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

Rules another office applies inside Wall Township

Wall 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 expansions of existing buildings on land in unincorporated Wall township, under the Ford County zoning permit

  • A permit must be obtained before construction begins.
  • Agricultural use buildings also require a permit, with no fee charged by statute.
  • Applications filed after a foundation is built or a structure is erected carry double the permit fee.

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

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  New buildings and changes of use on land in unincorporated Wall township; single-family dwelling and farming occupancies are excluded

  • Excludes new buildings occupied as a single-family dwelling or for a farming use, which need no certificate under this clause.
  • Also covers any change in the use or occupancy of land (other than farming) or of an existing building (other than a single-family dwelling or farming use).

  “nor shall any new building be occupied for any purpose other than a single-family dwelling or a farming use until a certificate of occupancy has been issued by the zoning enforcing officer.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Wall township outside any municipal limits: Ford County zoning applies. No Wall township zoning ordinance was located, so this is county zoning, not a township ordinance.

  • Applies only to unincorporated land; the ordinance excludes the area within one and one-half miles of the corporate limits of Gibson City, Paxton and Piper City, where those cities' rules or county contacts apply.
  • Whether Wall township itself has adopted a zoning ordinance was not confirmed on any township page.

  “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)

  Ford County zoning districts (AG-1, CO-1, R-1, R-2, R-3, B-1, B-2, I-1) applying in unincorporated Wall township

  • Districts are listed in the ordinance table of contents; district maps are kept on file with the county zoning enforcing officer.
  • Excludes the area within one and one-half miles of the corporate limits of Gibson City, Paxton and Piper City.

  “in the following established districts, a building or premise shall be used only for the following purposes.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Ag-1 agricultural district lots in unincorporated Wall township

  • Section 7.b allows modification of lot area and width requirements in listed cases; not reviewed in full.
  • Lot area per family requirement applies to the district as tabled.

  minimum lot area: >= 43560 sq ft · minimum lot width: >= 150 ft

  “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 lots in unincorporated Wall township

    “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 yards in unincorporated Wall township

  • Minimum yards per section 6.a; alley and corner-lot rules in section 6.b apply and were not reviewed in full.

  front yard: >= 50 ft · side yard: >= 20 ft · rear yard: >= 50 ft

  “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”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 residential district yards in unincorporated Wall township

    “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”

  • Specified — Any building, structure, wall, fence or improvement on land in unincorporated Wall township, measured from highway centerlines

    “nearer than 100 feet to the center line of a state or federal highway or nearer than 75 feet from the center line of any county highway, or nearer than 50 feet from the center line of any township or road district highway.”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 residential district buildings in unincorporated Wall township

  • Some public, institutional and church structures may exceed this limit under section 5.b, with setback increases.

  maximum building height: <= 35 ft (exceptions in section 5.b)

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

• Living in an RVLimited

  Inhabited trailers (RVs and mobile units) on land in unincorporated Wall township

  • Applies except where the ordinance otherwise permits.
  • Trailer courts require a conditional use permit and minimum lot standards (5,000 sq ft per lot, 50 ft width, five-acre minimum park).

  “except where otherwise permitted, all inhabited trailers shall be located in a trailer court which has received a conditional use permit and which conforms with the requirements of the following paragraph.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes on permanent foundations in the ag-1 agricultural district of unincorporated Wall township, occupied by persons engaged in agricultural pursuits

  • Subject to the sewage disposal and water supply regulations of the state.
  • Subject to highway setback requirements.
  • Other manufactured home placements were not reviewed.

  “manufactured homes on permanent foundations, modular homes and single family homes for persons engaged in agricultural pursuits, subject to sewage disposal and water supply regulations of the state and to highway setback requirements.”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Agricultural use buildings on land in unincorporated Wall township

  • Agricultural buildings still require a permit, but no fee is charged by statute.
  • Other agricultural exemptions were not located.

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

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Non-agricultural construction permits in unincorporated Wall township

  • Fee doubles if the application is filed after a foundation is built or a structure is erected.
  • Agricultural use buildings carry no fee by statute.

  permit fee for first 200 sq ft: 20 USD (non-agricultural projects) · permit fee per sq ft over 200 sq ft: per 0.15 USD per sq ft (structures over 200 sq ft; non-agricultural projects)

  “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

  Construction permit application for unincorporated Wall township, through the Ford County zoning enforcing officer

  • Applications go to the zoning enforcing officer at the Ford County Courthouse, Paxton; the page says to call for an appointment.
  • Permit form and site plan details, and other agency approvals (well, septic, highway), were not verified on an official page.

  “ford county courthouse (call for an appointment)”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for a home in unincorporated Wall township
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption for land in unincorporated Wall township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in unincorporated Wall township
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage limits in unincorporated Wall township
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land in unincorporated Wall 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.