drain which has been artificially improved. (d) "Drain" includes ditch and means any water course or conduit, whether open, covered or enclosed, natural or artificial, or partly natural and partly artificial, by which waters coming or falling upon lands are carried away. (e) "Drainage district" is synonymous with "district" and includes all types of drainage districts organized under this or any prior Act. (f) "Drainage structures" means those structures other than drains, levees and pumping plants which are intended to promote or aid drainage. Such structures may be independent from other drainage work or may be a part of or incidental to such work. The term includes, but is not restricted to, catchbasins, bulkheads, spillways, flumes, drop-boxes, pipe outlets, junction boxes and structures the primary purpose of which is to prevent the erosion of soil into a district drain. (g) "Drainage system" means the system by which lands are drained or protected from overflow or both and includes drains, drainage structures, levees and pumping plants. (h) "Land" means real property and includes, but is not restricted to, lots, railroad rights-of-way and easements. (i) "Landowner" or "owner" means the owner of real property and includes an owner of an undivided interest, a life tenant, a remainderman, a public or private corporation, a trustee under an active trust and the holder of the beneficial interest under a land trust, but does not include a mortgagee, a trustee under a trust deed in the nature of a mortgage, a lien holder or a lessee. (j) "Adult landowner" or "adult owner" includes public and private corporations. (k) "Municipal corporation exercising drainage powers" means a sanitary district, city, village or other public body empowered by law to exercise and which is exercising drainage functions. (l) (Blank). (m) "Non-resident" means a person residing outside the county or counties in which the district or any portion thereof is situated. (n) "Registered Professional Engineer" means a professional engineer registered under the provisions of the Professional Engineering Practice Act of 1989. (o) "Sanitary purposes" includes, but is not restricted to, the protection of residential, commercial and industrial property from inundation and overflow. (p) Words importing the masculine gender include the feminine. (q) Words importing the singular number include the plural and words importing the plural include the singular. (r) "Farm Drainage Act" means and refers to "An Act to provide for drainage for agricultural and sanitary purposes, and to repeal certain acts therein named", approved June 27, 1885, as amended, which Act is repealed by this Act. (s) "Levee Act" means and refers to "An Act to provide for the construction, reparation and protection of drains, ditches and levees across the lands of others, for agricultural, sanitary and mining purposes, and to provide for the organization of drainage districts", approved May 29, 1879, as amended, which Act is repealed by this Act. (Source: P.A. 91-357, eff. 7-29-99.)

(70 ILCS 605/1-3) (from Ch. 42, par. 1-3) Sec. 1-3. Cross references. Where, in this Act, reference is made to a section by its number and no act is specified, the reference is to the correspondingly numbered section of this Act. Where reference is made to an article by its number and no act is specified, the reference is to the correspondingly numbered article of this Act. Where reference is made to "this Article" and no act is specified, the reference is to the article of this Act in which the reference appears. If any section or article of this Act to which reference is so made is hereafter amended, the reference shall thereafter be treated and considered as a reference to the section or article as so amended. (Source: Laws 1955, p. 512.)

(70 ILCS 605/1-4) (from Ch. 42, par. 1-4) Sec. 1-4. Jurisdiction of circuit courts over drainage districts-Venue. The circuit courts of the several counties have jurisdiction over all matters and proceedings pertaining to the organization and operation of drainage districts. In those instances in which all the land in a proposed district is situated in a single county, the petition for the organization of that district shall be filed with, and all subsequent proceedings shall be had in, the circuit court of that county. In those instances in which the land in a proposed district is situated in 2 or more counties, the proceedings for the organization and operation of the district shall be had in the circuit court of the county in which the greater portion of the land in the proposed district is situated. After a district has been organized under this Act all proceedings pertaining to the operation of that district shall be had in the court which organized the district without regard to changes in boundaries or area by annexation, detachment or otherwise. A district heretofore organized by a circuit court shall be deemed to have been organized in the county in which the court so organizing the district was located. A district heretofore organized by any method other than by order of any court of record shall be deemed to have been organized in the county in which the greater portion of its land is situated at the time when this Act goes into effect, unless it is impossible to determine, without a survey, the county in which the greater portion of its land is situated and in that event the commissioners of the district shall have the power to determine the county in which the district shall be deemed to have been organized. (Source: Laws 1965, p. 678.)

(70 ILCS 605/1-5) (from Ch. 42, par. 1-5) Sec. 1-5. Districts organized under prior acts. All districts heretofore organized or existing under any act repealed by this Act are declared to be legally organized and shall continue in existence and henceforth operate under this Act. All assessments therein made and all other proceedings therein taken, if in substantial conformity to law, are declared to be valid and legally made or taken. The officers of any such district and the districts themselves shall have and possess all the rights, powers, privileges, duties and obligations of the officers and districts under this Act. Any proceedings begun under a prior act repealed by this Act shall be continued and carried on under this Act to the same extent and with the same effect as though they had been commenced under this Act. (Source: Laws 1955, p. 512.)

(70 ILCS 605/1-6) (from Ch. 42, par. 1-6) Sec. 1-6. Transfer of jurisdiction over and records of existing districts. Within one year after the effective date of this Act the commissioners of each district organized under any prior law by any method other than by an order of the circuit court shall file a report with the circuit court of the county in which the district is deemed organized. The report shall set forth in so far as possible (a) the name of the district, (b) the date and manner in which the district was organized, (c) the act under which the district was organized, (d) the boundaries of the district or a description of the lands and other property included in the district and (e) the drains, levees and other works constituting the drainage system of the district. If any such district was organized in the circuit court of any county then any of the matters required to be set forth in such report by items (c) and (d) above may be shown in such report by proper reference to the book and page of the records of the circuit court by which the district was organized. The report may be combined with a petition for authority to do or perform any of the acts authorized by this Act and shall be accompanied by a current financial report. Upon being filed with the court the report shall be presented to the court, which shall fix the day and hour that the report shall be heard. The clerk shall give notice of the hearing substantially in the form hereinafter provided in Section 4-21 and in the manner and for the length of time provided in Section 4-22. At the hearing any person interested may appear and be heard. Upon the conclusion of the hearing the court may approve, modify, or disapprove the report either in its original form or as modified and thereafter all proceedings in such district shall be had in such court in the same manner as though the district had been organized under this Act. If the commissioners of such a district fail to so report to the court within one year after the effective date of this Act, then any owner of land within the district or other person interested therein may file such a report or petition the court for an order directing the commissioners to file such a report, which petition may be heard on such notice as the court may direct. If any commissioners fail to file such a report after being ordered to do so by the court, then the court may remove them or proceed against them as being in contempt of court. (Source: Laws 1965, p. 678.)

(70 ILCS 605/1-7) (from Ch. 42, par. 1-7) Sec. 1-7. Civil Practice Law to Apply - Time for Hearings.) The provisions of the Civil Practice Law and all existing and future amendments and modifications thereof and the Supreme Court Rules now or hereafter adopted in relation to that Law shall apply to all proceedings hereunder except as otherwise provided in this Act. Whenever, by this Act, the court is required to fix the time for hearing any petition or other matter the court may set the same down for hearing on any day of court. (Source: P.A. 82-783.)