70 ILCS 835/1
The corporate authorities of forest preserve districts, containing a population of 140,000 or more located in counties of less than 3,000,000 inhabitants, having the control or supervision of any forest preserves, may erect and maintain within such forest preserves, under the control or supervision of such corporate authorities, edifices to be used for the collection and display of animals as customary in zoological parks, and may collect and display such animals, or permit the directors or trustees of any zoological society devoted to the purposes aforesaid to erect and maintain a zoological park and to collect and display zoological collections within any forest preserve now or hereafter under the control or supervision of such forest preserve district, out of funds belonging to such zoological society, or to contract with the directors or trustees of any zoological society on such terms and conditions as may to such corporate authorities seem best, relative to the erection, operation and maintenance of a zoological park and the collection and display of such animals within such forest preserve, out of the tax hereinafter in this Act provided.
This Act applies to any forest preserve district that maintains a zoological park that was established under this Act prior to 1964, regardless of whether the population requirements continue to be met.
A forest preserve district, containing a population of 140,000 or more, or the directors or trustees of such zoological society when so authorized by the forest preserve district, may (a) police the property of the zoological park, (b) employ, establish, maintain and equip a security force for fire and police protection of the zoological park and (c) provide that the personnel of the security force shall perform other tasks relating to the maintenance and operation of the zoological park. Members of the security force shall be conservators of the peace with all the powers of policemen in cities and of sheriffs, other than to serve or execute civil processes, but such powers may be exercised only within the area comprising the zoological park when required to protect the zoological park's property and interests, its personnel and persons using the facilities or at the specific request of appropriate federal, State or local law enforcement officials. All otherwise lawful actions taken on or after August 13, 1978 (the effective date of Public Act 80-1364) and before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly by a forest preserve district or a zoological society located in a county of 3,000,000 or more in exercising the powers provided in this paragraph are hereby validated, notwithstanding Public Act 80-1364, which was a non-substantive combining revisory Act.
A forest preserve district, containing a population of 140,000 or more located in counties of less than 3,000,000 inhabitants, may charge, or permit such zoological society to charge, an admission fee. The proceeds of such admission fee shall be devoted exclusively to the operation and maintenance of such zoological park and the collections therein. Except as otherwise provided in this Section, all such zoological parks shall be open to the public without charge (i) a total number of days, to be scheduled at any time during the calendar year, equivalent to at least one day for each 7 days the zoological park is open during the calendar year and (ii) to the children in actual attendance upon any of the schools in the State at all times. Beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly through June 30, 2022, any such zoological park must be open to the public without charge: (i) a total number of days, to be scheduled at any time during the calendar year, equivalent to at least one day for each 14 days the zoological park is open during the calendar year; and (ii) to the children in actual attendance upon any of the schools in the State at all times. The managing authority of the zoological park may limit the number of school groups that may attend the zoo on any given day and may establish other rules and regulations that reasonably ensure public safety, accessibility, and convenience, including without limitation standards of conduct and supervision. Charges may be made at any time for special services and for admission to special facilities within any zoological park for the education, entertainment or convenience of visitors.
70 ILCS 835/1