Buying Land in Morgan County, Illinois

Government and land use: one of 17 counties with no townships

Morgan County is one of only 17 Illinois counties -- alongside Alexander, Calhoun, Edwards, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Menard, Monroe, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Scott, Union, Wabash, and Williamson -- that never adopted township government. A three-member Board of Commissioners handles the county's legislative and executive functions, including duties that townships manage in the other 85 Illinois counties, and there's no township-level zoning objection process under 55 ILCS 5/5-12007 to navigate here.

For land-use decisions in unincorporated Morgan County, the Board of Commissioners adopted formal rules and procedures for public hearings on subdivisions, special uses, variations, rezonings, and planned unit developments, supported by the Morgan County Regional Planning Commission (a single-county commission the Board organized in 1996). Inside Jacksonville -- the county seat -- the city's own Community Development Department regulates zoning and development, including within the city's 1.5-mile extraterritorial planning boundary. If a parcel sits near Jacksonville's edge, confirm with both the county and the city which authority actually governs it.

Jacksonville: two of the nation's oldest institutional schools

Morgan County's county seat has an unusually deep institutional history tied to education. The Illinois School for the Deaf was authorized by the state legislature in 1839 -- the sixth such school established in the country -- after Jacksonville's legislative delegation lobbied hard to secure it; local citizens raised the money to buy a seven-acre site at the west end of town in 1842, and a 32-room brick-and-limestone building was completed in 1845, with the first four students arriving in January 1846. That original building is documented as the oldest state-owned building in the country still used for its original purpose, and by 1882 the school was reportedly the largest of its kind in the world.

The Illinois School for the Visually Impaired traces to a private school that opened in Jacksonville in 1848 and was formalized as a state institution in 1849; its original building burned down in 1869 (with no loss of life) and was rebuilt the following year. Neither school creates a special zoning designation or land-use restriction for buyers evaluating land elsewhere in the county, but they're a real part of Jacksonville's civic identity and worth knowing if you're looking at property near the city.

Lincoln Land Wind: one of downstate Illinois's larger wind farms

Morgan County commissioners approved a siting plan for Apex Clean Energy's Lincoln Land Wind project, a 300-megawatt utility-scale wind farm calling for up to roughly 107 turbines across an estimated 36,000-acre project area -- a reported $400 million capital investment with an estimated $241 million in direct economic benefits to the local and regional economy. Construction was expected to begin around January 2021, with completion later that year.

A project of this scale means a meaningful share of Morgan County farmland sits under recorded wind leases or easements. If you're evaluating land inside or near the project area, confirm directly with the county and with the county Recorder's office whether a specific parcel carries an existing lease, easement, or setback obligation tied to the wind farm.

Double Black Diamond: a 593-megawatt solar project spanning two counties

Separately, the Double Black Diamond Solar Project -- developed by Swift Current -- is a large utility-scale solar plant covering roughly 4,100 acres near Waverly, with land in both Morgan and Sangamon Counties. At 593 megawatts, the project is reported as large enough to power an estimated 85,000 homes, making it one of the bigger solar developments in this part of the state. Wind, solar, and battery-storage facilities in Morgan County require an approved county permit before construction, under the county's own 2023 Wind and Solar Energy Ordinance. See our dedicated wind and solar leasing page for Morgan County for what buying land near either the wind farm or the solar project actually involves, and what a lease offer should include.

Septic, wells, and other departments to know

Septic and water-well permitting in Morgan County runs through the Morgan County Health Department (425 E State St, Jacksonville; (217) 245-5111), which lists water-well permitting/testing and septic permits among its environmental health services under the statewide IDPH Title 77 Part 905 framework. Confirm current fees, inspection scheduling, and any supplemental local requirements directly with the department before planning a septic system or well on a specific parcel.

The Morgan County Supervisor of Assessments and GIS office (both at 300 West State Street, Jacksonville, in the county courthouse) handle property valuation and parcel mapping. University of Illinois Extension serves Morgan County jointly with Calhoun, Cass, Greene, and Scott Counties, with a Jacksonville office. For recorded deeds, easements (including wind- or solar-lease documents), and plats affecting a specific parcel, contact the Morgan County Clerk and Recorder at the courthouse.