{"id":373162,"date":"2017-12-28T13:04:24","date_gmt":"2017-12-28T18:04:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/illinois-law\/illinois-vandalism-laws.html"},"modified":"2018-01-17T18:28:30","modified_gmt":"2018-01-17T23:28:30","slug":"illinois-vandalism-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/illinois-law\/illinois-vandalism-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"Illinois Vandalism Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Illinois Vandalism Laws<\/h1>\n
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A senior prank at high school goes too far when a smoke bomb and fireworks ignited and released in the cafeteria cause more than $500 in property damage. What started as a childish joke quickly escalated into felony charges.<\/p>\n

Under Illinois law, many forms of vandalism<\/a> are charged as the crime of criminal damage to property<\/i>. Heightened punishments are available depending on the value and type of property damaged. If you live in the Prairie State, you should take a moment to become familiar with the basics of Illinois vandalism laws.<\/p>\n

Criminal Damage in Illinois<\/h2>\n

Criminal damage is a broadly defined law that protects individual property rights by prohibiting people from damaging the property of others. Under Illinois law, a person is guilty of criminal damage<\/a> if they perform any of the following acts without the consent of the property owner:<\/p>\n

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  1. Damages any property of another;<\/li>\n
  2. Recklessly, by means of fire or explosive, damages someone’s property;<\/li>\n
  3. Knowingly starts a fire on someone’s land;<\/li>\n
  4. Knowingly injures someone’s pet;<\/li>\n
  5. Intentionally places a stink bomb or any other offensive smelling compound on the land or in the building of another with the intent to interfere with its use;<\/li>\n
  6. Intentionally damages property to collect the insurance money;<\/li>\n
  7. Intentionally shoots a firearm at any portion of a railroad train;<\/li>\n
  8. Cuts, injures, damages, defaces, destroys, or tampers with any fire hydrant or any public or private fire-fighting equipment; or<\/li>\n
  9. Intentionally opens any fire hydrant.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Penalties for Criminal Damage<\/h2>\n

    The penalties for criminal damage are based on the dollar amount of damage caused or the type of property that was damaged. For example, property damage totaling $9,000 is charged as a class 4 felony that is punishable by up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.<\/p>\n

    However, Illinois has harsher penalties<\/a> when the property involved belongs to a school or church, or when the property damaged was farm or firefighting equipment. So when the property belongs to a school or church, it only takes $350 in property damage to be sentenced to as much as five years in prison. See the chart below for a detailed review of penalties.<\/p>\n

    Illinois Graffiti Charges<\/h2>\n

    It’s common for other crimes to be alleged along with a criminal damages charge. Graffiti is a related property crime that involves the unauthorized writing or drawing on a wall<\/a> or other surface. Under Illinois law, a person commits the offense of criminal defacement of property if they knowingly damage the property of another by defacing, deforming, or otherwise damaging the property by using paint, a writing instrument, etching tool, or any other similar device.<\/p>\n

    In addition to potential jail time, a defendant must pay the actual costs incurred by the property owner or the unit of government to abate, remediate, repair, or remove the effect of the damage to the property. ?<\/p>\n

    Overview of Illinois Vandalism Laws<\/h2>\n

    The following chart highlights important aspects of the Illinois law on criminal damage and related property crimes.<\/p>\n\n
    Illinois Statutes<\/b><\/td>\n
    Penalties for Criminal Mischief<\/b><\/td>\nTampering with or opening a fire hydrant:<\/b>