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

Rules another office applies inside Felix Township

Felix 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

  Buildings and appurtenances regulated by County Title 6 on unincorporated land inside Felix Township.

  • Permit must be obtained in advance.
  • The work must be outside municipal limits and regulated by Title 6.
  • A building-permit application requires the listed materials, including a County health-department well and septic permit where applicable.
  • Plans may be waived only for minor nonstructural alterations and sufficiently described residential accessory buildings no larger than 700 square feet.
  • Permit lapses if foundation and subfloor are not completed within six months or the building is not completed within one year, unless extended in writing.

  “It is hereby required that a permit be obtained in advance and all other requirements of this title be complied with whenever a building or structure, or parts or appurtenances thereof, such as plumbing installation and electrical installation, located outside the limits of municipalities of this county and regulated by this title is erected, installed, altered, converted, remodeled, structurally repaired, moved or changed.”

• InspectionsRequired

  New structures and changes in use on unincorporated land inside Felix Township.

  • The certificate of occupancy is normally issued only after the structure has passed all required inspections.
  • For a change in use, an on-site inspection by the zoning officer is required before an occupancy permit is granted.

  “The zoning officer shall automatically issue a certificate of occupancy after all final inspections have successfully been completed.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  New structures and changes in use on unincorporated land inside Felix Township.

  • Certificate follows completion and all required inspections.
  • For a change in use, the zoning officer must conduct an on-site inspection.
  • The zoning officer must approve, authorize, or deny a complete application within five working days.

  “No new structure or change in use of an existing structure shall be occupied until a certificate of occupancy is issued by the zoning officer.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Unincorporated land inside Felix Township; incorporated land within the township is outside this county-code scope.

  • The cited residential zoning provision expressly describes unincorporated areas of Grundy County.

  “Subdistricts are established within the residential (R) district to accommodate variation in the forms and scale of residential development and subdivisions that have been built in the unincorporated areas of Grundy County under earlier zoning provisions.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  County zoning districts governing unincorporated land inside Felix Township.

  • Opened standards identify Agricultural, Agricultural Residential, Planned Residential, and Residential subdistricts, but this research did not open a complete district list or parcel map.

  “The lot and building standards for single-family detached units are set out in table 8-3-2-2, "Single-Family Lot And Building Standards", of this section.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Agricultural (A) and Agricultural Residential (AR) districts on unincorporated land inside Felix Township.

  • Only one dwelling lot is allowed, the lot or tract must have been a lot of record as of July 8, 1980, and exceptions are only for attached accessory units.
  • Minimum may increase under plan policies or septic-system standards.

  minimum lot size: >= 1.5 acres (A and AR zoning districts; subject to stated record-date and accessory-unit conditions.)

  “A and AR zoning districts are allowed to have only one lot for a dwelling that is a minimum of 1.5 acres in size. The lot or tract of the land must be a lot of record as of July 8, 1980. Exceptions are only permitted for attached accessory units.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family detached housing in County zoning districts on unincorporated land inside Felix Township.

  • Setbacks vary by zoning district and housing type; confirm parcel zoning on the official County zoning map.

  Agricultural district front yard: 50 feet (Single-family detached standard; side yard 30 feet, corner-side yard 50 feet, rear yard 50 feet.) · Agricultural Residential district front yard: 50 feet (Single-family detached standard; side, corner-side, and rear yards each 50 feet.)

  “Agricultural (A) | 1.5 acre | 170' | 50' | 30' | 50' | 50' | 35' | –”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family detached housing in County zoning districts on unincorporated land inside Felix Township.

  • Coverage varies by zoning district; the Agricultural district table entry is blank, while AR, PR, R-200, R-40, and R-12 have listed maximum coverage standards.

  Agricultural Residential maximum building coverage: <= 0.15 ratio (Single-family detached standard.) · Agricultural district building coverage: not listed (Table entry is blank; this is not treated as proof of no coverage rule.)

  “Agricultural residential (AR) | 1.5 acre 1 | 170' | 50' | 50' | 50' | 50' | 35' | 0.15”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family detached housing in County zoning districts on unincorporated land inside Felix Township.

  • Height varies by zoning district; confirm parcel zoning.

  Agricultural district maximum height: <= 35 feet (Single-family detached standard.) · Agricultural Residential district maximum height: <= 35 feet (Single-family detached standard.)

  “Agricultural residential (AR) | 1.5 acre 1 | 170' | 50' | 50' | 50' | 50' | 35' | 0.15”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Travel trailers and recreational vehicles in regulated floodplain areas on unincorporated land inside Felix Township.

  • More than 180 days per year requires compliance with elevation requirements unless every listed exception condition is met, including remaining movable, not being attached to external structures, and recreational rather than permanent-dwelling design.

  on-site duration: > 180 days per year (Triggers floodplain elevation requirements unless listed conditions are met.)

  “Travel trailers and recreational vehicles on site for more than one hundred eighty (180) days per year shall meet the elevation requirements of subsection C5 of this section, unless the following conditions are met:”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  New or altered manufactured-home parks on unincorporated land inside Felix Township.

