With the spooky season right around the corner, the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) and the Office of Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM) are working together to ensure haunted houses in Illinois are safe for citizens to enjoy.

Fires in the ‘70s and ‘80s led to stricter safety rules and regulations for haunted house operators throughout the state. In Illinois, most must have smoke alarms, sprinklers, and meet state and local safety codes. Home rule towns follow local authority unless OSFM is asked to help. Workers of the haunted houses need background checks, sex offender registry screenings, and must perform drug tests.

There are exemptions from the IDOL inspections for not-for-profit religious, educational, or charitable haunted houses. For locally owned haunted houses, those owners/operators should reach out to local authorities to see what requirements apply to them, as the local authorities provide the inspections.

With safety checks complete, Illinois families can look forward to a fun and frightful Halloween. There are many haunted houses to choose from across the state that are safe and exciting.