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

Newmansville Township’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Covered commercial and residential projects in unincorporated Newmansville Township.

  • No permit is required for routine maintenance or repair, alterations of an existing building with replacement value below $300, construction of a service connection to a municipally owned and operated utility, or agricultural use except as required in Section 2.2.
  • A permit is required if covered work or a change of use proceeds; work or change not substantially started within 90 days requires a new permit.

  start-work deadline: <= 90 days (A new permit is required if authorized work or change in use is not substantially started within 90 days.)

  “Failure to obtain a building permit before starting a project may result in a fine.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land in unincorporated Newmansville Township, where the Cass County Zoning Ordinance is the applicable zoning ordinance.

  • Cass County administers the ordinance; the located official materials do not establish that Newmansville Township adopted or administers a separate township zoning ordinance.

  “This applies to the unincorporated areas of the county”

• Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

  Wheeled vehicles designed for sleeping or camping on lots of record in Newmansville Township.

  • A temporary permit from the Zoning Enforcement Officer is required and must be renewed annually.
  • Occupancy is limited to 182 days per calendar year.
  • The vehicle cannot be permanently attached to septic tank or water, must be removable, screened, currently licensed, at least 100 feet from property lines, on a lot of at least three acres, and the lot owner, vehicle owner, and occupant must be the same.

  maximum occupancy: <= 182 days per calendar year · minimum property-line distance: >= 100 feet · minimum lot area: >= 3 acres

  “However, temporary usage of lots of record, either with or without dwellings may be permitted for wheeled vehicles designed for sleeping or camping by temporary permit from the Zoning Enforcement Officer, provided the following conditions are met: A. The vehicle may not be occupied more than 182 days per calendar year.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Temporary sleeping or camping in wheeled vehicles on lots of record in Newmansville Township.

  • Temporary permit is required.
  • Vehicle may be occupied no more than 182 days per calendar year and must meet all listed temporary-dwelling conditions.

  maximum occupancy: <= 182 days per calendar year

  “However, temporary usage of lots of record, either with or without dwellings may be permitted for wheeled vehicles designed for sleeping or camping by temporary permit from the Zoning Enforcement Officer, provided the following conditions are met: A. The vehicle may not be occupied more than 182 days per calendar year.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private sewage disposal systems in Newmansville Township.

  • The county ordinance identifies the Cass County Health Department as an agency of the Cass County Board of Health.
  • State private-sewage standards are incorporated by reference.

  “The Environmental Health Program includes, but is not limited to, food safety, private sewage”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  A homeowner-installed private sewage disposal system in Newmansville Township.

  • The system cannot be covered or placed in operation before Health Department inspection and written approval.
  • The authorized representative may conduct construction-stage inspections.

  “An individual sewage disposal system which has been installed by a homeowner for his personal residence shall not be covered or placed in operation until the said installation shall have been inspected and written approval of the said system shall have been issued by the Health Department.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Planned-development subdivision projects in Newmansville Township subject to Cass County zoning.

  • Planned development is treated as a subdivision and must follow the subdivision-approval procedure in its entirety.
  • Preliminary plat submission is required under the Subdivision Regulations Ordinance, subject to stated procedure.

  “For procedural purposes, a Planned Development Project shall be treated as a subdivision, and the procedure for subdivision approval, as set forth in the Subdivision Regulations Ordinance, and shall be followed in its entirety whether the development shall be in single or divided ownership.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Lots and permit applications in Newmansville Township subject to Cass County zoning.

  • Lots must abut a public thoroughfare with at least 30 feet of frontage.
  • Permit application survey must show driveways and existing highway access restrictions.

  minimum public-thoroughfare frontage: >= 30 feet

  “All lots shall abut upon a public thoroughfare with at least 30 feet of frontage.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  New mobile-home-park construction permit applications in Newmansville Township.

  • The $25 application fee is paid to the County Clerk by certified check or United States money order and is nonrefundable.
  • This claim does not establish a general fee schedule for all residential building permits.

  application fee: 25 USD (Each mobile-home-park construction-permit application.)

  “Each application for a permit to construct shall be accompanied by an application fee amounting to $25 for each. Each application fee shall be paid to the Clerk by certified check or United States money order in the amount of the application fee only, and said application fee once paid to the County Clerk shall not be refunded.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  County zoning/building permit applications for projects in Newmansville Township.

  • Application is made in triplicate on County Zoning Enforcement Officer forms.
  • Information is required where applicable, including applicant/site data, survey, use and district, driveway and highway access information, and sewage and water plans where municipal service is unavailable.

  application copies: 3 copies

  “Applications for a permit shall be made in triplicate to the County Zoning Enforcement Officer on forms furnished by the County Zoning Enforcement Officer and shall include the following where applicable:”

Rules another office applies inside Newmansville Township

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

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Construction of a single-family residence or detached structure in the Cass County A Agricultural District, including any Newmansville Township parcel mapped A.

  • Farmsteads likewise require a minimum lot or parcel of three acres.
  • Nonagricultural residential lots with livestock have separate five-acre and livestock-density conditions.

  minimum lot size: >= 3 acres (Single-family residence or detached structure in A Agricultural District.)

  “The minimum lot size permitted for the construction of a single-family residence or detached structure in an agricultural district is a minimum of three (3) acres.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building code adopted — Building construction in Newmansville Township.
• Inspections — Ordinary building construction in Newmansville Township.
• Certificate of occupancy — Ordinary residential occupancy in Newmansville Township.
• Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units in Newmansville Township.
• Well permit — Private wells in Newmansville Township.

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.