Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Alpha, Illinois

Village of Alpha’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Excavation, erection, construction or alteration of any building inside Alpha village

  • Permit is issued by the village inspector on application.
  • Permits are valid for one year; a new permit is needed for unfinished work (Article 13, Section 2).
  • Construction may proceed after the permit is issued.

  “no person shall commence excavation for, or the erection, construction or alteration of, any building without a building permit which shall be issued only upon application made to the village inspector”

• InspectionsRequired

  New buildings and changes of occupancy inside Alpha village

  • Inspection is needed before a certificate of occupancy is issued.

  “a certificate of occupancy shall be issued only after completion of the work and inspection and approval thereof by the village inspector”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  New buildings, and any change in use or occupancy of land or a building, inside Alpha village

  • Certificate is issued by the village inspector after completion of the work and inspection.
  • Nonconforming uses also required a certificate of occupancy (Article 13, Section 4).

  “nor shall any new building be occupied for any purpose, until a certificate of occupancy has been issued by the village inspector.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside the Village of Alpha corporate limits (Alpha village, IL). The village adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance, titled the Village of Alpha Zoning Ordinance.

  • Uses and structures must comply with the district regulations of the zoning ordinance (see zoning_districts claim).
  • Zoning Board of Appeals and variance procedure are in Article 12 of the ordinance.
  • Ordinance text opened is the uploaded PDF (2020/08); no adoption or effective date is stated in the text opened.

  “this ordinance shall be known as the village of alpha zoning ordinance or as the zoning ordinance.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Land inside the Village of Alpha corporate limits. Six districts: a residential, b commercial, c multiple dwellings, d public and semi-public, e light industrial, f agricultural.

  • The text names the districts, but the district map itself is described as on file with the village clerk; no online map was opened.
  • Property annexed to the village is classified as f agricultural until changed by amendment (Article 3, Section 7).

  “the total zoning district is hereby divided into districts, of which there shall be six (6) in number”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwelling lots in the c multiple dwellings district inside Alpha village

  • Multiple-family lots: 6,000 square feet per apartment unit and 75-foot minimum width (Article 6, 6.1.2).
  • Lots of record smaller than required may be used for single-family dwellings (Article 6, 6.1.3).
  • This conflicts with the a residential district lot width of 50 feet; the text is partly garbled in the PDF, so verify with the village.

  minimum lot area for single-family dwelling: >= 7200 square feet (lots of record smaller than required may be used for single-family dwellings) · minimum lot width for single-family dwelling: >= 60 feet

  “a lot occupied by a single family dwelling shall contain a lot area of not less than thousand two hundred (7,200) square feet and a minimum width of sixty (60) feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family and other lots in the a residential district inside Alpha village

    “every lot upon which a building is erected shall have an area of not less than seventy-two hundred (7200) square feet and an average width of not less than fifty (50) feet, except that any of the uses permitted in this district may be erected or constructed upon a smaller lot of record.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Main buildings and structures in the a residential district inside Alpha village

  • Front yard: 25 feet, or the average-setback rule in Article 4 Section 3(a) where 30% or more of the frontage is improved.
  • Corner lots have a front yard on each street side (Article 4 Section 3(b)).
  • Rear-yard text cross-references Article 12 (board of appeals); accessory-building rear setback is 6 feet (Article 2, rear yard definition).

  front yard depth: >= 25 feet (average-setback rule where 30% or more of frontage is improved) · side yard width: >= 6 feet (each side of any building or structure; Article 13 cross-reference) · rear yard depth: >= 30 feet (or 20% of lot depth, whichever is smaller)

  “there shall be a side yard having a width of not less than six (6) feet, on each side of any building or structure.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Dwellings and accessory buildings in the c multiple dwellings district inside Alpha village

    “there shall be a front yard having a depth of not less than twenty-five (25) feet from the street line”

  • Specified — Buildings in the f agricultural district inside Alpha village

    “no building shall be erected within fifty (50) feet of any property or street line”

• Building heightSpecified

  Buildings in the c multiple dwellings district inside Alpha village

  • Applies to dwellings in the c district. Other buildings in c are capped at 18 feet to the peak.

  maximum height of dwelling: <= 35 feet (and not more than 2.5 stories) · maximum height of other buildings to peak: <= 18 feet

  “no building used as a dwelling shall exceed two and one-half (2-1/2) stories or thirty-five (35) feet in height. all other buildings shall not exceed a maximum height to the peak of the building of eighteen (18) feet.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes (formerly mobile homes) inside Alpha village, in the a residential district

  • Allowed only in a mobile home park or manufactured home community licensed by the State of Illinois (Article 4, Section 4).
  • The ordinance defines a mobile home park as five or more independent mobile homes (Article 2, Section 37).

