(410 ILCS 705/55-28)

Sec. 55-28. Restricted cannabis zones.

(a) As used in this Section:

"Legal voter" means a person:

(1) who is duly registered to vote in a municipality with a population of over 500,000;

(2) whose name appears on a poll list compiled by the city board of election commissioners since the last preceding election, regardless of whether the election was a primary, general, or special election;

(3) who, at the relevant time, is a resident of the address at which he or she is registered to vote; and

(4) whose address, at the relevant time, is located in the precinct where such person seeks to file a notice of intent to initiate a petition process, circulate a petition, or sign a petition under this Section.

As used in the definition of "legal voter", "relevant time" means any time that:

(i) a notice of intent is filed, pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section, to initiate the petition process under this Section;

(ii) the petition is circulated for signature in the applicable precinct; or

(iii) the petition is signed by registered voters in the applicable precinct.

"Petition" means the petition described in this Section.

"Precinct" means the smallest constituent territory within a municipality with a population of over 500,000 in which electors vote as a unit at the same polling place in any election governed by the Election Code.

"Restricted cannabis zone" means a precinct within which home cultivation, one or more types of cannabis business establishments, or both has been prohibited pursuant to an ordinance initiated by a petition under this Section.

(b) The legal voters of any precinct within a municipality with a population of over 500,000 may petition their local alderperson, using a petition form made available online by the city clerk, to introduce an ordinance establishing the precinct as a restricted zone. Such petition shall specify whether it seeks an ordinance to prohibit, within the precinct: (i) home cultivation; (ii) one or more types of cannabis business establishments; or (iii) home cultivation and one or more types of cannabis business establishments.

Upon receiving a petition containing the signatures of at least 25% of the registered voters of the precinct, and concluding that the petition is legally sufficient following the posting and review process in subsection (c) of this Section, the city clerk shall notify the local alderperson of the ward in which the precinct is located. Upon being notified, that alderperson, following an assessment of relevant factors within the precinct, including, but not limited to, its geography, density and character, the prevalence of residentially zoned property, current licensed cannabis business establishments in the precinct, the current amount of home cultivation in the precinct, and the prevailing viewpoint with regard to the issue raised in the petition, may introduce an ordinance to the municipality's governing body creating a restricted cannabis zone in that precinct.

(c) A person seeking to initiate the petition process described in this Section shall first submit to the city clerk notice of intent to do so, on a form made available online by the city clerk. That notice shall include a description of the potentially affected area and the scope of the restriction sought. The city clerk shall publicly post the submitted notice online.

To be legally sufficient, a petition must contain the requisite number of valid signatures and all such signatures must be obtained within 90 days of the date that the city clerk publicly posts the notice of intent. Upon receipt, the city clerk shall post the petition on the municipality's website for a 30-day comment period. The city clerk is authorized to take all necessary and appropriate steps to verify the legal sufficiency of a submitted petition. Following the petition review and comment period, the city clerk shall publicly post online the status of the petition as accepted or rejected, and if rejected, the reasons therefor. If the city clerk rejects a petition as legally insufficient, a minimum of 12 months must elapse from the time the city clerk posts the rejection notice before a new notice of intent for that same precinct may be submitted.

(c-5) Within 3 days after receiving an application for zoning approval to locate a cannabis business establishment within a municipality with a population of over 500,000, the municipality shall post a public notice of the filing on its website and notify the alderperson of the ward in which the proposed cannabis business establishment is to be located of the filing. No action shall be taken on the zoning application for 7 business days following the notice of the filing for zoning approval.

If a notice of intent to initiate the petition process to prohibit the type of cannabis business establishment proposed in the precinct of the proposed cannabis business establishment is filed prior to the filing of the application or within the 7-day period after the filing of the application, the municipality shall not approve the application for at least 90 days after the city clerk publicly posts the notice of intent to initiate the petition process. If a petition is filed within the 90-day petition-gathering period described in subsection (c), the municipality shall not approve the application for an additional 90 days after the city clerk's receipt of the petition; provided that if the city clerk rejects a petition as legally insufficient, the municipality may approve the application prior to the end of the 90 days. If a petition is not submitted within the 90-day petition-gathering period described in subsection (c), the municipality may approve the application unless the approval is otherwise stayed pursuant to this subsection by a separate notice of intent to initiate the petition process filed timely within the 7-day period.

If no legally sufficient petition is timely filed, a minimum of 12 months must elapse before a new notice of intent for that same precinct may be submitted.

(d) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the municipality may enact an ordinance creating a restricted cannabis zone. The ordinance shall:

(1) identify the applicable precinct boundaries as of the date of the petition;

(2) state whether the ordinance prohibits within the defined boundaries of the precinct, and in what combination: (A) one or more types of cannabis business establishments; or (B) home cultivation;

(3) be in effect for 4 years, unless repealed earlier; and

(4) once in effect, be subject to renewal by ordinance at the expiration of the 4-year period without the need for another supporting petition.

(e) An Early Approval Adult Use Dispensing Organization License permitted to relocate under subsection (b-5) of Section 15-15 shall not relocate to a restricted cannabis zone.

(Source: P.A. 101-27, eff. 6-25-19; 101-593, eff. 12-4-19; 102-15, eff. 6-17-21; 102-98, eff. 7-15-21; 102-687, eff. 12-17-21.)