  • Developer must apply to and receive County Board approval before construction, expansion, or alteration.
  • Park standards include minimum 10 acres, maximum 20 acres, County/state/federal-road frontage, and a maximum of 100 sites.

  manufactured home park minimum lot area: >= 10 acres

  “Prior to the construction, expansion and/or alteration of any new or existing manufactured home park, the manufactured home park developer shall make application to, and receive approval from, the Grundy County Board in accordance with the requirements and procedures of this subsection.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory living units on single-family residential lots on unincorporated land inside Felix Township.

  • Accessory unit may be no more than 850 square feet with no more than one bedroom or bathroom.
  • It must be within the structure or above an attached garage.
  • Lots smaller than 6,000 square feet may not contain an accessory unit.
  • Principal dwelling must be owner occupied and occupancy is limited to specified extended-family members.

  maximum accessory-unit area: <= 850 square feet

  “An accessory unit shall consist of not more than eight hundred fifty (850) square feet. It shall have no more than one bedroom or bathroom.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  On-site sewage disposal systems serving development on unincorporated land inside Felix Township.

  • In some cases Illinois EPA approval is required instead of County approval; IEPA-regulated systems are not regulated by the County health department.
  • The County health department enforces the Illinois Private Sewage Disposal Act and Code, and the County applies more-stringent standards.

  “The county health department enforces the Illinois private sewage disposal act and code which is promulgated, published, and enforced by the Illinois department of public health (IDPH). The county has adopted and does enforce standards that are more stringent than those of the IDPH.”

• Septic permitRequired

  On-site sewage disposal systems on unincorporated land inside Felix Township.

  • IEPA approval may be required instead of County approval for systems regulated by IEPA.
  • System design, installation, and operation must conform to County health-department requirements.

  “The use, design, installation, and operation of all on site sewage disposal systems shall conform to the requirements of the county health department and will require a permit issued by said department.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Individual on-site sewage disposal for development on unincorporated land inside Felix Township.

  • Use depends on local soil and groundwater conditions and development density.
  • County health department may require a cluster system or alternative system.
  • On-site systems require County health-department permits, except certain IEPA-regulated systems.

  “The use of individual lot or building on site sewage disposal systems or facilities shall be restricted and shall be dependent on local soil and groundwater conditions and the known or anticipated extent/density of development within the area.”

• Well permitRequired

  Building-permit applications for construction on unincorporated land inside Felix Township that require a well.

  • A copy of the County health-department well and septic permit must accompany the building-permit application.

  “A copy of the Grundy County health department permit for a well and septic system.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Residential development on unincorporated land inside Felix Township.

  • Connection to sanitary sewer is required when service is available within the applicable distance: 300 feet for one unit, 400 feet for two, 600 feet for three, 800 feet for four, and 1,000 feet for five to fifteen units.
  • Developments over 15 units within one mile require justification for not connecting; those farther than one mile are decided case by case.

  one-unit sanitary-sewer availability distance: <= 300 feet (Measured from nearest property line to sanitary sewer.)

  “Depending on the number of dwelling units, residential developments shall be connected to an existing sanitary sewer system if service is available, within the following distances from the nearest property line to the sanitary sewer as shown in table 8-6-3-6, "Sanitary Sewer System Distance Requirements", of this section.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision and development projects on unincorporated land inside Felix Township.

  • If soil will not support on-site disposal and a satisfactory central collection and disposal system cannot be provided and maintained, the County Board must deny the project.

  “If it is determined that soil conditions will not support on site disposal and a satisfactory central collection and disposal system cannot be provided and maintained, the subdivision or development project shall be denied by the county board.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Access driveways on peninsular extensions of residential lots in the Agricultural district on unincorporated land inside Felix Township.

  • Driveways must be at least 18 feet wide with 13 feet 6 inches clearance.
  • Driveways over 200 feet require fire-protection-district design approval.
  • Existing farmhouses with existing access driveways are exempt.
  • A zoning certificate is required for lots with peninsular extensions to a public road.

  minimum driveway width: >= 18 feet (Peninsular extensions.) · fire-district approval threshold: > 200 feet (Driveway length.)

  “A minimum driveway width of eighteen feet (18') and a clearance of thirteen feet six inches (13'6") above grade.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  County building-permit applications for unincorporated land inside Felix Township.

  • Application must be written on Building Officer forms and signed by the owner or authorized agent.
  • The application and plans are examined within ten days.
  • Permit issues in writing if work conforms to County and other pertinent requirements; nonconforming proposals are denied.

  application-and-plan examination period: <= 10 days (Examined by or under direction of Building Officer.)

  “Examination of the application and plans shall be made within ten (10) days by or under the direction of the building officer.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction on unincorporated land inside Felix Township.
• Building code adopted — Construction on unincorporated land inside Felix Township.
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings on unincorporated land inside Felix Township.
• Camping on your land — Temporary private-land camping inside Felix Township.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Felix 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.