Zoning, building permits and septic rules in East Oakland Township, Illinois

Rules another office applies inside East Oakland Township

East Oakland 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 permitNot required

  Development inside East Oakland Township that is outside the zoning jurisdictions of Mattoon, Charleston, Oakland, Lerna, Humboldt, and Ashmore.

  • This statement concerns Coles County requirements for zoning or permitting.
  • All developments must still conform to state and federal laws and legislation.
  • The listed communities have jurisdiction within one and one-half miles of their municipal boundary and should be contacted to determine whether their ordinance applies.

  “Thus, Coles County does not require building permits, engineering reports, property specifications, and other documents pertaining to zoning or permitting.”

• InspectionsLimited

  Commercial buildings inside East Oakland Township, including land outside the listed municipal zoning jurisdictions.

  • The inspection is before first use.
  • The official county page identifies this as a state-law requirement; it does not establish a general residential-building inspection requirement.

  “Commercial buildings, according to state law, must be inspected before first use and those forms can be found in the Coles County Assessment Office.”

• Zoning districtsNot published

  Land inside East Oakland Township outside the listed municipal zoning jurisdictions, as to Coles County zoning districts only.

  • This does not establish the absence of municipal zoning districts.
  • The listed communities have jurisdiction within one and one-half miles of their municipal boundary and should be contacted to determine whether their ordinance applies.

  “Please be advised that there is no Coles County zoning pertaining to any parcel located outside the zoning jurisdictions of the municipalities of Mattoon, Charleston, Oakland, Lerna, Humboldt, and Ashmore.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeNone

  Land inside East Oakland Township outside the listed municipal zoning jurisdictions, as to Coles County zoning only.

  • No county zoning dimensional control is established by the cited statement.
  • Other municipal, state, federal, health, floodplain, subdivision, and county development ordinances may apply.

  “Please be advised that there is no Coles County zoning pertaining to any parcel located outside the zoning jurisdictions of the municipalities of Mattoon, Charleston, Oakland, Lerna, Humboldt, and Ashmore.”

• Minimum lot sizeNone

  Land inside East Oakland Township outside the listed municipal zoning jurisdictions, as to Coles County zoning only.

  • No county zoning dimensional control is established by the cited statement.
  • County subdivision regulations may still apply.

  “Please be advised that there is no Coles County zoning pertaining to any parcel located outside the zoning jurisdictions of the municipalities of Mattoon, Charleston, Oakland, Lerna, Humboldt, and Ashmore.”

• SetbacksNone

  Land inside East Oakland Township outside the listed municipal zoning jurisdictions, as to Coles County zoning only.

  • No county zoning setback control is established by the cited statement.
  • Other municipal, state, federal, health, floodplain, subdivision, and county development ordinances may apply.

  “Please be advised that there is no Coles County zoning pertaining to any parcel located outside the zoning jurisdictions of the municipalities of Mattoon, Charleston, Oakland, Lerna, Humboldt, and Ashmore.”

• Lot coverageNone

  Land inside East Oakland Township outside the listed municipal zoning jurisdictions, as to Coles County zoning only.

  • No county zoning lot-coverage control is established by the cited statement.
  • Other municipal, state, federal, health, floodplain, subdivision, and county development ordinances may apply.

  “Please be advised that there is no Coles County zoning pertaining to any parcel located outside the zoning jurisdictions of the municipalities of Mattoon, Charleston, Oakland, Lerna, Humboldt, and Ashmore.”

• Building heightNone

  Land inside East Oakland Township outside the listed municipal zoning jurisdictions, as to Coles County zoning only.

  • No county zoning height control is established by the cited statement.
  • Other municipal, state, federal, health, floodplain, subdivision, and county development ordinances may apply.

  “Please be advised that there is no Coles County zoning pertaining to any parcel located outside the zoning jurisdictions of the municipalities of Mattoon, Charleston, Oakland, Lerna, Humboldt, and Ashmore.”

• Accessory dwellingsUnrestricted

  Land inside East Oakland Township outside the listed municipal zoning jurisdictions, as to Coles County zoning only.

  • This does not displace municipal, state, federal, health, floodplain, subdivision, or other county development rules.
  • The listed communities have jurisdiction within one and one-half miles of their municipal boundary.

  “Please be advised that there is no Coles County zoning pertaining to any parcel located outside the zoning jurisdictions of the municipalities of Mattoon, Charleston, Oakland, Lerna, Humboldt, and Ashmore.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private sewage disposal systems inside East Oakland Township, Coles County.

  • The program concerns private sewage disposal systems.
  • A soil evaluation is the first step when planning a new sewage system.

  “The sewage program is responsible for approving plans for all private sewage disposal systems, conducting on site inspections, final inspections, and complaint investigations as they are received.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Private sewage disposal systems inside East Oakland Township.

  • The sewage program performs on-site inspections and final inspections.
  • The county also investigates complaints.

  “conducting on site inspections, final inspections, and complaint investigations as they are received.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Private wastewater treatment systems inside East Oakland Township.

  • Private sewage-system plans are approved by the county program and are subject to on-site and final inspection.
  • The system type depends on the property soil evaluation, soils, landscape features, natural drainage patterns, and lot boundaries.
  • For buried sand filter and aerobic treatment systems, discharging into road ditches or adjoining property is prohibited; a surface discharge may require an NPDES permit.

  “Discharging into road ditches or adjoining property is prohibited.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Development inside East Oakland Township outside municipal zoning jurisdictions, where the county's subdivision regulations apply.

  • The county states that it has ordinances regulating the location, siting, and operations of subdivisions.
  • The page does not provide the subdivision ordinance's detailed thresholds or exemptions.

  “Coles County does have ordinances which regulate the location, siting, and operations of certain developments, including those in a flood plain, subdivisions, regional pollution control facilities, entertainment, junkyards, and solar/wind commercial development.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Development in floodplain areas inside East Oakland Township outside municipal zoning jurisdictions.

  • The county states it has ordinances regulating location, siting, and operations of certain developments in a flood plain.
  • Detailed floodplain permit, elevation, and exception provisions were not available in the opened official page.

  “Coles County does have ordinances which regulate the location, siting, and operations of certain developments, including those in a flood plain, subdivisions, regional pollution control facilities, entertainment, junkyards, and solar/wind commercial development.”

• Permit processPartial

  Private sewage systems inside East Oakland Township.

  • The county sewage process begins with a soil evaluation for a new sewage system.
  • The county program approves plans and conducts on-site and final inspections.
  • This does not establish a general building-permit process.

  “If you are planning for a new sewage system, the first step to have a soil evaluation of the property.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Homeowner construction inside East Oakland Township.
• Building code adopted — Residential construction inside East Oakland Township.
• Certificate of occupancy — Buildings inside East Oakland Township.
• Local zoning — Land inside East Oakland Township, including any land that may be within a municipal zoning jurisdiction.
• Mandatory utility hookup — New homes inside East Oakland 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.