Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Ohio Township, Illinois

Rules another office applies inside Ohio Township

Ohio Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Building permitRequired

  New dwellings and other new construction on unincorporated land inside Ohio township, Bureau County, Illinois

  • Permit must be obtained before construction begins; construction may proceed after the permit is issued.
  • The FAQ lists dwellings, decks, sheds of 144 sq. ft. or more, garages, additions and other structures as projects that need a permit.
  • Permit is issued by the Bureau County Planning & Zoning Department, which covers unincorporated land and listed villages without their own zoning. Villages with their own zoning are outside this claim.
  • Ohio township itself does not appear as a permit-issuing body in the sources reviewed.

  “generally, any new construction requires a building permit which must be obtained prior to beginning construction.”

• Building code adoptedNot adopted

  Residential construction on unincorporated land inside Ohio township, Bureau County, Illinois

  • Statement is from the Bureau County zoning FAQ and covers the county. Incorporated villages and cities with their own building codes are outside this claim.
  • Commercial buildings in non-building-code jurisdictions are subject to 20 ILCS 3105/10.09-1 inspection requirements stated on the same FAQ page; those are not residential rules.

  “bureau county has not adopted a building code.”

• InspectionsLimited

  Permitted construction on unincorporated land inside Ohio township, Bureau County, Illinois

  • Inspections are zoning compliance inspections (stake-out, footings, final), not building inspections.
  • Because the county has not adopted a building code, no county building inspection under a building code was found.

  zoning compliance inspections during construction: 3 inspections

  “these inspections are not building inspections. they are conducted to determine that the project is in compliance with the requirements of the zoning ordinance and / or the floodplain ordinance.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Completed construction and changes of use on unincorporated land inside Ohio township, Bureau County, Illinois

  • Certificate is issued after the final zoning compliance inspection on completion of the project.
  • Also issued when the use on a tract of land changes.

  “occupancy certificates are issued upon completion of the construction project, or when the use on a tract of land changes.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts applying to unincorporated land inside Ohio township, Bureau County, Illinois

  • County zoning districts are published as separate ordinance sections: Agricultural, Rural Estate RE, R-1, R-2, R-3, B-1, B-3, M-1 and M-2, plus resort-recreational RR.
  • Municipalities with their own zoning ordinances are excluded: Dalzell, DePue, Ladd, Neponset, Princeton, Seatonville, Spring Valley, Tiskilwa and Walnut.
  • Village of Ohio is listed as having no own zoning ordinance, so county zoning applies to it per the same FAQ.

  “article iii – zoning districts – agricultural article iii – zoning districts – resort-recreational rr article iii – zoning districts – rural estate re article iii – zoning districts – single family home r-1”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Septic systems on land inside Ohio township, Bureau County, Illinois (county health department service area)

  • Routed to the Bureau County Health Department by the county zoning FAQ. Applies inside Ohio township because the FAQ covers all of Bureau County.
  • Health department rules, setbacks, and design standards were not reviewed.

  “please contact the bureau county health department for evaluations, permits, questions and concerns with wells and septic systems located in bureau county.”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Agricultural uses on unincorporated land inside Ohio township, Bureau County, Illinois

  • Exemption is set by state law. The county says the owner should verify it with the zoning department and confirm with legal counsel.
  • The county does not state the test for qualifying use in the page reviewed.

  “agriculture exemption: certain agricultural uses are exempt from meeting local zoning requirements according to state law.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Development in mapped special flood hazard areas on unincorporated land inside Ohio township, Bureau County, Illinois

  • County floodplain ordinance is incorporated by reference in the zoning ordinance and subdivision ordinance.
  • Applicant must provide certified elevation information if there is any uncertainty about floodplain status.
  • Floodplain ordinance text (Article VI) was not opened.

  “they are fairly restrictive and allow only limited development activity.”

• Permit processPartial

  Permit process for construction on unincorporated land inside Ohio township, Bureau County, Illinois

  • Contact the Planning & Zoning Department (815-875-1631, [email protected], 700 South Main Street, Room B-5, Princeton) before the project begins.
  • Fee amounts, application steps and review timelines are not stated on the pages reviewed.

  “if a citizen wishes to build in an area under the jurisdiction of the bureau county zoning ordinance, this department should be contacted before the project begins to be certain all local regulations are met.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Ohio Township or Bureau County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder residential construction inside Ohio township, Bureau County, Illinois
• Local zoning — Land inside Ohio township, Bureau County, Illinois
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwelling minimum size, main residential district, unincorporated Ohio township, Bureau County, Illinois
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size in the main single-family district (R-1) and the agricultural district, unincorporated Ohio township, Bureau County, Illinois
• Setbacks — Yard setbacks in the Agricultural, Rural Estate and R-1 districts, unincorporated Ohio township, Bureau County, Illinois

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.