§ 805-305

(was 20 ILCS 805/63a23) (Text of Section from P.A. 104-2) Sec. 805-305. Campsites and housing facilities. (a) The Department has the power to provide facilities for overnight tent and trailer campsites and to provide suitable housing facilities for student and juvenile overnight camping groups. The Department of Natural Resources may regulate, by administrative order, the fees to be charged for tent and trailer camping units at individual park areas based upon the facilities available. (b) However, for campsites with access to showers or electricity, any Illinois resident who is age 62 or older or has a Class 2 disability as defined in Section 4A of the Illinois Identification Card Act shall be charged only one-half of the camping fee charged to the general public during the period Monday through Thursday of any week and shall be charged the same camping fee as the general public on all other days. For campsites without access to showers or electricity, no camping fee authorized by this Section shall be charged to any resident of Illinois who has a Class 2 disability as defined in Section 4A of the Illinois Identification Card Act. For campsites without access to showers or electricity, no camping fee authorized by this Section shall be charged to any resident of Illinois who is age 62 or older for the use of a campsite unit during the period Monday through Thursday of any week. No camping fee authorized by this Section shall be charged to any resident of Illinois who is a veteran with a disability or a former prisoner of war, as defined in Section 5 of the Department of Veterans' Affairs Act. No camping fee authorized by this Section shall be charged to any resident of Illinois after returning from service abroad or mobilization by the President of the United States as an active duty member of the United States Armed Forces, the Illinois National Guard, or the Reserves of the United States Armed Forces for the amount of time that the active duty member spent in service abroad or mobilized if the person applies for a pass with the Department within 2 years after returning and provides acceptable verification of service or mobilization to the Department. Any portion of a year that the active duty member spent in service abroad or mobilized shall count as a full year. The procedure by which a person may provide to the Department verification of service abroad or mobilization by the President of the United States shall be set by administrative rule. Nonresidents shall be charged the same fees as are authorized for the general public regardless of age. The Department shall provide by regulation for suitable proof of age, or either a valid driver's license or a "Golden Age Passport" issued by the federal government shall be acceptable as proof of age. The Department shall further provide by regulation that notice of these reduced admission fees be posted in a conspicuous place and manner. Reduced fees authorized in this Section shall not apply to any charge for utility service. For the purposes of this Section, "acceptable verification of service or mobilization" means official documentation from the Department of Defense or the appropriate Major Command showing mobilization dates or service abroad dates, including: (i) a DD-214, (ii) a letter from the Illinois Department of Military Affairs for members of the Illinois National Guard, (iii) a letter from the Regional Reserve Command for members of the Armed Forces Reserve, (iv) a letter from the Major Command covering Illinois for active duty members, (v) personnel records for mobilized State employees, and (vi) any other documentation that the Department, by administrative rule, deems acceptable to establish dates of mobilization or service abroad. For the purposes of this Section, the term "service abroad" means active duty service outside of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, and includes all active duty service in territories and possessions of the United States. (c) To promote State campground use, the Department shall have the authority to offer a coupon that allows for the waiver of one night of camping fees with the purchase of at least one additional night of camping at any site that is owned, leased, or managed by the Department and that has camping facilities. The camping coupon shall be valid only from August 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025 4 for a camper who: (1) is 18 years of age or older; and (2) complies with the written requirements that are published by the Department, located on the coupon, and set forth in this subsection (c). The coupons issued pursuant to this subsection (c) shall be available on a first-come, first-served basis as advertised by the Department or for those visiting Conservation World at the Illinois State Fair or the Department's booth at the DuQuoin State Fair and only while supplies last for each day of the Illinois State Fair and the DuQuoin State Fair. The Department shall publicly announce on its website the number of coupons that will be available each day of the Illinois State Fair and the DuQuoin State Fair. Fees for utility service are not subject to waiver by the coupon. Coupons that are redeemed pursuant to this subsection (c) are limited to a total of one night of free camping with