Bolthole Index

Hancock County, Illinois

Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Carthage, Illinois

Carthage, Illinois requires a city building permit before a nonagricultural building is erected, added to or structurally altered.1 Carthage applies district-specific zoning, including lot-size and setback rules in its R-1 district.23 In Hancock County, private septic applications go to the Hancock County Health Department under Illinois sewage-disposal rules.45

At a glance

Building permits
City Code Enforcement Officer issues building permits before covered construction1
Zoning
R-1 has district-specific lot dimensions and setbacks23
Septic permits
Hancock County Health Department receives private septic applications4
Occupancy
Certificate required before occupying a new nonagricultural building6
Agricultural buildings
Building permit required above $500; issued without charge7
Private wells
New well construction requires a permit through IDPH or local health administration8

Who to call

Building permits

Carthage City Hall

City Hall contact for reaching the Code Enforcement Officer about city building permits and zoning

Septic permits

Hancock County Health Department

Private septic-system permit applications, including new systems, repairs, and replacements

217-357-2171 option 4

Online permits →

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 12, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Carthage means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in Carthage, IL?

Carthage requires a building permit before erecting, adding to or structurally altering a nonagricultural building or structure; the Code Enforcement Officer issues the permit.1 Carthage also requires a building permit for a swimming pool exceeding 500 gallons.1 Agricultural buildings costing more than $500 need a building permit issued without charge, with compliance with the building setback line.7

Carthage has adopted building, housing, plumbing and electrical codes by reference; the adopted text says the latest editions apply without identifying numbered editions.9 Ask the Code Enforcement Officer which editions and amendments apply to your proposed home before commissioning final plans.9

Who issues Carthage building permits, and what do they cost?

The Carthage Code Enforcement Officer issues city building permits; contact City Hall through its linked municipal page to ask how to submit your application.110 Applications for nonagricultural buildings require 2 copies of a scaled plot plan showing lot dimensions and the exact size and location of proposed buildings and accessory buildings.11

Carthage’s published single-family residence building-permit fees are $75 for values up to $100,000, $150 up to $250,000, $300 up to $500,000, and 0.06% above $500,000; additional plumbing and electrical fees apply.12 The fee provision dates to 2008, so ask the Code Enforcement Officer for the current total before budgeting.12

Does Carthage have zoning, lot-size rules and setbacks?

Carthage’s R-1 One-Family Dwelling District requires a lot of at least 1 acre and a width of at least 150 feet at the established building line for a new detached dwelling, subject to the code’s referenced exceptions.2 Confirm the parcel’s district and any applicable exception with the Code Enforcement Officer before treating these dimensions as the parcel’s buildable envelope.2

In Carthage’s R-1 district, front yards must be at least 75 feet along federal or state rights-of-way and 50 feet along other rights-of-way; side yards must be 40 feet each, with corner-lot side yards totaling at least 85 feet.3 The R-1 rear yard is at least 50 feet or 20% of lot depth, whichever is larger, capped at 65 feet.3 All buildings, including accessory buildings, may cover no more than 30% of an R-1 lot.13

How do septic permits work inside Carthage?

For a Carthage property using private sewage disposal, Illinois requires sewage-disposal plans to be reviewed and approved before construction.14 Hancock County Health Department receives private septic applications, typically submitted by the contractor with the owner’s assistance.4 The health department’s septic page directs owners installing, repairing or replacing a system to hire a licensed septic contractor and a licensed soil scientist.15

Hancock County’s private sewage application lists a $125 permit fee and requires notifying the health department for a final inspection before backfilling and installation.1617 The county application allows qualifying homeowners who own and occupy their personal single-family residence to perform sewage-system work; ask the health department how that exception applies before planning a self-installation.18 City building permits remain a separate approval.1

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Carthage?

We could not confirm a Carthage tiny-home occupancy rule or an ordinary detached-home minimum floor area; ask the Code Enforcement Officer how your proposed dwelling would be classified and approved.1 Do not assume a small home avoids Carthage’s building permit or certificate-of-occupancy requirements: new nonagricultural buildings require city approval before occupancy.16

Ask the Code Enforcement Officer specifically about living in an RV on the parcel during construction, including the proposed duration and sewage arrangement.1 For land outside city limits, see the Hancock County guide: the county’s absence of county zoning is limited to the county jurisdiction and does not establish permission inside Carthage.19

Building a home in Carthage: what are the steps?

