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

Rules another office applies inside Farmers Township

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

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts in the Fulton County Zoning Ordinance for unincorporated land, including unincorporated land in Farmers township if township has not adopted its own zoning (township status not verified)

  • Districts shown in the opened yard table are ac, r-1, r-2, b and i; the full district map was not opened.
  • Township zoning status was not verified.

  “A. DISTRICTS: Fulton County is divided into five specific zoning districts. 1. AC Agriculture/Conservation 2. R-l Residential 3. R-2 Residential 4. B Business 5. I Industrial”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  AC (agriculture/conservation) district lots in unincorporated Fulton County, which includes unincorporated land in Farmers township if township has not adopted its own zoning (township status not verified)

  • Table extracted from the county ordinance is garbled; column alignment was inferred and should be checked against the source PDF.
  • Reduced to 20,000 square feet and 100 ft width per dwelling where public water service is available, per the ordinance text: "c. in the ac district, the minimum lot area per dwelling may be reduced to 20,000 square feet and the lot width to 100 feet where public water service is available."
  • Further reduced to 15,000 square feet and 80 ft where public water and sewer are both available and written permission is received from the county health department (same section).

  minimum lot area: 43560 square feet (20,000 sq ft with public water; 15,000 sq ft with public water and sewer plus health department permission) · minimum lot width: 150 feet (100 ft with public water; 80 ft with public water and sewer)

  “b. zoning district lot width in feet lot area in square feet ac r-1 r-2 b i 150 50 50 none none 43560 5000 5000 none none”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-1 (main single-family residential) district lots in unincorporated Fulton County, which includes unincorporated land in Farmers township if township has not adopted its own zoning (township status not verified)

    “b. zoning district lot width in feet lot area in square feet ac r-1 r-2 b i 150 50 50 none none 43560 5000 5000 none none”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  AC (agriculture/conservation) district lots in unincorporated Fulton County, which includes unincorporated land in Farmers township if township has not adopted its own zoning (township status not verified)

  • Yard table extracted from the county ordinance is garbled; column alignment was inferred and should be checked against the source PDF.
  • Corner-lot sight-triangle and existing-frontage exceptions in Section 10 also apply.

  front yard: 50 feet · side yard: 20 feet · rear yard: 50 feet

  “district ac r-1 r-2 b i front yard 50’ 25’ 25’ none 25’ side yard 20’ 10’ 10’ none none rear yard 50’ 25’ 25’ none 25’”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-1 (main single-family residential) district lots in unincorporated Fulton County, which includes unincorporated land in Farmers township if township has not adopted its own zoning (township status not verified)

    “district ac r-1 r-2 b i front yard 50’ 25’ 25’ none 25’ side yard 20’ 10’ 10’ none none rear yard 50’ 25’ 25’ none 25’”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Septic system permitting for a new home on land inside Farmers township, administered by the Fulton County Health Department (assumed to serve all of Fulton County; service-area boundary not separately verified)

  • Permit is needed before a zoning permit and before construction starts, per the county zoning FAQ.
  • Health-department service-area coverage of Farmers township was not separately confirmed.

  “An Ordinance regulating the construction, renovating, servicing, and maintenance of private sewage disposal systems, the pumping, hauling, and disposal of human excreta and domestic sewage, and the registration of private sewage disposal contractors and pumpers who operate within the boundaries of Fulton County, Illinois.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New home with septic system on land inside Farmers township

  • Septic permit must be obtained from the Fulton County Health Department before a zoning permit is issued and before construction starts.
  • Health-department service-area coverage of Farmers township was not separately confirmed.

  “It shall be unlawful for any person to construct, renovate, alter, or extend a private sewage disposal system within the county unless he/she holds a valid permit issued by the Fulton County Health Department”

• Well permitRequired

  New home with a private well on land inside Farmers township

  • Well permit must be obtained from the Fulton County Health Department before a zoning permit is issued and before construction starts.
  • Health-department service-area coverage of Farmers township was not separately confirmed.

  “It shall be unlawful for any person to construct, modify, or deepen any individual or semi-private water supply within the boundaries of Fulton County, Illinois unless he holds a valid permit issued by the Health Officer.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permit needed for a new home inside Farmers township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permits inside Farmers township
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for construction inside Farmers township
• Inspections — Building inspection for construction inside Farmers township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for a new home inside Farmers 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.