the purchase of at least one additional night of camping. The free night of camping shall be applied to the final night of camping for a camping trip lasting at least 2 nights in length or longer. (Source: P.A. 103-588, eff. 6-5-24; 104-2, eff. 6-16-25.) (Text of Section from P.A. 104-234) Sec. 805-305. Campsites and housing facilities. (a) The Department has the power to provide facilities for overnight tent and trailer campsites and to provide suitable housing facilities for student and juvenile overnight camping groups. The Department of Natural Resources may regulate, by administrative order, the fees to be charged for tent and trailer camping units at individual park areas based upon the facilities available. (b) However, for campsites with access to showers or electricity, any Illinois resident who is age 62 or older or has a Class 2 disability as defined in Section 4A of the Illinois Identification Card Act shall be charged only one-half of the camping fee charged to the general public during the period Monday through Thursday of any week and shall be charged the same camping fee as the general public on all other days. For campsites without access to showers or electricity, no camping fee authorized by this Section shall be charged to any resident of Illinois who has a Class 2 disability as defined in Section 4A of the Illinois Identification Card Act. For campsites without access to showers or electricity, no camping fee authorized by this Section shall be charged to any resident of Illinois who is age 62 or older for the use of a campsite unit during the period Monday through Thursday of any week. No camping fee authorized by this Section shall be charged to any resident of Illinois who is a veteran with a disability or a former prisoner of war, as defined in Section 5 of the Department of Veterans Affairs Act. No camping fee authorized by this Section shall be charged to any resident of Illinois after returning from service abroad or mobilization by the President of the United States as an active duty member of the United States Armed Forces, the Illinois National Guard, or the Reserves of the United States Armed Forces for the amount of time that the active duty member spent in service abroad or mobilized if the person applies for a pass with the Department within 2 years after returning and provides acceptable verification of service or mobilization to the Department. Any portion of a year that the active duty member spent in service abroad or mobilized shall count as a full year. The procedure by which a person may provide to the Department verification of service abroad or mobilization by the President of the United States shall be set by administrative rule. Nonresidents shall be charged the same fees as are authorized for the general public regardless of age. The Department shall provide by regulation for suitable proof of age, or either a valid driver's license or a "Golden Age Passport" issued by the federal government shall be acceptable as proof of age. The Department shall further provide by regulation that notice of these reduced admission fees be posted in a conspicuous place and manner. Reduced fees authorized in this Section shall not apply to any charge for utility service. For the purposes of this Section, "acceptable verification of service or mobilization" means official documentation from the Department of Defense or the appropriate Major Command showing mobilization dates or service abroad dates, including: (i) a DD-214, (ii) a letter from the Illinois Department of Military Affairs for members of the Illinois National Guard, (iii) a letter from the Regional Reserve Command for members of the Armed Forces Reserve, (iv) a letter from the Major Command covering Illinois for active duty members, (v) personnel records for mobilized State employees, and (vi) any other documentation that the Department, by administrative rule, deems acceptable to establish dates of mobilization or service abroad. For the purposes of this Section, the term "service abroad" means active duty service outside of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, and includes all active duty service in territories and possessions of the United States. (c) To promote State campground use and Illinois State Fair attendance, the Department shall waive the camping fees for up to 2 nights of camping at Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area, Sangchris Lake State Park, or Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site during the period from August 11, 2024 to August 15, 2024 for a camper who: (1) is 18 years of age or older; (2) provides proof of having purchased, between June 26, 2024 and July 3, 2024, a season admission ticket booklet from the Department of Agriculture for entry into the 2024 Illinois State Fair in Springfield; and (3) requests the camping fee waiver in person at the time of permit issuance at the State campground. The waivers under this subsection (c) shall be granted on a first-come, first-served basis for a maximum of 40 sites at each of the 3 identified State campgrounds. Fees for utility service are not subject to waiver. Waivers under this subsection (c) are limited to one per camper.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 103-588, eff. 6-5-24; 104-234, eff. 8-15-25.)