It shall be unlawful for any person to commit vandalism. A person commits vandalism when such person, without proper authorization, engages in the willful or malicious destruction, injury, disfigurement or defacement of any public or private property. Vandalism includes, but is not limited to, any act of cutting, tearing, breaking, marking, drawing, painting or etching when such act is intended to damage property or has the effect of causing damage to property.
Any person who violates this section, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $1,500.00 nor more than $2.500.00 for each offense, plus the actual costs incurred by the property owner or the city to abate, remediate, repair or remove the effects of the vandalism. To the extent permitted by law, such costs shall be payable to the person who incurred the costs. In addition to such fine and costs, any such offense may also be punished as a misdemeanor by incarceration in a penal institution other than a penitentiary for a term of up to 30 days, or by a requirement to perform up to 1,500 hours of community service, under the procedures set forth in Section 1-2-1.1 of the Illinois Municipal Code, as amended, and in the Illinois Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963, as amended. All actions seeking the imposition of fines only shall be filed as quasi-criminal actions subject to the provisions of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure, as amended.
(Prior code § 193-1.5; Amend Coun. J. 10-6-86, p. 34526; Amend Coun. J. 5-16-90, p. 15806; Amend Coun. J. 6-12-91, p. 1718; Amend Coun. J. 5-19-93, p. 32392; Amend Coun. J. 5-20-98, p. 69305; Amend Coun. J. 5-11-05, p. 48079, § 3; Amend Coun. J. 7-30-14, p. 85776, § 1)