Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Arcola, Illinois

Arcola’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New construction or addition inside Arcola city limits

  • The permit is issued by the city zoning officer on the city application form.
  • Permits void if work does not start within 90 days of issuance.
  • Exemptions and minor-work thresholds in Chapter 6 were not opened.

  “building permits will void if construction is not started within 90 days of issuance.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  New construction and additions inside Arcola city limits

  • The handout names 2006 editions; no adoption ordinance or effective date was located.
  • Chapter 6 (Buildings and Building Regulations) of the code book was not opened.

  “the city of arcola follows building codes: international residential code (irc) 2006, international building code (ibc) 2006 and the illinois state plumbing code.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Arcola city limits. The city's 1.5-mile zoning jurisdiction is not covered by this claim.

  • The municipal code book lists Chapter 25 Zoning; the Chapter 25 text itself was not reachable, so district use rules are not confirmed.
  • The city's planning page links to a 1.5 mile Arcola zoning jurisdiction map that extends beyond city limits.

  “chapter 24 wrecked & salvage building materials, machinery and junk chapter 25 zoning chapter 26 wind energy conversion systems.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts inside Arcola city limits

  • Districts named in the handout: RD, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, B-1, B-2 and I. The 2014 zoning map is linked from the city planning page but was not opened. Chapter 25 text not reviewed.
  • The 1.5-mile zoning jurisdiction map is outside city limits and is not covered.

  “c. minimum lot requirements by district district rd r-1 r-2 r-3 r-4 b-1 b-2 i”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 district inside Arcola city limits (the handout does not label uses; R-1 is the district the handout's residential table lists as the main single-family district)

  • Values are read from a flattened table in an undated city handout; confirm against Chapter 25 text.

  minimum lot area: 12150 square feet

  “c. minimum lot requirements by district district rd r-1 r-2 r-3 r-4 b-1 b-2 i minimum lot area (square feet) 40,000 12,150 7,350 5,000 9,600 none 21,700 8,500”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — RD district inside Arcola city limits (abbreviation as printed; the handout does not define it)

    “c. minimum lot requirements by district district rd r-1 r-2 r-3 r-4 b-1 b-2 i minimum lot area (square feet) 40,000 12,150 7,350 5,000 9,600 none 21,700 8,500”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 district inside Arcola city limits

  • Setbacks are from a flattened table; the R-1 reading assumes the header order (lot width, front yard, rear setback, interior side setback, corner side setback) across eight districts. Confirm against Chapter 25.
  • Corner lots have two front yards, two side yards and no rear yards (handout step 1a).

  minimum front yard: 30 feet · minimum rear setback: 30 feet · minimum interior side setback: 10 feet · minimum corner side setback: 30 feet

  “minimum front yard rear setback side interior setback side corner setback 125 90 70 40 80 none none 66 35 30 20 20 20 none 50 10 none 30 25 25 20 none 30 30 none 10 6 6 6 none none 10 35 30 20 20 20 none 50 10”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — RD district inside Arcola city limits

    “minimum front yard rear setback side interior setback side corner setback 125 90 70 40 80 none none 66 35 30 20 20 20 none 50 10 none 30 25 25 20 none 30 30 none 10 6 6 6 none none 10 35 30 20 20 20 none 50 10”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 district inside Arcola city limits

  • Flattened table; confirm against Chapter 25.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet

  “maximum building height (feet) 35 35 35 35 60 60 35 none”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — RD district inside Arcola city limits

    “maximum building height (feet) 35 35 35 35 60 60 35 none”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  New homes inside Arcola city limits connecting to city water and sewer

  • A city application and permit for water and sewer service is required before connection; fees are paid before work is completed.
  • The mandatory-connection rule (whether a new home must connect when a main is available) and any feasibility exception were not located; Chapter 23 text not reachable.

  “persons constructing new homes and businesses within the city must fill out a application and permit for water and sewer services in order to begin the process to connect to the city's systems.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions inside Arcola city limits

  • Chapter 20 Subdivisions exists in the code book; its text was not reachable, so approval steps and standards are not confirmed.

  “chapter 19 streets sidewalks and other public property chapter 20 subdivisions chapter 21 taxation”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit for new construction or addition inside Arcola city limits

  • Fee is stated on an undated handout; check the current fee schedule with City Hall.
  • Water and sewer connection fees are set by the fee schedule on the water application and were not opened.

  building permit fee: per 0.1 USD per square foot (minimum fee of $25) · minimum building permit fee: >= 25 USD

  “permit fee of $0.10/sf minimum fee of $25 (checks made payable to the city of arcola)”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit process for new construction or addition inside Arcola city limits

  • Steps: check zoning, apply to city, submit application, site plan and fee, mark pins, request JULIE locate at least 48 hours before work, then begin construction.
  • Undated handout; the city may require a survey if pins cannot be located.

  “request a j.u.l.i.e. utility locate (1.800.892.0123 or www.illinois1call.com) at least 48 hours prior to starting work.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Arcola or Douglas County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permitting inside Arcola city limits
• Inspections — Inspections for construction inside Arcola city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Arcola city limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Arcola city limits
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Arcola 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.