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

Rules another office applies inside Harwood Township

Harwood 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

  Construction and land use inside Harwood township's unincorporated area; the permit is the county zoning use permit, not a building code permit

  • Agriculture-related construction and use is exempt (see agricultural_exemption claim).
  • Zoning use permit fees and processing are covered in the permit_fees and permit_process claims.
  • The brochure presents this as the county's rule for unincorporated land; it does not list municipal areas.

  “yes, a zoning use permit is required for any construction or land use in the country.”

• InspectionsLimited

  Construction inside Harwood township's unincorporated area

  • The county's stated inspections are zoning compliance inspections to check the approved zoning use permit and the zoning ordinance.
  • The brochure does not describe a separate building-code inspection.

  “zoning compliance inspections are conducted to assure compliance with an approved zupa and to ensure compliance with the zoning ordinance.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  County zoning districts that apply to land inside Harwood township's unincorporated area, absent a township ordinance

  • Districts are set in Section 5.1 of the Champaign County Zoning Ordinance, which includes the AG-1, AG-2, CR, R-1 through R-5, and B-1 districts named in the Section 5.3 table.
  • Each parcel's district is set by the county zoning map; this research did not read the map.

  “the ag-1, agriculture district is intended to protect the areas of the county where soil and topographic conditions are best adapted to the pursuit of agricultural uses”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  AG-1 Agriculture district lots inside Harwood township's unincorporated area

  • Lots in the AG-1 district must comply with the rural residential overlay rules in Section 5.4 (no building may be built on an AG-1 lot not created in conformance with that section).
  • The schedule's footnotes (5), (13), (14), (15) apply to this row and were not verified.
  • Row read from a text extraction of the Section 5.3 table; column alignment should be confirmed on the page.

  minimum lot size: 1 acre (Section 5.4 rural residential overlay rules and footnotes (5), (13), (14), (15)) · average lot width: 200 feet

  “ag-1 agriculture 1 acre 200 50 nr10 85 75 55 15 25 20% (5), (13), (14), (15)”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 single family residence lots inside Harwood township's unincorporated area

    “r-1 single family residence 9,000 80 35 2 1/2 85 75 55 10 20 30% (5), (8)”

• SetbacksSpecified

  AG-1 Agriculture district lots inside Harwood township's unincorporated area

  • Front setbacks are measured from the street centerline; the three values are read as major, collector and minor street classes in that order (header garbled in text extraction; confirm on page).
  • Footnotes (5), (13), (14), (15) apply and were not verified.

  front setback from street centerline, major street: 85 feet (street class mapping to be confirmed) · front setback from street centerline, collector street: 75 feet (street class mapping to be confirmed) · front setback from street centerline, minor street: 55 feet (street class mapping to be confirmed) · side yard: 15 feet · rear yard: 25 feet

  “ag-1 agriculture 1 acre 200 50 nr10 85 75 55 15 25 20% (5), (13), (14), (15)”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 single family residence lots inside Harwood township's unincorporated area

    “r-1 single family residence 9,000 80 35 2 1/2 85 75 55 10 20 30% (5), (8)”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  AG-1 Agriculture district lots inside Harwood township's unincorporated area

  • Footnotes (5), (13), (14), (15) apply and were not verified.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 20 percent (footnotes (5), (13), (14), (15))

  “ag-1 agriculture 1 acre 200 50 nr10 85 75 55 15 25 20% (5), (13), (14), (15)”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 single family residence lots inside Harwood township's unincorporated area

    “r-1 single family residence 9,000 80 35 2 1/2 85 75 55 10 20 30% (5), (8)”

• Building heightSpecified

  AG-1 Agriculture district structures inside Harwood township's unincorporated area

  • The stories column for AG-1 reads 'nr' with footnote (10); the footnote was not verified.
  • Footnotes (5), (13), (14), (15) apply and were not verified.

  maximum height: <= 50 feet (footnote (10) for stories)

  “ag-1 agriculture 1 acre 200 50 nr10 85 75 55 15 25 20% (5), (13), (14), (15)”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 single family residence structures inside Harwood township's unincorporated area

    “r-1 single family residence 9,000 80 35 2 1/2 85 75 55 10 20 30% (5), (8)”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Occupancy of a manufactured home on a lot inside Harwood township's unincorporated area, as a temporary placement during construction of a permanent dwelling

  • Temporary placement is permitted at the zoning administrator's discretion and must be part of the zoning use permit for the permanent dwelling.
  • The permission expires with the expiration or revocation of that zoning use permit.
  • No permanent manufactured-home occupancy rule was located in the pages opened.