  1. Ask the Carthage Code Enforcement Officer to identify the parcel’s zoning district and confirm the proposed home fits applicable lot and yard requirements.23
  2. Prepare 2 copies of the scaled plot plan and submit the city building-permit application before covered work begins.111
  3. If using private septic, arrange the soil evaluation and submit the private sewage application to Hancock County Health Department before construction.1514
  4. If proposing a private well, ask the health department about new-well plan review, the construction permit and inspections administered by IDPH and local health departments.8
  5. Arrange the sewage-system final inspection before backfilling, and obtain the city’s completed-construction inspection and certificate of occupancy before moving into the new nonagricultural building.17206

Watch-outs

  • Carthage agricultural buildings costing more than $500 still need a city building permit even though the permit is issued without charge.7
  • We could not confirm Carthage’s operative floodplain-development or driveway-access requirements; ask the Code Enforcement Officer to identify the approvals for your specific parcel before buying.1
  • A homeowner sewage-system exception does not establish a general exemption from Carthage building permits.181

Sources

  1. 10-13-1 Building Permits (Carthage), quoted and re-checked
  2. 10-6-1 R-1 One-Family Dwelling District (Carthage), quoted and re-checked
  3. 10-6-1 R-1 One-Family Dwelling District (Carthage), quoted and re-checked
  4. Private Septic - Hancock County Health Department, quoted and re-checked
  5. Private Sewage Disposal (Carthage), quoted and re-checked
  6. 10-13-2 Certificates of Occupancy (Carthage), quoted and re-checked
  7. 10-13-1 Building Permits (Carthage), quoted and re-checked
  8. Private Water & Closed Loop Wells | Illinois Department of Public Health, quoted and re-checked
  9. 4-1-1 Codes Adopted (Carthage), quoted and re-checked
  10. Carthage City Hall (carthage-il.com)
  11. 10-13-1 Building Permits (Carthage), quoted and re-checked
  12. 4-1-6 Fees (Carthage), quoted and re-checked
  13. 10-6-1 R-1 One-Family Dwelling District (Carthage), quoted and re-checked
  14. Private Sewage Disposal (Carthage), quoted and re-checked
  15. Hancock County Health Department (hancockcountyhealthdepartment.org)
  16. Hancock County Health Department Private Sewage Plan Review Application, quoted and re-checked
  17. Hancock County Health Department Private Sewage Plan Review Application, quoted and re-checked
  18. Hancock County Health Department Private Sewage Plan Review Application, quoted and re-checked
  19. hancockcounty-il.gov, quoted and re-checked
  20. 10-13-2 Certificates of Occupancy (Carthage), quoted and re-checked

Written October 12, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Carthage

Carthage’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Nonagricultural buildings or structures erected, added to, or structurally altered inside Carthage city limits.

    • A permit must be issued by the Code Enforcement Officer before work begins.
    • Agricultural buildings or structures exceeding $500 in cost also require a permit, issued without charge.
    • A building permit is required for a swimming pool exceeding 500 gallons.
    • Applications for nonagricultural buildings must include two copies of a scaled plot plan.

    agricultural-building permit threshold: > 500 USD (Permit is issued without charge) · swimming-pool permit threshold: > 500 gallons

    “until a permit has been issued by the Code Enforcement Officer.”
  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    Buildings and structures inside Carthage city limits.

    • The City adopted the Uniform Building Code, Uniform Housing Code, National Plumbing Code, and National Electrical Code by reference.
    • The code states that the latest edition applies; the ordinance text does not identify a numbered edition.
    “There is hereby adopted [...] that certain Building Code known as the "Uniform Building Code"”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Nonagricultural construction and alterations requiring a certificate of occupancy inside Carthage city limits.

    • The Code Enforcement Officer must inspect and approve completed erection, construction, or alteration before an occupancy permit may issue.
    “completed, inspected and approved by the Code Enforcement Officer”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    New nonagricultural buildings and changes in use or occupancy inside Carthage city limits.

