Section 2005.40  Prohibited Activities

a)         No animals, except service animals to assist persons with disabilities, or animals utilized by police officers and firefighters in the performance of their official duties, shall be permitted in the buildings in the Capitol Complex.

b)         No person or organization shall camp, erect a tent, fixture, whether or not affixed to the grounds (except as authorized by the Secretary of State or General Assembly to commemorate a deceased public official or a historical event), structure, portable toilet, platform, sign, or similar device on the grounds of or within the State Capitol, Visitors' Center, the State Library, the Howlett Building, or the Stratton Building, except as provided in subsection (i).  No person shall sleep or shelter on the Capitol Grounds in a manner or place that may create a fire hazard or threaten the property or safety of any person on the Capitol Complex.

c)         No person or organization shall block, obstruct, or impede any doorway, stairway, corridor, ventilation duct, or elevator in or on the Capitol Complex.

d)         No demonstrations are allowed above the first floor of the Capitol Building; this includes singing, chanting, or shouting in a loud voice in such a manner that could interfere with the business conducted in the building.

e)         No banners, posters, placards, signs, or symbols may be carried above the first floor of the Capitol Building.  No sticks, poles, or laths may be used to carry any sign or placard into the buildings.  No chains or ropes may be carried into the buildings, except by authorized workers and State employees, with the permission of the Director.

f)         No person or group of persons may use any electronic loudspeaker, bullhorn, or other amplifying device within the Capitol Complex buildings or grounds, unless prior permission of the Director is obtained pursuant to Section 2005.50(d). Permission will be granted for demonstrations only.

g)         No banners, posters, placards, signs, or symbols may be affixed in any way by any person to the railing of the second, third, or fourth floor of the State Capitol Building.  No banners, posters, placards, signs, or symbols for demonstration purposes may be affixed in any way to the walls, railings, floors, or ceilings of any of the buildings in the Capitol Complex.

h)         No banners, posters, placards, signs, or symbols may be displayed within the Capitol Complex buildings or grounds for more than two weeks within a six-month period.

i)          No displays or structures (including tents) in Capitol Complex buildings or grounds may be erected without the permission of the Director pursuant to Section 2005.50(d).  Permission shall be granted only if the display structure is part of symbolic expression in the exercise of free speech guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Sections 4 and 5 of the 1970 Illinois Constitution.  No more than 2 tents or small structures may be erected at the location designated by the Director. The location shall not impede pedestrian or vehicular traffic or substantially damage Capitol Complex grounds (e.g., damage to grass or grounds that would require replacement).  The only locations that are authorized for structures and displays shall be the paved areas between the Howlett Building and the Capitol Building, in the north front of the Howlett Building, between the Stratton Building and the Archives Building, and in the Capitol Rotunda pursuant to Section 2005.60(i).  No structures or displays will be placed on grass areas that have an underground watering system on them.

j)          The display of commercial signs, placards, or other forms of advertisement, or the sale, display, or vending of commercial products or articles in Capitol Complex buildings or grounds is prohibited, except pursuant to a contract with a unit of State government.

k)         The noise level from demonstrators, picketers, and protesters of any group or groups, or as individuals, within the Capitol Building rotunda must not exceed 75dB(A).  If the noise level from these persons exceeds this limit, the Director or the Director of the Department of Police, or a designee, shall direct all persons to decrease the noise, or to reduce the number of people, within the Capitol Building to lower the noise level to the specified level, which must not exceed 75dB(A).

l)          No person or organization shall damage, destroy, remove, deface, defile, tarnish, or injure in any way State property within Capitol Complex buildings or grounds.  All persons and organizations engaging in this type of prohibited activity will be responsible for all costs, expenses, damages, and liability resulting from their own actions or the actions of persons or organizations controlled or directed by them at the time of the damage to State property.

m)        No smoking, vaping, or use of electronic cigarettes is permitted in any building or structure in the Capitol Complex.

n)         No skateboard riding, rollerblading, recreational scooter riding, or skating is allowed on the Capitol Complex. The riding of bicycles is permitted only in parking lots of the Capitol Complex and not on any Capitol Complex sidewalks or pathways.

o)         No masks that cover a person's face may be worn on the Capitol Complex grounds or within any of the Capitol Complex buildings with the exception of the following:

1)         Masks designed to cover the nose and mouth for the purposes of preventing the spread or contraction of a respiratory infection;

2)         Religious head or face coverings when worn in accordance with sincerely held religious beliefs;

3)         Masks required to protect a worker while completing a construction task; or

4)         Hazmat or other masks worn by first responders.

p)         No person may operate an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), unmanned aircraft system (UAS), or device more commonly referred to as a "drone" on or from the Capitol Complex grounds or within the Capitol Complex buildings, except as permitted under Section 2005.65(d).

q)         No parking is allowed in permit-only parking lots on the Capitol Complex without a personally assigned parking placard.  A violation of this subsection will result in a parking citation as prescribed in 2005.80(c).  Parking for the public is authorized in the visitor's lot located on the Capitol Complex.

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 17881, effective November 16, 2023)