  “any manufactured home (formerly known as mobile home) shall be only located within a mobile home park licensed by the state of illinois or a manufactured home community licensed by the state of illinois.”

• Accessory dwellingsProhibited

  Accessory buildings on a lot inside Alpha village, such as a detached garage or second structure used as living quarters

  • The rule covers accessory buildings only; attached second units and dwellings in a main building are not addressed in the opened text.
  • Accessory buildings may not be constructed until the main building has commenced (Article 11, Section 1).

  “no accessory building shall be constructed upon the lot until the construction of the main building has been actually commenced, and no accessory budding shall be used for dwelling purposes.”

• Who permits septicLocal

  Private sewage disposal systems inside Alpha village

  • The village bans private sewage disposal systems inside its limits, so no septic authority (county or health district) is needed for a new home that can connect to the village sewer or water system.
  • Connection to the public sewer is required when a sewer lies within 200 feet of the property line (see utility_connection claim).

  “article 3 private sewage disposal section 1. no private sewage disposal system shall be allowed within the village limits.”

• Septic permitLimited

  Septic system permits for a new home inside Alpha village

  • No septic permit path exists because private sewage disposal systems are not allowed inside the village limits.

  “no private sewage disposal system shall be allowed within the village limits.”

• Septic inspectionLimited

  Septic system inspection inside Alpha village

  • No septic inspection path exists because private sewage disposal systems are not allowed inside the village limits.

  “no private sewage disposal system shall be allowed within the village limits.”

• Off-grid sanitationProhibited

  Privies, septic tanks, cesspools and other on-site sewage disposal facilities inside Alpha village

  • Applies to construction or maintenance of such facilities anywhere in village territory.

  “it shall be unlawful to construct or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool, or other facility intended or used for the disposal of sewage.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  A house inside Alpha village that abuts a street or right-of-way where a public sanitary sewer is located

  • Connection is required only if the public sewer is within 200 feet (61 meters) of the property line.
  • Owner must connect within 90 days after official notice.
  • A sewer permit is required for connection and sewer connections are allowed only if downstream capacity is shown (Title 5, sewer article, Article 4, Section 5).

  distance from property line to public sewer triggering connection: <= 200 feet (connection required only when within this distance)

  “is hereby required at his expense to install suitable toilet facilities therein, and to connect such facilities directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with the provisions of this ordinance within ninety (90) days after date of official notice to do so, provided that said public sewer is within 200 feet (61 meters) of the property line.”

• Permit feesPublished

  Village building permit fee for work inside Alpha village

  • Fee table in the PDF is garbled; read as $25 for estimated cost up to $10,000, $50 for $10,000 to $25,000 and $75 over $25,000.
  • Appendix A fee schedule (dated 5-1-2025) is posted on the village site but its contents were not captured.

  building permit fee, estimated cost up to $10,000: 25 USD · building permit fee, estimated cost $10,000 to $25,000: 50 USD · building permit fee, estimated cost over $25,000: 75 USD

  “estimated construction cost $0 $10,000 $10,000 $25,000 over $25,000 fee $25 $50 $75”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit application inside Alpha village

  • Application is made to the village inspector on village forms, with the fee.
  • Process details beyond the application (plans, review and timing) are not stated in the opened text.

  “upon application made to the village inspector on forms to be provided for such purpose accompanied by a fee as follows”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Alpha or Henry County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Alpha village
• Building code adopted — Adoption of a model building code (such as IBC or IRC) inside Alpha village
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum floor area of a dwelling inside Alpha village
• Lot coverage — Maximum lot coverage inside Alpha village
• Living in an RV — Long-term RV or travel-trailer occupancy on private land inside Alpha village

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.