    • The certificate is issued by the Code Enforcement Officer.
    • A certificate is required before a new nonagricultural building is occupied or an existing nonagricultural building changes use or occupancy.
    • The ordinance also requires a certificate for nonconforming uses.
    “until a certificate of occupancy has been issued by the Code Enforcement Officer.”
  • Agricultural exemptionConditional

    Agricultural buildings and structures inside Carthage city limits.

    • An agricultural building or structure exceeding $500 in cost requires a building permit.
    • The agricultural permit is issued without charge.
    • The permit must comply with the building setback line.

    agricultural-building permit threshold: > 500 USD (Permit is issued without charge)

    “No agriculture building or structure exceeding five hundred dollars ($500.00) in cost shall be erected, added to or structurally altered until a permit has been issued by the Code Enforcement Officer without charge.”
  • Permit feesPublished

    City building permits inside Carthage city limits.

    • Single-family residence fees are $75 up to $100,000, $150 up to $250,000, $300 up to $500,000, and 0.06% over $500,000.
    • Additional plumbing and electrical fees apply.
    • The fee ordinance is dated Ordinance 2008-5, passed July 22, 2008.

    single-family residence permit fee up to $100,000: 75 USD · single-family residence permit fee up to $250,000: 150 USD · single-family residence permit fee up to $500,000: 300 USD · single-family residence fee over $500,000: 0.06 percent of value

    “Single-family residence | Up to $100,000.00 | $ 75.00”
  • Permit processPublished (with conditions)

    Building permit applications inside Carthage city limits.

    • The application must include two copies of a scaled plot plan showing lot dimensions and the exact size and location of proposed buildings and accessory buildings.
    • The Code Enforcement Officer returns one approved copy with the permit.
    “two (2) copies of a layout or plot plan drawn to scale”

Rules another office applies inside Carthage

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

  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    One-family detached dwellings in the R-1 One-Family Dwelling District.

    • The lot must be at least one acre and 150 feet wide at the established building line.
    • The section cross-references Section 10-11-2 for exceptions.

    minimum lot area: >= 1 acre (Except as provided in Section 10-11-2) · minimum lot width at established building line: >= 150 feet (Except as provided in Section 10-11-2)

    “Every one-family detached dwelling, convent, monastery, rectory or parish house hereafter erected shall be on a lot having an area of not less than one acre and a width at the established building line of not less than one hundred fifty feet (150'), except as provided in section 10-11-2 of this title.”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    Dwellings in the R-1 One-Family Dwelling District.

    • Front yard is 75 feet along Federal and State rights-of-way and 50 feet along other rights-of-way.
    • Side yards are 40 feet on each side; corner-lot side yards total at least 85 feet.
    • Rear yard is at least 50 feet or 20 percent of lot depth, whichever is larger, capped at 65 feet.

    front yard along Federal or State right-of-way: >= 75 feet · front yard along other rights-of-way: >= 50 feet · side yard each side: >= 40 feet · rear yard: 50 feet or 20% of lot depth, whichever is larger, not exceeding 65 feet

    “front yard of not less than seventy five feet (75')”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    All buildings, including accessory buildings, in the R-1 One-Family Dwelling District.

    maximum lot coverage: <= 30 percent

    “shall not cover more than thirty percent (30%)”
  • Who permits septicState

    Private sewage disposal systems serving land inside Carthage city limits; Illinois Department of Public Health authority applies statewide, subject to local health-agency administration where applicable.

    • IDPH regulates private systems with no surface discharge and systems discharging treated effluent up to 1,500 gallons per day to the ground surface.
    • Local health agencies may review construction plans under local ordinance or as IDPH agents.

    surface-discharge volume: <= 1500 gallons per day

    “IDPH regulates the installation of all private sewage disposal systems”
  • Septic permitRequired

    Private sewage disposal systems serving land inside Carthage city limits.

    • IDPH staff review and approve private sewage disposal plans before construction.
    • The specific local health agency serving Hancock County was not established from an official page in this search.
    “review and approve plans [...] before construction.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Carthage or Hancock County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Carthage city limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — One-family detached dwellings in the R-1 district inside Carthage city limits.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Carthage city limits.
  • Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units inside Carthage city limits.
  • Septic inspection — Private sewage disposal systems inside Carthage city limits.
4 more unanswered
  • Well permit
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Carthage publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Hancock County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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