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

Rules another office applies inside Irishtown Township

Irishtown 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 homes, decks, sheds, pools, garages, carports and farm structures on unincorporated land inside Irishtown township

  • The county calls this a zoning certificate; it is issued by the county zoning department, not by the township.
  • Construction may proceed only after the zoning certificate/permit is issued.
  • The FAQ is dated 2017; current status should be confirmed with the zoning office.

  “Application is hereby made for a Certificate of Zoning Compliance, as required under the ZONING ORDINANCE OF CLINTON COUNTY, for the erection, moving or alteration, and use of buildings and premises.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Not required — Re-roofing, window replacement and similar maintenance projects on unincorporated land inside Irishtown township

    “Generally, a permit is not required for a re-roof, window replacement, or similar maintenance projects.”

• InspectionsLimited

  State certification-of-inspection rule for newly constructed commercial buildings in non-building-code jurisdictions; new single-family homes are outside it

  • Quoted by the county FAQ from 20 ILCS 3105/10.09-1; the section does not reach new single-family or two-family residential construction.
  • No county or township residential inspection requirement was located.

  “New residential construction is exempt from this Section and is defined as any original construction of a single-family home or a dwelling containing 2 or fewer apartments, condominiums, or townhomes in accordance with the Illinois Residential Building Code Act.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Unincorporated land inside Irishtown township, Clinton County, Illinois, under the Clinton County Zoning Ordinance (county zoning, not a township ordinance)

  • Applies only to land outside incorporated villages and cities that have their own zoning; the county page says the ordinance applies to unincorporated areas and to villages without their own zoning ordinance.
  • Whether Irishtown township has adopted its own zoning was not established; this claim records the county rule that applies in the absence of a located township ordinance.
  • Aggregates to the county zoning administrator's jurisdiction; the county does not itself administer any township ordinance.

  “The Clinton County Zoning Ordinance became effective January, 1991 and applies to the unincorporated areas of the county as well as within villages that do not have their own zoning ordinance.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts (A, AR, R-1, R-2, R-3, C, I) applying in unincorporated Irishtown township

  • The district list appears in the schedule with its section reference; the full district map and boundaries were not opened.

  “DISTRICTS “A” “AR” “R1” “R2” “R3” “C” “I””

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Lots in unincorporated Irishtown township under the Clinton County zoning districts: agricultural (A), agricultural-residential (AR) and single-family residential (R-1) per the county's lot-size schedule

  • The schedule text is garbled in extraction. The column-to-district mapping (A, AR, R1, R2, R3, C, I) is inferred from column order and must be verified against section 40-3-6 before use: the values read as A 40 acres, AR 3 acres, R1 1 acre, but this is unconfirmed.
  • Where a private sewerage system relies on a soil absorption system, the minimum lot area must follow Clinton County Health Department regulations, which can be larger.

  “DISTRICTS “A” “AR” “R1” “R2” “R3” “C” “I” [...] MINIMUM LOT AREA 40 acres 3 acres 1 acre”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Structures in unincorporated Irishtown township, including road-frontage setbacks along county and township roads

  • Front setback is measured from the road centerline where the lot fronts a township road; the schedule's general front, side and rear setbacks (50/25/25 ft on the main districts, 10 ft in R-3) are district-specific and the mapping is unconfirmed.
  • Along interstate and state routes the setback is 75 ft from easements or right-of-way line per the schedule.

  minimum setback from township road centerline: 75 ft (outside the incorporated limits of any city, village or incorporated town) · minimum setback from county road centerline: 100 ft (outside the incorporated limits of any city, village or incorporated town)

  “the minimum setback shall be 100 ft from the center line of the road, & Township roads the minimum setback shall be 75 ft from the center line of the road”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private sewage disposal systems for homes on land inside Irishtown township not served by public sewer

  • Private sewage applications are directed by the county zoning FAQ to the Clinton County Health Department website.
  • The FAQ is dated 2017; the health department's own rules were not opened.

  “All private sewage disposal systems, either new installations, replacements or modifications must have a valid construction permit issued by the Clinton County Health Department.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New residential construction on land inside Irishtown township that is not connected to public sewers

  • Construction may proceed only after the county health permit or a licensed private sewage installer arrangement is in place.
  • The residential application asks for the Health Department permit number when public sewers are not used.

  “All private sewage disposal systems, either new installations, replacements or modifications must have a valid construction permit issued by the Clinton County Health Department.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division of land into lots in unincorporated Irishtown township

  • Administered by the county zoning office with plat review; the county also has a family-split route and subdivision plat review page (not opened).

  “CLINTON COUNTY ILLINOIS SUBDIVISION PLAT REVIEW APPLICATION”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Construction on land in the mapped floodplain in unincorporated Irishtown township

  • Applicants must answer whether any part of the tract is in the floodplain; a yes answer requires more information before a building permit issues.
  • The county floodplain ordinance is administered by the zoning office; its text was not opened.

  “Is any part of the tract of land in the floodplain based on the Flood Hazard Boundary Map? Yes or No [...] (If you answered yes to the above, more information will be needed before issuing a building permit.)”

• Permit processPartial

  New home zoning certificate in unincorporated Irishtown township

  • The FAQ lists the documents needed; the county also requires a septic/sewage permit, and fee and inspection steps were not located.

  “Site plan, 8 ½” x 11” copy of floor plan, sewage permit and any additional information required by Zoning Administrator.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption in Irishtown township
• Building code adopted — Residential building code adopted for land inside Irishtown township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes in Irishtown township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in unincorporated Irishtown township
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage in unincorporated Irishtown 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.