Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Brenton Township, Illinois

Rules another office applies inside Brenton Township

Brenton 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 permitRequired

  New construction and additions that increase the square footage of existing buildings on land inside Brenton township outside village or city zoning limits

  • A permit must be obtained before construction begins; construction may proceed only after the permit is issued.
  • Agricultural use buildings also require a permit, but no fee is charged by statute.
  • Permits are subject to other approvals; the county's permit application lists well and septic among examples, but that application was not opened.

  “construction permits are required for all new construction and for all projects which increase the square footage of existing buildings on the property.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Brenton township outside the limits of any village or city that has its own zoning. The county zoning ordinance covers this land because no Brenton township zoning ordinance was found. Ford County administers it; this is not a township-adopted ordinance.

  • The county says the ordinance covers unincorporated areas and villages without their own zoning; property inside Gibson City, Paxton or Piper City is handled by those cities.
  • No Brenton township zoning ordinance or official statement that the township has or has not adopted zoning was found (see the township-own claim).
  • The county zoning page is the source; the ordinance text retrieved is the Revised February 2022 version, and no later amendment was checked.

  “the zoning ordinance applies to the unincorporated areas of the county, as well as villages that do not have their own zoning.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts that apply to land inside Brenton township outside village or city zoning limits

  • The ordinance lists eight districts: AG-1, CO-1, R-1, R-2, R-3, B-1, B-2 and I-1.
  • Revised February 2022 ordinance; the district map was not opened.

  “(1) ag-1 agricultural district (2) co-1 conservation district (3) r - 1 residential district (4) r - 2 residential district (5) r - 3 residential district (6) b - 1 highway business district (7) b - 2 general business district (8) i - 1 industrial district”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  AG-1 agricultural district land inside Brenton township outside village or city zoning limits

  • Lots of record that were smaller than required on the ordinance's effective date may be used for a one-family dwelling if the owner does not own adjacent land.
  • Lot width minimum is 150 ft in this district.

  minimum lot area, single-family dwelling: >= 43560 sq ft (AG-1 district; lots of record exception in Section 4(b)(1)) · minimum lot width: >= 150 ft (AG-1 district)

  “lot width in ft. 150 150 100 65 60 none none none lot area in sq.ft. 43,560 43,560 20,000 7,800 6,000 none none none”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 residential district land inside Brenton township outside village or city zoning limits

    “lot width in ft. 150 150 100 65 60 none none none lot area in sq.ft. 43,560 43,560 20,000 7,800 6,000 none none none”

• SetbacksSpecified

  AG-1 agricultural district land inside Brenton township outside village or city zoning limits

  • Minimum yards in AG-1: front 50 ft, side 20 ft, rear 50 ft.
  • Road setbacks apply in addition: no structure nearer than 50 feet from the centerline of any township or road district highway, 75 feet from a county highway, or 100 feet from a state or federal highway.
  • Corner lots need a front yard on both streets and a side-street yard of at least 5 ft.

  front yard: >= 50 ft (AG-1 district) · side yard: >= 20 ft (AG-1 district) · rear yard: >= 50 ft (AG-1 district)

  “district ag-1 co-1 r-1 r-2 r-3 b-1 b-2 front yard 50 50 30 25 25 25 none side yard 20 20 10 5 5 none none rear yard 50 50 30 25 25 25 none”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 residential district land inside Brenton township outside village or city zoning limits

    “district ag-1 co-1 r-1 r-2 r-3 b-1 b-2 front yard 50 50 30 25 25 25 none side yard 20 20 10 5 5 none none rear yard 50 50 30 25 25 25 none”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 residential district land inside Brenton township outside village or city zoning limits

  • Public, semi-public or public service buildings, hospitals, institutions or schools permitted in the district may go to 110 ft; churches and temples may go to 75 ft if set back at least one foot per foot of added height.
  • Other exceptions in Section 5(b) were not read in full.

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft (R-1 district; see Section 5(b) exceptions)

  “thirty-five feet in the co-1, r-1 and r-2 districts.”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Agricultural use buildings on land inside Brenton township outside village or city zoning limits

  • Agricultural buildings still require a zoning construction permit; the exemption covers only the fee.
  • Whether a given structure counts as an agricultural use building is not defined in the sections retrieved.

  “agricultural use buildings require a permit; however, by statute no fee is charged.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Planned unit developments and land divisions that the ordinance connects to a separate county subdivision ordinance, inside Brenton township outside village or city zoning limits

  • The zoning ordinance refers to a separate ordinance governing the subdivision of land, which was not opened; the rules for ordinary lot splits are unverified.
  • PUD plats must be recorded and must show building lines, common land and streets.
  • Planned unit developments require a minimum of 10 acres.

  “the site shall contain a minimum of 10 acres. the housing type, minimum lot area, yard, height, and accessory uses shall be determined by the requirements and procedure set out below, which shall prevail over conflicting requirements of this ordinance or the ordinance governing the subdivision of land.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Residential building in the CO-1 conservation district, which covers flooding areas, inside Brenton township outside village or city zoning limits

  • The single-family dwelling is allowed in this district only as a conditional use and only if protected from flooding.
  • The district is described as covering flooding areas; a county floodplain-development ordinance was not located.
  • The district heading was inferred from text order; not confirmed on the page.

  “(c) single family dwelling if protected from flooding.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Construction permit fees for non-agricultural projects in Brenton township outside village or city zoning limits

  • Agricultural use buildings require a permit, but by statute no fee is charged.
  • If the application is filed after a foundation is constructed or a structure erected, the construction permit fee is double the amount stated.

  construction permit fee, first 200 square feet: 20 USD (non-agricultural projects only) · construction permit fee per square foot over 200 sq ft: per 0.15 USD (structures over 200 sq ft; non-agricultural projects only)

  “a fee of $20.00 for the first 200 square feet and fifteen cents ($.15) per square foot for structures over 200 sq ft is charged for all non-agricultural projects.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning construction-permit process for land inside Brenton township outside village or city zoning limits

  • The county publishes that a permit is needed before construction and what happens for late filings, but the full application steps, plan requirements and processing time were not found on an official page.
  • Late filing doubles the fee if a foundation is built or structure erected before the application.
  • Zoning office contact: Brandon Magers, zoning enforcing officer, by appointment at the Ford County Courthouse, mobile (217) 249-4727.

  “a permit must be obtained before construction begins.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permit or inspection inside Brenton township outside village or city zoning limits
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for new construction inside Brenton township outside village or city zoning limits
• Inspections — Building inspections for new construction inside Brenton township outside village or city zoning limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for a new home inside Brenton township outside village or city zoning limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum floor area of a dwelling inside Brenton township outside village or city zoning 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.