Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Seven Hickory Township, Illinois

Rules another office applies inside Seven Hickory Township

Seven Hickory 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

  Zoning-related building permits for parcels inside Seven Hickory township outside municipal zoning jurisdictions

  • Statement is limited to zoning and permitting documents; septic, well and state or federal requirements still apply.
  • Parcels inside a municipality's one and one-half mile jurisdiction should be checked with that municipality.

  “thus, coles county does not require building permits, engineering reports, property specifications, and other documents pertaining to zoning or permitting.”

• InspectionsLimited

  Commercial buildings inside Seven Hickory township outside municipal zoning jurisdictions

  • Applies to commercial buildings only; the county page states no residential inspection requirement in the same passage.
  • Inspection requirement is stated by the county as following state law.

  “commercial buildings, according to state law, must be inspected before first use and those forms can be found in the coles county assessment office.”

• Local zoningAbsent

  Parcels inside Seven Hickory township that lie outside the zoning jurisdiction of any municipality (county zoning only; the township itself is not shown to have adopted zoning)

  • The county statement covers parcels outside the zoning jurisdictions of Mattoon, Charleston, Oakland, Lerna, Humboldt and Ashmore; the county page says those municipalities have jurisdiction within one and one-half miles of their municipal boundary and should be contacted to determine whether a development is subject to their ordinances. Seven Hickory township borders Charleston, so a parcel inside Charleston's 1.5-mile jurisdiction is not covered by this statement.
  • The county does regulate certain developments, including those in a flood plain, subdivisions, regional pollution control facilities, entertainment, junkyards, and solar/wind commercial development.

  “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.”

• Zoning districtsNot published

  Zoning districts for land inside Seven Hickory township outside municipal zoning jurisdictions

  • No county zoning districts exist for these parcels; the township has no zoning districts found.

  “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

  Minimum dwelling size for a home inside Seven Hickory township outside municipal zoning jurisdictions

  • No county zoning dimensional standard applies; state and federal law 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

  Zoning setbacks for buildings inside Seven Hickory township outside municipal zoning jurisdictions

  • Zoning setbacks absent. Subdivision regulations list required setbacks (table of contents, section 4.8) for plats; not opened in this record.

  “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

  Lot coverage for buildings inside Seven Hickory township outside municipal zoning jurisdictions

  • No county zoning lot-coverage standard 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.”

• Building heightNone

  Building height for structures inside Seven Hickory township outside municipal zoning jurisdictions

  • No county zoning height limit applies; airport hazard zoning for Coles County Memorial Airport may apply to subdivision plats (subdivision regulations certificate #10) and was not analyzed.

  “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.”

• Living in an RVUnrestricted

  Long-term RV occupancy on private land inside Seven Hickory township outside municipal zoning jurisdictions

  • No county zoning applies; septic, well and state or federal rules still apply.
  • Parcels inside a municipality's one and one-half mile jurisdiction must be checked with that municipality.

  “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.”

• Camping on your landUnrestricted

  Temporary camping on private land inside Seven Hickory township outside municipal zoning jurisdictions

  • No county zoning applies; septic and sanitation rules still apply where a camper is connected to a system.

  “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.”

• Tiny homesUnrestricted

  Tiny home occupancy on private land inside Seven Hickory township outside municipal zoning jurisdictions

  • No county zoning applies; septic, well and state or federal rules 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.”

• Manufactured homesUnrestricted

  Manufactured home occupancy on private land inside Seven Hickory township outside municipal zoning jurisdictions

  • No county zoning applies; septic, well and state or federal rules 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.”

• Accessory dwellingsUnrestricted

  Accessory dwelling units on private land inside Seven Hickory township outside municipal zoning jurisdictions

  • No county zoning applies; each dwelling still needs a septic permit or sewer connection under the county rules.

  “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 on land inside Seven Hickory township

  • Administered by the Coles County Health Department under the Coles County private sewage disposal system ordinance (Appendix I of the county subdivision regulations).
  • Where a public sewer is available the county health department may refuse a permit (see utility_connection).

  “all applications for permits granted under provisions of this ordinance shall be made to the coles county health department.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Construction, alteration or extension of a private sewage disposal system on land inside Seven Hickory township

  • Permit issued only to an Illinois licensed private sewage disposal installation contractor registered in Coles County, or to a homeowner installing their own system.
  • Applications must include a complete system plan and a signed home/property owner maintenance acknowledgment; a soils evaluation must be submitted with the application.
  • Permit to construct is void if construction has not started within six months of issuance.
  • Health department may refuse a permit where public or community sewer is available (see utility_connection).

  permit validity before construction starts: 6 months (void if construction has not started within this period)

  “it shall be unlawful for any person to construct, alter, or extend a private sewage disposal system within coles county unless he holds a valid permit issued by the coles county health department”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Private sewage disposal systems built inside Seven Hickory township

  • Work may not be backfilled before inspection; any covered portion must be uncovered for inspection.
  • No work shall be started nor any inspections made until a permit has been submitted to the health department.

  “section 8.4 of the coles county private sewage disposal system ordinance prohibits backfilling any portion of a private sewage disposal system prior to being inspected.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  A new single-family home inside Seven Hickory township that could connect to a public sewer

  • Sewer is deemed available when a public sewer line is in place within any street, alley, right-of-way or easement that adjoins or abuts the premises, or when the improvement is within a reasonable distance of a public sewer to which connection is practical and permitted by the controlling authority.
  • Reasonable distance is not greater than 300 feet for a single family residence and not greater than 1,000 feet for a commercial establishment or multi-family dwelling.
  • The county may refuse a septic permit where public sewer is available; no water-connection rule was found in the county documents.

  public sewer availability distance, single-family residence: <= 300 feet (1,000 feet for commercial or multi-family)

  “a reasonable distance for the purpose of this provision shall be deemed to be not greater than 300 feet for a single family residence and not greater than 1,000 feet for a commercial establishment or multi-family dwelling.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivisions of land inside Seven Hickory township outside incorporated municipal limits and outside municipal review control

  • Applies to any and all subdivisions of land in Coles County except land inside a legally incorporated municipality or under review control of a city or village exercising municipal planning powers.
  • Lots divided under the regulations must meet the county plat and improvement standards; a minor subdivision is three lots or fewer with no new right-of-way.

  “the following shall be applicable to any and all subdivisions of land within the boundaries of coles county, illinois except for land within the corporate boundary of a legally incorporated municipality”

• Permit processPartial

  Septic permit application process for land inside Seven Hickory township

  • Applications go to the Coles County Health Department; they must include a completed signed form, a complete system plan, and a home/property owner maintenance acknowledgment.
  • A soils evaluation is required before application and submitted with it; the health department asks for applications at least 7 days before a job starts.

  “all applications for permits granted under provisions of this ordinance shall be made to the coles county health department.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for a homeowner building in Seven Hickory township
• Building code adopted — Whether any building code is adopted for construction inside Seven Hickory township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for buildings inside Seven Hickory township
• Agricultural exemption — Agricultural exemption for farm buildings inside Seven Hickory township
• Driveway access — Driveway or private entrance permits for a home inside Seven Hickory 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.