The Handbook of Illinois Boating Laws and Responsibilities may be found here. Most laws are for motorized boating not allowed at Old Farm Lakes. However, the Personal Floatation Devices (lifejackets) section on p. 6, and other safety related regulations must be followed at Old Farm Lakes.

The City of Bloomington ordinance on open fire regulations can be found here.  This includes:

A.  Within the City limits of Bloomington, no person shall burn any garbage, solid waste, commercial solid waste, yard waste, household waste, junk, refuse, rubbish, construction waste, hazardous waste, buildings, or structures.

B.  The use of outdoor grills and barbecues for cooking is permitted.

C.  Recreational fires shall be allowed in approved containers or fire pits.

D.  Recreational fire shall be defined as an outdoor fire whose purpose is for pleasure, religious, ceremonial, cooking, warmth or similar purposes.

1. For the purpose of this section, approved container shall be defined as a device specifically designed for the use of burning wood or charcoal, including but not limited to portable fireplaces, fire pits or chimineas. All portable devices shall be equipped with a spark arrestor (i.e. screen or chimney). The approved container made of stone, metal, or ceramic construction designed for the purpose of containing a fire shall also be permitted provided the total fuel area does not exceed three feet in diameter and two feet in height. Wood contained in permissible fires shall be no more than three feet in length.
2. No approved container shall be located within eight feet of a structure or public way. No approved fire pit shall be located within 25 feet of a structure or public way.
3. Only clean, dry firewood or charcoal may be used for recreational fires. Construction materials or yard waste are strictly prohibited. The use of flammable or combustible liquids, other than commercially produced charcoal lighter fluid, to start the fire is strictly prohibited.
4. All recreational fires shall be constantly attended by a responsible adult until the fire is extinguished. A minimum of one portable fire extinguisher with a 4-A rating or a functional hose attached to a functional water source shall be available for immediate use.
5. All recreational fires have maximum time limit of four hours and shall be properly extinguished at the end of activities or time limit. Regardless of when the fire was initiated it is not allowed to extend later than 11:00 p.m. and may begin no earlier than 7:00 a.m.
6. The fire shall be immediately extinguished any time wind conditions become strong (at or above 15 MPH or greater) or if there are sustained wind gusts in excess of 20 MPH, or if the wind begins to carry brands or embers creating a potential for fire extension.

E.  Bonfires may be allowed only for officially sponsored activities of civic, educational and religious organizations. Bonfires are not approved for the general public.

F.  The Fire Chief/Police Chief or their designee may prohibit any type of burning that becomes a nuisance based on complaints of irritation of eyes or breathing of others, when the atmospheric conditions or local conditions make such fire hazardous and may order the extinguishment of any fire which creates or adds to a hazardous or objectionable situation.

G.  Definitions

BONFIRE – A large outdoor utilized for ceremonial purposes, as an expression of public joy and exultation, or for amusement.

FIRE PIT – A pit dug into the ground or made from stones, masonry, etc., that rests on the ground, for keeping a fire used for recreation or cooking.

PUBLIC WAY – A public street, sidewalk, alley or bike trail.

RECREATIONAL FIRE – A small outdoor fire whose purpose is for pleasure, viewing, religious, ceremonial, cooking, warmth or similar purposes using only seasoned dry firewood or commercially available charcoal briquettes.

RUBBISH – Items such as paper, plastic, rubber, food products, metal, glass and combustible liquids.

STRUCTURE – A building, garage, house or shed attached to the ground that consists of a roof and may have walls.

YARD WASTE – Vegetative matter resulting from landscaping and yard maintenance operations and includes materials such as tree and shrub trimmings, vegetables, flowers, leaves, grass clippings, trees and tree stumps.

H.  Penalty.  Any person, firm or corporation violating any provisions of this section shall be fined not less than $50 nor more than $500 for each offense; and a separate offense shall be deemed committed on each day during which a violation occurs or continues.
[Ord. No. 2010-46]

City of Bloomington Public Works crews make their weekly visit to Old Farm Lakes on Tuesdays.

• Garbage – Garbage collection is every Tuesday
  • Place garbage for collection at the curb – not in the street, no earlier than 2:00 p.m. on the day prior to scheduled collection
• Recycle – Recycle collection is every other week on Tuesdays
• Bulk Waste – To determine brush/bulk waste collection days, please call Public Works at 434-2225 between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. weekdays

Additional information is available in the Garbage Collection and Recycling Collection sections of solid waste page on City of Bloomington Public Works website.

The public schools serving Old Farm Lakes are:

• Washington Elementary
• Bloomington Junior High
• Bloomington High School

Most of the OFL subdivision is in Ward 3, Precinct 25. About 95% of the OFL subdivision is in Ward 3, except for residents on Weathervane Court, Hayloft Road, and Cumbria Drive which are in Ward 8, Precinct 33.

Most of Ward 3 is north of Oakland Avenue and east of Hershey Road and Airport Road. OFL, along with the neighboring subdivisions of: Old Farm Gardens, Waterford Estates and White Eagle; is somewhat isolated from the rest of Ward 3. Reference the City of Bloomington Ward Map and Ward Map with Precincts for more information.

A listing of our current City Aldermen is available on the City of Bloomington website.

The majority of residents in the Old Farm Lakes subdivision are in Ward 3, Precinct 25 and vote at:

• Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 3516 White Eagle Drive, Bloomington, Illinois (just east of the OFL subdivision via Streid Drive or White Eagle Drive)

The remainder of residents in Ward 8, Precinct 33, vote at:

• Evangelical Free Church, 2910 E. Lincoln St., Bloomington, Illinois

If you come across a dark street light within OFL, you should report it to Corn Belt Energy or contact them.

• Phone: (800) 879-0339, (309) 662-5330
• Fax: (309) 663-4516

If possible, please provide an accurate location and a pole number if available.

The Bloomington Public Library Bookmobile makes stops in Old Farm Lakes once every three weeks, on Mondays from 7:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at the intersection of Old Farm Road and Windmill Road. Check out the Bookmobile Schedule on the Bloomington Public Library website for more information.


The loan period for all items checked out from the Bookmobile is three weeks.

You can view a Map of Registered Sex Offenders in Bloomington, Illinois. Click on pins on the map to see more information about nearby registered sex offenders (name, address, crime, etc.).

You can view reports of recent crimes in the surrounding area using the interactive crime map on the Bloomington Police Department website.

For assistance using the tool, reference the Crime Mapping Brochure in the Publications section on the City of Bloomington’s website.

To report potholes you can contact the Public Works department by:

• Email: pothole@cityblm.org, or
• Phone: 434-2225

For more City contact numbers, check out the Whom Do I Contact pamphlet on the City of Bloomington website.