  “the zoning administrator may permit the temporary placement of a manufactured home on a lot for the use of the owner, while he is constructing a permanent dwelling, when required by the owner.”

• Accessory dwellingsProhibited

  A second home (for example for elderly parents or guests) on land inside Harwood township's unincorporated area

  • Each home must sit on a separate zoning lot; creating a new lot may not be possible if a map amendment or subdivision is needed.
  • The brochure's statement covers second homes; it does not address other accessory buildings.

  “no. second homes are not allowable on any land. each home needs to be on a separate zoning lot”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Private sewage systems on land inside Harwood township outside Champaign and Urbana city limits, which the district handles under the county forms

  • Systems inside Champaign or Urbana city limits use the C-U forms and fee schedule instead.
  • Champaign-Urbana Public Health District's office is at 201 W. Kenyon Rd., Champaign, IL 61820 (phone 217-373-7900 or 217-363-3269).

  “for all other areas of champaign county, please use the county forms.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New or renovated private sewage systems on land inside Harwood township outside Champaign and Urbana city limits

  • A homeowner or an Illinois Department of Public Health-licensed sewage contractor must obtain the construction permit before work starts.
  • The page states applications are processed within 15 days and that at least 48 hours' notice is required before starting work on a system.
  • An application must be submitted with the appropriate permit fee.

  “a homeowner or an illinois department of public health-licensed sewage contractor must obtain a construction permit from our office before any work is conducted.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Private sewage systems installed inside Harwood township outside Champaign and Urbana city limits

  • Inspection is by district staff to confirm installation follows code.
  • Work may not start until the district has received at least 48 hours' notice after permit approval.

  “our staff will conduct inspections to determine that systems have been installed according to code.”

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable

  Agriculture-related construction and land use inside Harwood township's unincorporated area

  • The brochure says zoning permits are not required for agriculture-related construction or use under the 'agriculture exemption'.
  • Zoning use permit fees also exempt agriculture (zoning ordinance Section 9.3.1).
  • The exact scope of the exemption is defined in the zoning ordinance, which was not fully read.

  “permits are required for all construction and land use except that related to the “agriculture exemption”.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division of land inside Harwood township's unincorporated area

  • The county's subdivision regulations and the Illinois Plat Act govern land division in most of the unincorporated area; the brochure names no exceptions.
  • Subdivision plats are reviewed by the county's environment and land use committee and approved by the county board.
  • Creating new lots in AG-1, AG-2 or CR districts is subject to the rural residential overlay rules in Section 5.4 of the zoning ordinance.

  “these regulations (and the illinois plat act) govern the division of land in most of the unincorporated area.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Construction in mapped flood hazard areas inside Harwood township's unincorporated area

  • Champaign County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and administers its flood hazards development regulations.
  • Floodplain development permit applications carry application fees.
  • Floodplain construction needs a professional engineer or licensed land surveyor and takes longer review; the county's special flood hazard areas ordinance was not opened.

  “floodplain development permit applications are accepted and processed. application fees apply.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning use permit fees for construction inside Harwood township's unincorporated area

  • Fee for a single structure is capped; engineering review fees under subsection 9.3.4 are not part of the capped fee.
  • Single and two-family dwellings are charged per 100 square feet; all other buildings have a separate base fee plus a per-100-square-foot charge.
  • Agriculture and government-owned uses are exempt from zoning use permit fees.
  • Fees are non-refundable unless the zoning administrator finds the permit was not required because of staff error.

  zoning use permit fee cap per single structure: <= 1500 USD (engineering review fees under subsection 9.3.4 excluded) · single and two-family dwelling construction fee: 12 USD per 100 sq. ft. (Section 9.3.1 construction of principal structures)

  “in no case shall any zoning use permit fee for a single structure exceed $1,500.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning use permit process for construction inside Harwood township's unincorporated area

  • The department accepts and processes zoning use permit applications with required fees, inspects compliance, and issues zoning compliance certificates.
  • Variances, map amendments, special use permits and subdivisions are handled through other county processes not described in detail here.
  • The brochure lists the department at the Brookens Administrative Center, 1776 E. Washington, Urbana; the current county page gives the Scott M. Bennett Administrative Center, 102 E. Main Street, Urbana. Confirm before visiting.

  “zoning use permit applications, along with required fees, are accepted and processed.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Harwood township
• Building code adopted — Whether a residential building code is adopted and enforced for construction inside Harwood township's unincorporated area
• Certificate of occupancy — Whether a certificate of occupancy is required before occupying a new home inside Harwood township's unincorporated area
• Local zoning — Whether Harwood township adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance for land inside its limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size for a home inside Harwood township's unincorporated area

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.