720 ILCS 5/21-8 – Criminal Trespass to a Nuclear Facility
This law makes it illegal to go into or stay at a nuclear power facility without permission.
This Illinois law says that anyone who enters or stays at a nuclear facility without permission, or lies to get inside, can be charged with a serious crime. The law explains what counts as notice and what the punishment is.
(a) A person commits criminal trespass to a nuclear facility if they knowingly and without permission:
- Go into or stay on the property of a nuclear facility after being told that entry is not allowed.
- Stay on the property after being told by the owner, manager, or someone in charge to leave.
- Go into or stay at a nuclear facility by using fake identification or lying about who they are. This rule does not apply to government officials or police officers doing their jobs.
(b) A person is considered to have been notified not to enter or to leave if they were told in person (verbally or in writing) or if a clear sign forbidding entry is posted at the main entrance or on the part of the facility they are not allowed to enter.
(c) The term “nuclear facility” refers to the meaning given to it in the Illinois Nuclear Safety Preparedness Act.
(d) Sentence: Criminal trespass to a nuclear facility is a Class 4 felony.
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