Four days into Illinois' statewide smoking ban, complaints were about as rare as ashtrays in restaurants and bars.

Statewide, the Illinois Department of Public Health had received 52 complaints as of late Thursday, spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said.

No complaints had been filed in McLean County as of Friday morning, according to Bob Keller, director of the county's health department. A smoking ban has been in place in Bloomington and Normal since Jan. 1, 2007.

The state's Smoke Free Illinois Act, which took effect Tuesday, prohibits smoking inside or within 15 feet of most public buildings, including bars and restaurants.

Individuals can be fined from $100 to $250 for violating provisions of the law, and business proprietors can face fines ranging from $250 to $2,500.

The law makes the state health department, local public health departments and local law enforcement agencies responsible for enforcement.

Rules that will help guide enforcement are not yet final. A legislative body called the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules is expected to consider rules proposed by the Illinois Department of Public Health at a meeting Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Illinois Department of Public Health is accepting complaints by phone at (866) 973-4646 and online at www.smokefreeillinois.org.

Keller said all complaints have to go through the hot line or Web site.

"It helps the state keep track," he said.

Currently, counties are notified of the complaints daily by fax, Keller said. Eventually, health departments will be able to access the state Web site to get the complaints.

The Madison County Health Department received its first complaint Thursday.

Mike Hungerford, the department's environmental health services manager, said someone complained of people smoking at an establishment that Hungerford would not identify. He said it wasn't clear if the management was aware of the alleged violation.

"We don't know if it's true or false," Hungerford said. "We'll write a letter to the management, and hopefully we won't hear anything else about that building. We're going to stick with education as far as it will go."

Keller said the law is specific about posting mandatory signs at each public place to let the public know about the ban, where to lodge a complaint and the 15-feet rule. Few establishments have those signs yet, he said.

Until there is further guidance from the state or the courts, Madison County Sheriff Robert Hertz said his department would not become "the smoke police." He said anyone with a complaint would be advised of the state's telephone complaint line and Web site.

Capt. Don Sax of the Belleville Police Department said its officers had been directed to issue only warnings for suspected violations during the first two weeks of the new ban but would write citations for subsequent offenses.