Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Des Plaines, Illinois

Des Plaines’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Des Plaines city limits; Des Plaines city administers its own zoning title (Title 12) and zoning map

  • Any area inside city limits not shown on the zoning map is classified R-1 single-family residential.
  • Zoning districts (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4 residence districts and commercial/manufacturing districts) are set by the zoning map incorporated into Title 12.

  “any area lying within the city but not shown on the zoning map as being included in a district shall be deemed to be, and is hereby classified as being within the r-1 single-family residential district.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land inside Des Plaines city limits; zoning districts are shown on the official zoning map incorporated into Title 12

  • The official zoning map is maintained by the zoning administrator at the Department of Community and Economic Development and is available for public inspection.
  • Residential districts R-1, R-2, R-3 and R-4 are regulated in 12-7-2 (use matrix and bulk matrix).

  “the location and boundaries of the zoning districts established by this title are as shown on a map entitled "zoning map of the city of des plaines, illinois", hereafter referred to as the zoning map”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family lots in the R-1 single-family residential district inside Des Plaines city limits

  • Corner-lot figure applies to corner lots.
  • Lot-area figures are from the 12-7-2 residential bulk matrix (Table 2) for the R-1 column.
  • Continuing-conformity rule in 12-7-1: lot area legally required for a building must be maintained and cannot be reused for another building.

  minimum lot area, interior lot: >= 6875 sq ft (interior lot, R-1) · minimum lot area, corner lot: >= 8125 sq ft (corner lot, R-1)

  “minimum lot area: interior 6,875 sq. ft. 2,800 sq. ft. per du 2,800 sq. ft. per du 10,000 sq. ft. 2 corner 8,125 sq. ft. 6,875 sq. ft. 2,800 sq. ft. per du 10,000 sq. ft. 2”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal single-family buildings in the R-1 single-family residential district inside Des Plaines city limits

  • Corner side yard may be reduced to allow a 30-foot buildable width for a single family detached dwelling in R-1, but never below 5 feet.
  • No accessory building or roofed structure may encroach into the required front yard or corner side yard setback, except as permitted by section 7-1.c.
  • Legal nonconforming structures built before June 17, 2019 that do not meet front or corner side setbacks may remain under section 5-6.

  front yard: >= 25 ft · interior side yard: >= 5 ft · corner side yard: >= 10 ft (may be reduced for 30 ft buildable width; never less than 5 ft) · rear yard: >= 25 ft or 20% of lot depth, whichever is less

  “the minimum corner side yard may be reduced to allow for a buildable width of thirty feet (30') for a single family detached dwelling unit in the r-1 district. in no instance shall the minimum corner side yard setback be reduced to less than five feet (5')”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Lots in the R-1 single-family residential district inside Des Plaines city limits

  • Rear yard coverage is calculated under note 1 of Table 2 (rear-most elevation of principal building multiplied by distance to rear lot line).
  • Building coverage figures for corner lots apply to corner lots only.

  maximum building coverage, interior lot: <= 30 % (interior lot) · maximum building coverage, corner lot: <= 35 % (corner lot) · maximum rear yard coverage: <= 60 %

  “maximum building coverage: interior 30% 30% n/a n/a corner 35% 35% n/a n/a”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal buildings in the R-1 single-family residential district inside Des Plaines city limits

  • Height is stated in stories and feet in Table 2.

  maximum height: <= 35 ft (2 1/2 stories maximum)

  “maximum height 2 1 / 2 stories to 35 ft. 2 1 / 2 stories to 35 ft. 45 ft. 80 ft.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions inside Des Plaines city limits

  • The subdivision regulations are a separate title (Title 13) of the city code; their content was not opened in this research.

  “title 13 subdivision regulations title 14 flood control title 15 municipal taxes”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Des Plaines or Cook County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits for new construction inside Des Plaines city limits
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Des Plaines city limits
• Building code adopted — Building construction codes applied inside Des Plaines city limits
• Inspections — Building inspections for work inside Des Plaines city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Des Plaines city 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.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Des Plaines means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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