Bolthole Index

Cook County, Illinois

Building permits, zoning and septic in the Village of Orland Park, Illinois

The Village of Orland Park, Illinois requires building permits for construction and regulated alterations, with a limited repair exemption.1 Orland Park administers its own Land Development Code; Cook County Department of Public Health reviews and approves private sewage disposal systems in the village.23 Contact Village Development Services for building-code questions and Cook County Public Health for septic approval.45

At a glance

Building permits
Required for construction and regulated work; limited repair exemption1
Zoning
Village Land Development Code applies inside Orland Park2
Septic approval
Cook County Department of Public Health3
Accessory dwelling
Allowed conditionally in residential districts with a detached principal dwelling6
Owner-builder
State plumbing exemption is limited; local plumbing permits and inspections can still apply78
Private well
Permit required before construction, modification or sealing9

Who to call

Building permits

Village of Orland Park Development Services Department

Village building-code questions and Building Division and Planning and Zoning pre-application meetings.

(708) 403-5300

[email protected]

14700 S. Ravinia Avenue Orland Park, IL 60462

Septic permits

Cook County Department of Public Health - Environmental Health

Review and approval of private sewage disposal systems and well/septic evaluations in Cook County

708-836-8600

7556 Jackson Boulevard Forest Park, IL 60130

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 12, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Village of Orland Park means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in the Village of Orland Park, IL?

Orland Park requires a building permit before construction, additions, alterations, demolition and other regulated building or equipment work; repairs covered by the code’s exemption are excepted.1 Orland Park adopts the International Residential Code with village amendments for detached single-family dwellings, duplexes and townhouses.10

Orland Park construction also requires successive inspections: work cannot proceed beyond an inspection stage without written approval from the building code official.11 Completed buildings require final inspection and approval when ready for occupancy, so include inspection scheduling in the construction plan.11

Who handles Orland Park building permits and zoning questions?

The Village of Orland Park Development Services Department is the contact for building-code questions at (708) 403-5300 or [email protected].4 Village pre-application meetings offer access to the Building Division, Planning and Zoning and the Fire District; residential contractors and homeowners managing their own projects may use the service.4 Bring drawings or other project information to discuss the proposal.4

Orland Park’s building and zoning questions belong with the village, while private sewage disposal review remains with Cook County Department of Public Health.243

Does the Village of Orland Park have zoning and minimum lot sizes?

Orland Park publishes and administers its own Land Development Code, so identify the parcel’s village zoning district before choosing a house layout.2 In Orland Park’s R-4 residential district, principal uses generally require at least 8,500 square feet of lot area and 70 feet of width, subject to special-use exceptions.12 Corner lots add 10% to that width requirement, and cul-de-sac bulb lots have separate width rules.12

For R-4 detached development with a side-loading garage, the driveway must be at least 3 feet from the nearest side property line.13 Ask Village Planning and Zoning to review the proposed layout against the parcel’s district.4

How do septic permits work inside the Village of Orland Park?

Cook County Department of Public Health reviews and approves private sewage disposal systems inside Orland Park; the county’s listed municipal exceptions do not include Orland Park.3 Illinois requires plan approval from the applicable authority before constructing a new septic system or making covered major changes to an existing system.14

Cook County Public Health typically recommends an evaluation when buying or selling a home with a well or septic system and offers reviews of remodeling plans for impacts on existing systems.15 A composting or incinerating toilet does not eliminate Illinois requirements for disposal of other domestic wastewater through a conventional private sewage disposal system.16

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in the Village of Orland Park?

We could not confirm permission for residential RV occupancy, temporary camping or tiny-home occupancy on private land inside Orland Park; ask Village Planning and Zoning about the intended use before buying a vehicle or structure.4

Orland Park does allow accessory dwellings conditionally in residential districts where the principal use is a detached dwelling.6 The accessory and principal dwellings must have the same owner, the accessory dwelling cannot use a separate driveway, and its floor area cannot exceed 50% of the principal dwelling.6 A separate accessory-dwelling structure must also serve as a garage; accessory-dwelling permission does not establish permission for an RV or every tiny-home proposal.6

Building a home in the Village of Orland Park: what steps come first?

