Departments
County Administration works with the county board and its various committees and is responsible for business matters such as budget, finance, human resources, purchasing, information technology, and coordination between departments.
Animal Services is a government owned and operated animal control facility, certified and inspected by the State of Illinois. It is funded through vaccination registration by the citizens of Boone County.
The Boone County Assessment Office is responsible for overseeing the fair and equitable assessment of real property in the county, as well as managing assessment exemptions and the ownership records.
The Boone County Building Department enforces the adopted building and zoning codes by issuing building permits, conducting inspections, enforcing special use permit conditions, and handling zoning complaints.
The County Clerks Office processes and records all legal documents, including Birth & Death Certificates, and conducts all elections.
Clerk of the Circuit Court
The Circuit Clerk is responsible for maintaining a record of all cases that come before the Boone County court system. The Circuit Clerk also collects and disburses fines and fees and summons prospective jurors for both petit jury and grand jury duty.
The Boone County Coroner's Office performs thorough investigations in the event of a death, pursuant to Illinois State Statute and is a law enforcement agency.
The Boone County Correctional Facility, under the authority and supervision of the Boone County Sheriff, provides for the custody of individuals awaiting trial, serving sentences up to one year, or sentenced to periodic imprisonment.
It is the responsibility of EMA to protect lives and property before a disaster strikes through planning, training, and mitigation and to reduce human suffering after a disaster strikes through prompt and effective coordination of the local response.
Belvidere - Boone County GIS maintains maps & geographic databases for the entire county, and provides access to property data via its GIS website.
The Health Department provides a variety of services related to public health, clinics, and environmental concerns.
The duties of the highway department are to inspect and maintain the highways and bridges, issue access permits, issue overweight/oversized permits, and issue utility permits on highways under the County’s jurisdiction. The department also develops a budget, designs road projects, reviews subdivision plans, reviews building and zoning issues and assists townships when asked.
The Boone County Planning Department serves the County for planning & zoning needs. The Department provides information on the Comprehensive Plan, Zoning Code, and Subdivision Code. In addition, information on Special Uses, Rezonings, Variances, Text Amendments and Subdivisions are provided.
Operating under the supervision of the Chief Judge of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit of Illinois, the Department administers services to offenders sentenced to community supervision. The Department enhances public safety by diligently enforcing the orders of the Court and providing offender based services to aid in their rehabilitation.
The Boone County Public Defender's office represents those individuals that have been accused of a crime which carries with it the potential for jail or prison time and cannot afford to retain private counsel. This office handles all varieties of criminal matters from traffic to misdemeanors to murder. The Public Defender's office can also be appointed in juvenile cases and abuse and neglect cases involving the rights of a parent accused of abusing or neglecting their child. The Public Defender may represent one of the child's parents or be appointed to represent the interest of the child.
The most fundamental function of this department is to protect the lives and property of the citizens of Boone County. The Sheriff is charged with the constitutional and statutory responsibilities of enforcing federal and state laws, as well as local county ordinances within the unincorporated areas of the county.
The State's Attorney's Office represents the People of the State of Illinois and is charged with the prosecution of violations of the criminal statutes of Illinois. Other than traffic offenses occurring in the City of Belvidere, any crime occurring within the jurisdiction of Boone County is the Boone County State's Attorney's responsibility.
The Storm Water and Pollution Control addresses storm water pollution controls for the Belvidere-Boone County area.
Treasurer
The duty of the County Treasurer is to receive and safely deposit all revenues and other public monies of the county. The County Treasurer is also responsible for mailing real estate tax bills, collecting those taxes and distributing the funds to all of the taxing districts in the county. Finally, the Boone County Treasurer collects the 1% food and beverage tax that supports the Community Building Complex of Boone County.