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

Rules another office applies inside Lee Township

Lee 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 dwellings and structures on land in unincorporated Fulton County, applied inside Lee township (applicability to Lee township not separately confirmed)

  • The county calls the building permit a zoning permit (FAQ: 'obtaining a zoning permit (formerly a building permit)').
  • A zoning permit must be issued before construction starts, and well and/or septic permits are required first.
  • Permit fee and process are in the county zoning fee schedule (see permit_fees).

  “before a zoning permit can be issued, and before construction can start, you must obtain a well and/or septic permit from the fulton county health department.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  New structures, buildings and dwellings in unincorporated Fulton County, applied inside Lee township

  • If a structure is not subject to occupancy, the zoning officer issues a certificate of completion instead.
  • Applies to new structures; FAQ states it is required to legally occupy a new structure/building/dwelling.

  “yes! in order to legally occupy a new structure/building/dwelling, you must receive a “certificate of occupancy” from the zoning enforcement officer.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  County zoning districts that govern land in unincorporated Fulton County, applied to land inside Lee township if county zoning applies there (applicability to Lee township not separately confirmed)

  • Districts shown in the county ordinance table of contents and Section 4 use regulations: AC agriculture/conservation, R-1 residential, R-2 residential, B business, I industrial.
  • No township-specific district map was located; this is the county district structure only.
  • Lee township-specific zoning not found; see lee-twp-local-zoning-unknown.

  “1. ac - agriculture/conservation district a. permissive uses”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Mobile homes in the AC district under the Fulton County zoning ordinance, as applied in unincorporated land inside Lee township; no general minimum dwelling size for site-built single-family homes was located

  • Applies to mobile homes only (Section 5), not to site-built homes.
  • Mobile homes must be built after June 15, 1976 and bear the HUD seal of approval.
  • Mobile homes may not be used as accessory buildings.

  minimum living area, mobile home in AC district: >= 500 square feet (mobile homes only; table text partly garbled)

  “mobile home with a minimum size of 500 square feet of living area.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  AC agriculture/conservation district lots under the Fulton County zoning ordinance, as applied in unincorporated land inside Lee township (applicability to Lee township not separately confirmed)

  • Where public water service is available, the minimum lot area per dwelling may be reduced to 20,000 square feet and the lot width to 100 feet.
  • Where both public water and public sewer services are available and written permission is received from the Fulton County Health Department, the minimum lot area per dwelling may be reduced to 15,000 square feet and 80 feet.
  • Base AC lot area of 43,560 sq ft (one acre) read from the garbled table; confirm against the printed table.

  minimum lot area per dwelling, AC district with public water: 20000 square feet (where public water service is available) · minimum lot width, AC district with public water: 100 feet (where public water service is available) · minimum lot area per dwelling, AC district with public water and sewer: 15000 square feet (where public water and public sewer are available and Fulton County Health Department gives written permission) · minimum lot area, AC district (base): 43560 square feet (table value matched by column position; confirm against printed table)

  “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”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family R-1 residential district lots under the Fulton County zoning ordinance, as applied in unincorporated land inside Lee township (applicability to Lee township not separately confirmed)

    “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”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicle parks and camper parks in the AC district inside Lee township; no rule found on an RV used as a dwelling on private land

  • Listed in the AC district use list and subject to the ordinance's conditions for such parks, including a detailed site plan drawn to scale.
  • Whether an RV may be occupied on private land outside a park was not located; treat as unknown beyond this.

  “recreational vehicle parks, and/or camper parks and the conditions they would be subject to”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile and manufactured homes in unincorporated Fulton County, applied inside Lee township; permitted in AC, R-1 and R-2 districts per the district use lists

  • Must be built after June 15, 1976 and bear the HUD seal of approval.
  • Must have skirting, certified anchors, satisfactory water, sewer and electrical connections, and wheels/axles/hitches removed on site.
  • R-1 requires a minimum 24-foot manufactured width; R-2 requires 14 feet; dwellings are prohibited in the industrial district.
  • Mobile home parks require a conditional use permit and at least 10 acres.

  minimum manufactured width, R-1 mobile home: >= 24 feet · minimum manufactured width, R-2 mobile home: >= 14 feet

  “1. homes must be built after june 15, 1976 and bear the hud seal of approval. 2. homes must have skirting consisting of brick, block, pressure-treated wood or other materials that are both durable and permanently affixed.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private sewage disposal systems on land inside Lee township; the Fulton County Health Department issues the permits

  • The ordinance adopts by reference the Illinois Department of Public Health private sewage disposal licensing act and code and the private sewage mound code.
  • Applies within Fulton County; the county ordinance is the local rule for systems in the township.

  “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”

• Septic permitRequired

  Construction, renovation, alteration or extension of a private sewage system inside Lee township

  • Permit must be obtained before any construction, renovation, alteration or extension starts.
  • Permit is valid for 1 calendar year from issuance.
  • Permits are not transferable and apply only to the location for which they are issued.
  • Health officer may refuse a permit if a public or community sewage system under IEPA jurisdiction is within 200 feet of the property.

  permit validity: 1 calendar year · distance to public or community sewer that allows refusal: <= 200 feet (health officer may refuse permit)

  “the health officer may refuse to grant a permit for the construction, renovation, alteration, or extension if the application is incomplete, the property is not acceptable for the construction, renovation, alteration, or extension of a private sewage disposal system, or if a public or community sewage system under the jurisdiction of the illinois environmental protection agency is within 200 feet of the property.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Proposed private sewage system sites inside Lee township, before a permit is issued

  • Inspection is made by the health officer or designee before the permit issues; the health officer issues the permit when requirements are met.

  “the health officer or his/her designate shall make an inspection of the proposed sewage system site to determine compliance with the provisions of this ordinance”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Installing any private sanitation system (septic or other sewage disposal) inside Lee township

  • Any private sewage disposal system requires a county health permit before construction, so off-grid or unpermitted sanitation is not allowed.
  • Section B adopts the state private sewage code by reference.

  “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 homes and structures needing a well inside Lee township; the Fulton County Health Department issues the permit

  • The FAQ says the well and/or septic permit must be obtained before a zoning permit and before construction.
  • Well construction standards and fee not extracted; the Health Department's well permit steps were not opened.

  “before a zoning permit can be issued, and before construction can start, you must obtain a well and/or septic permit from the fulton county health department.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Creating new lots by plat or subdivision plan in unincorporated Fulton County, applied inside Lee township

  • Each lot must have enough area to maintain, repair and replace its private sewage system, per applicable rules.
  • Plat review and subdivision plan review are performed under the Private Sewage Disposal Ordinance's enforcement section.

  “8) plat review and subdivision plan review: a) all lots must have an area available that will provide sufficient space to maintain, repair and replace the private sewage disposal system”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning permit process for projects in unincorporated Fulton County, applied inside Lee township

  • Office: Fulton County Zoning, 257 West Lincoln Street, Lewistown, IL 61542; (309) 547-0902; [email protected]; Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:00pm.
  • Steps published: health department well/septic permit first, zoning permit, site visit, certificate of occupancy; the full application checklist and review timeline were not extracted.
  • Online payment of the zoning fee is available through the county's GovPay portal.

  “phone: (309) 547-0902 office address: 257 west lincoln street lewistown, il 61542 office hours: monday-friday, office hours: 8:00am-4:00pm”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for a home inside Lee township
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption for Lee township
• Local zoning — Whether Lee township (Fulton County, IL) adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance
• Setbacks — Yard setbacks in the AC, R-1 and R-2 districts, as applied inside Lee township
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage limits in the AC, R-1 and R-2 districts, as applied inside Lee 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.