  1. Discuss the proposed home and site layout with Village Development Services, including Planning and Zoning; homeowners may use village pre-application meetings.4
  2. If the home will use septic, obtain Cook County Public Health review and required plan approval before septic construction begins.314
  3. Obtain the village building permit before starting regulated building work.1
  4. Arrange successive village building inspections and obtain written approval before proceeding beyond each inspection stage.11
  5. Obtain final village building inspection and approval when construction is complete and ready for occupancy.11

What stays with Cook County, and what should Orland Park buyers check?

Cook County Public Health remains the septic-review authority inside Orland Park and handles water-well application materials in suburban Cook County.317 Illinois requires a well permit before constructing, modifying or sealing a private water well.9 For land outside village limits, consult the Cook County guide for the county’s unincorporated-area building and zoning rules.18

Inside Orland Park, development in a Special Flood Hazard Area requires compensatory storage equal to 1.5 times the displaced volume below base flood elevation.19 Ask Village Development Services to review floodplain implications before committing to a site layout.4

Watch-outs

  • We could not confirm a general Orland Park owner-builder exemption; ask Village Development Services which work an owner may perform.4
  • Illinois’s owner-occupant plumbing exemption does not waive all local plumbing permits or inspections.8
  • We could not confirm private-land RV living, temporary camping or tiny-home occupancy in Orland Park; ask Village Planning and Zoning before relying on any of those uses.4

Sources

  1. International Residential Code (Village of Orland Park), quoted and re-checked
  2. Village of Orland Park Land Development Code (Village of Orland Park), quoted and re-checked
  3. Septic - Cook County Department of Public Health, quoted and re-checked
  4. Village of Orland Park Development Services Department (orlandpark.org)
  5. Cook County Department of Public Health - Environmental Health (cookcountypublichealth.org)
  6. Accessory Structures and Uses (Village of Orland Park), quoted and re-checked
  7. HB5913 Enrolled — Illinois Plumbing License Law amendment (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  8. 225 ILCS 320/18 — Local regulation; Department standards (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  9. 77 Ill. Admin. Code 920.130, Water Well Permit Requirements (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  10. International Residential Code (Village of Orland Park), quoted and re-checked
  11. Inspection; Right of Entry (Village of Orland Park), quoted and re-checked
  12. R-4 Residential District (Village of Orland Park), quoted and re-checked
  13. R-4 Residential District (Village of Orland Park), quoted and re-checked
  14. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 905.190 Installation Approval (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  15. Septic - Cook County Department of Public Health, quoted and re-checked
  16. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 905.130 Human Waste Disposal (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  17. Wells - Cook County Department of Public Health, quoted and re-checked
  18. Building and Zoning, quoted and re-checked
  19. Storm Sewers and Storm Water Detention (Village of Orland Park), quoted and re-checked

Written October 12, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Village of Orland Park

Village of Orland Park’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Construction, alteration, installation, addition, enlargement, repair, conversion, removal, demolition, relocation, or regulated equipment work inside Orland Park.

    • Repairs within the cited exemption in Section R105.2 are exempt.
    “R105.1 PERMIT REQUIRED: It shall be unlawful for any owner, or owner's authorized agent to construct, erect, alter, install, add to, enlarge, repair, convert, remove, demolish, locate, or maintain any building or structure or any part of appurtenance thereof; [...] without first filing an application with the code official in writing and obtaining the required permit therefor; except that repairs, as defined in Section R105.2 and which do not involve any violation of this code, shall be exempted from this provision.”
  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    Detached one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses inside Orland Park.

    • The Village adopts and amends the International Residential Code.
    “The International Residential Code (IRC) is adopted by reference, pursuant to this Section of Village Code and referenced as 5-1-14 is amended as set forth in this Village Code (5-1-14).”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Buildings and structures under construction or alteration inside Orland Park.

