Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Gifford, Illinois

Village of Gifford’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New buildings, alterations and extensions inside Gifford village limits

  • Construction may proceed after the permit is issued.
  • Permit application includes a plot plan; see permit_process claim.
  • Based on 1978 ordinance text; current wording not confirmed.

  “no building shall be undertaken without a building permit”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Occupancy or use of land or buildings inside Gifford village limits after new construction, alteration or extension

  • Certificate is issued by the building inspector under the 1978 zoning ordinance, stating compliance with the ordinance.
  • Based on 1978 ordinance text; current wording not confirmed.

  “no land shall be occupied or used and no building hereaftet erected, altered or extended shall be used or changed in use until a certificate of occupancy shall have been issued by the building inspector”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Gifford village limits. The village's own zoning ordinance (No. 144) is administered by the village zoning officer and building inspector.

  • Source is the 1978 zoning ordinance as archived on the village site, adopted August 14, 1978; amendments are separate ordinances (ordinance index lists zoning amendments in 1978 and 1981). No consolidated current zoning code was found.
  • The ordinance also covers unincorporated land within 1.5 miles of the village; that outside land is not covered by this claim.

  “duly adopted by the president and board of trustees of the v~llage of gifford, illinois, this 14th day of august, 1978.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts inside Gifford village limits

  • The ordinance names the districts: A (agricultural), R-1 and R-2 (residential), C (commercial) and I (industrial).
  • The official district map is referenced but was not found online; the zoning map amendments are posted as separate PDFs.

  “the boundaries of these districts are shown on the "zoning: district map" which accompanies and is made a part of this ordinance.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Agricultural (A) district inside Gifford village limits; lots used for residence purposes

  • Based on 1978 ordinance text; current value not confirmed.

  minimum lot area: >= 21780 square feet · minimum lot width: >= 100 feet

  “(a) within the "a" district, 21,780 square feet,”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 (residence) district inside Gifford village limits; lots used for residence purposes

    “(b) within the "r-1" district, 5,000 square feet,”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 (residence) district inside Gifford village limits; the ordinance states the front and side yard figures apply in all districts

  • Front and side yards: 15 feet front in all districts; 5 feet side in all districts; 20 feet rear in all districts.
  • Front yard may not exceed the prevailing setback of other buildings on the same side of the block.

  front yard: >= 15 feet (no building may be erected beyond the prevailing setback line of other buildings on the same side of the street in the particular block) · side yard: >= 5 feet · rear yard: >= 20 feet

  “the side yard requirement shall be 5 feet in all districts.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Agricultural (A) district inside Gifford village limits; the ordinance states the front, side and rear figures apply in all districts

    “the rear yard requirement shall be 20 feet injall districts.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Agricultural (A) district inside Gifford village limits

  • Same limit as the R-1 claim; section 7.106 lists the A district.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet · maximum stories: <= 2.5 stories

  “no building shall exceed a height of twoland one-half stories or of 35 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 (residence) district inside Gifford village limits; the rule also applies to A, R-2, C and I districts

    “no building shall exceed a height of twoland one-half stories or of 35 feet”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile home placement inside Gifford village limits. Only the parcel named in Ordinance No. 148 (the west half of lot 2 and lot 3 in block 3 in the original town of Gifford) was approved by this amendment; general placement is not shown.

  • Placement was allowed by a zoning ordinance amendment for a specific petition in the R-1 district; other sites require their own amendment.
  • Ordinance is dated December 1978 with no day given.

  “a mobile home may be placed in the r-1 distri~t on property described as:”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building permits inside Gifford village limits under the zoning ordinance

  • Fee schedule is from the 1978 ordinance and may be superseded by later amendments or fee ordinances; current fees not confirmed.
  • Board of appeals notices carry a separate $5.00 fee in the same ordinance.

  residence permit fee (including garage): 10 USD (1978 schedule) · structural alteration or garage permit fee: 5 USD (1978 schedule) · commercial or industrial structure permit fee: 20 USD (1978 schedule)

  “$ 5.00 - structural alteration or garage 10.00 - residence (including garage.) 20.00 - commercial or industrial structure”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit application inside Gifford village limits

  • Application needs a plot plan drawn to scale and a survey of the lot; the building inspector approves it and issues the permit after the fee is paid.
  • Based on 1978 ordinance text; the current online form was not opened.

  “application for a building permit shall be accompanied by”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Gifford or Champaign County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Gifford village limits
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for construction inside Gifford village limits
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Gifford village limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Gifford village limits
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Gifford village limits

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.