765 ILCS 165/20 — Illinois Code / Chapter 765 / Act 165 / Section 20
Section 20
Status: in_force

(765 ILCS 165/20) Sec. 20. Deed restrictions; covenants. (a) No deed restrictions, covenants, or similar binding agreements running with the land shall prohibit or have the effect of prohibiting a solar energy system from being installed on a building erected on a lot or parcel covered by the deed restrictions, covenants, or binding agreements, if the building is subject to a homeowners' association, common interest community association, or condominium unit owners' association. A property owner may not be denied permission to install a solar energy system, or be required to utilize specific technology, including, but not limited to, solar shingles rather than traditional solar panels, by any entity granted the power or right in any deed restriction, covenant, or similar binding agreement to approve, forbid, control, or direct alteration of property. However, for purposes of this Act, the entity may determine the specific configuration of the elements of a solar energy system on a given roof face, provided that it may not prohibit elements of the system from being installed on any roof face and that any such determination may not reduce the production of the solar energy system by more than 10%. For the purposes of this Section, "production" means the estimated annual electrical production of the solar energy system. (b) Within 90 days after a homeowners' association, common interest community association, or condominium unit owners' association receives a request for a policy statement or an application from an association member, the association shall adopt a written energy policy statement. Any energy policy statement, regardless of when adopted, shall explicitly include as the minimum standards the terms of this Section but may also include standards regarding: (i) the location, design, and architectural requirements of solar energy systems; and (ii) whether a wind energy collection, rain water collection, or composting system is allowed, and, if so, the location, design, and architectural requirements of those systems. A written energy policy statement may not condition approval of an application on approval by adjacent property owners. An association may not inquire into a property owner's energy usage, impose conditions impairing the operation of a solar energy system, impose conditions negatively impacting any component industry standard warranty, or require post-installation reporting. Nor may a property owner be denied permission to install a solar energy system based on system ownership or financing method chosen by the property owner. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an association's written energy policy statement may impose reasonable conditions concerning the maintenance, repair, replacement, and ultimate removal of damaged or inoperable systems so long as such conditions are not more onerous than the association's analogous conditions for nonsolar projects. An association shall disclose, upon request, its written energy policy statement and shall include the statement in its homeowners' common interest community, or condominium unit owners' association declaration. (c) Any provision of a homeowners' common interest community or condominium unit owners' declaration or energy policy statement that conflicts with this Act shall be void and unenforceable as contrary to public policy. (Source: P.A. 102-161, eff. 7-26-21; 103-296, eff. 7-28-23.)