    • Successive inspections and final inspection are required; additional inspections can incur fees.
    “No work shall be done on any part of the building or structure beyond the point indicated in each successive inspection without first obtaining the written approval of the building code official. Such written approval shall be given only after an inspection shall have been made of each successive step in the construction. There shall be a final inspection and approval by the building code official, on all buildings when completed and ready for occupancy.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Orland Park village limits.

    • The Village publishes and administers its own Land Development Code.
    “VILLAGE OF ORLAND PARK LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE Ordinance 2084 as Amended Updated: December 1, 2025 Ordinance 6077”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Zoning districts inside Orland Park.

    • The Land Development Code publishes residential districts including E-1, R-1, R-2, R-3, and R-4 and other districts.
    “Residential Zoning Districts | Mixed Use Zoning Districts | Non-Residential Zoning Districts | Setbacks Permitted”
  • Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

    Accessory dwellings in any residential zoning district inside Orland Park.

    • The principal use must be a detached dwelling.
    • Only one accessory dwelling is allowed per lot.
    • The same person must own the accessory and principal dwelling.
    • The accessory dwelling cannot use a separate driveway.
    • Floor area cannot exceed 50% of the principal dwelling.
    • A separate-structure accessory dwelling must also serve as a garage.

    maximum accessory-dwelling floor area: <= 50 percent of principal dwelling floor area · accessory dwellings per lot: 1 dwelling

    “An accessory dwelling shall be permitted in any residential district in accordance with the requirements that follow. Except as provided for in Subsection 7, below, all accessory dwellings shall be located within the primary dwelling.”
  • Building in a floodplainRequired

    Development in a Special Flood Hazard Area inside Orland Park.

    • Compensatory storage must be 1.5 times the volume below base flood elevation of fill placed in the SFHA.
    • Lost floodplain storage below and above the 10-year elevation must be replaced at the corresponding elevations.
    • For on-stream detention in watersheds larger than one square mile, FEMA map amendments are required before construction and building construction as specified.

    compensatory storage ratio: 1.5 times displaced volume below base flood elevation

    “Development in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) shall require compensatory storage for 1.5 times the volume below the base flood elevation fill placed in the SFHA.”

Rules another office applies inside Village of Orland Park

Village of Orland Park does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    Principal uses in the R-4 residential district inside Orland Park.

    • Special use permits may provide an exception.
    • Minimum width is 70 feet, with 10% added for a corner lot.
    • Cul-de-sac bulb lots have separate width rules.

    minimum lot area: >= 8500 square feet (except as provided by special use permit) · minimum lot width: >= 70 feet (corner lots add 10%)

    “Except as provided by special use permit, no principal use in the R-4 District shall be permitted on a lot less than 8,500 square feet in area and a width (see definition) of not less than seventy (70) feet adding 10% for a corner lot width. Lots fronting cul-de-sac bulbs shall have a minimum lot width of fifty (50) feet at the right-of-way line and meet zoning district lot width at the front setback.”
  • Driveway accessLimited

    Single-family detached development in the R-4 district inside Orland Park.

    • For side-loading garages, the driveway must be at least 3 feet from the nearest side property line.
    • Other driveway-permit requirements were not established from the opened Village code.

    driveway distance from nearest side property line: >= 3 feet (side-loading garages)

    “Side yards with side loading garages shall be a minimum of twenty (20) feet. The driveway must be a minimum of three (3) feet from the nearest side property line.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Orland Park or Cook County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder work inside Orland Park.
  • Living in an RV — Long-term or residential occupancy of recreational vehicles on private land inside Orland Park.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Orland Park.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Orland Park.
  • Manufactured homes — Manufactured-home occupancy inside Orland Park.
3 more unanswered
  • Septic inspection
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Short-term rentals

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Village of Orland Park publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Cook County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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