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

Rules another office applies inside Burns Township

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

• InspectionsRequired

  Buildings constructed in unincorporated Henry County, including land in Burns township outside incorporated municipalities, after the zoning ordinance's effective date

  • Inspection is tied to the certificate of occupancy; the county zoning page says to call for inspector availability.

  “constructed after the effective date of this ordinance, shall be issued until construction has been completed and the premises inspected and certified by the zoning enforcing officer”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Buildings constructed after the ordinance's effective date on land in Burns township outside incorporated municipalities

  • Certificate of occupancy issues only after construction is complete and the premises are inspected and certified by the zoning enforcing officer.
  • Temporary certificate rules are in the same article and were not fully read.

  “no building or addition thereto, constructed after the effective date of this ordinance shall be occupied, and no land vacant on the effective date of this ordinance shall be used for any purpose until a certificate of occupancy has been issued by the zoning enforcing officer.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Burns township, Henry County, Illinois, outside any incorporated municipality. County zoning is the zoning rule identified because no Burns township zoning ordinance was located.

  • This is the Henry County zoning ordinance, not a Burns township ordinance. Scope is recorded as unincorporated-only because the county authority schema does not accept township-specific geography.
  • Whether any part of Burns township lies inside an incorporated city or village was not verified.
  • Parcel district assignment must be checked on the county zoning map; township zoning maps were not opened.

  “all land lying outside of the incorporated areas in henry county is hereby divided into the following districts”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts for land in Burns township outside incorporated municipalities

  • The ordinance lists the districts (ag-1, ag-2, co-1, hi-1, r-1 through r-5, b-1, m-1) and says the district boundaries are on township zoning maps; the maps themselves were not opened, so Burns township parcel assignments are not verified.

  “the location and boundaries of the districts established by this ordinance are set forth on the zoning maps for the townships and the enlarged maps for intense use areas which are incorporated therein”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Dwelling in the ag-1 agricultural district of unincorporated Henry County, including ag-1 land in Burns township

  • Figure is ground floor living area per dwelling from the section 7.6 bulk table; the table text was extracted with ambiguous columns and this row is the clearest reading.

  ground floor living area per dwelling: >= 825 square feet

  “ag-1, r-1 43,560 150 40 10 40 825 20% m-1 80% ag-2, b-1 15,000”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — New single-family dwelling in the r-1 single family residence district of unincorporated Henry County, including r-1 land in Burns township

    “ag-1, r-1 43,560 150 40 10 40 825 20% m-1 80% ag-2, b-1 15,000”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Lot in the ag-1 agricultural district of unincorporated Henry County, including ag-1 land in Burns township

  • Source text says bulk requirements are in feet for lot size, but the figure 43,560 matches square feet (one acre); read as square feet.
  • Minimum lot width 150 feet in the same row.

  lot size: >= 43560 square feet · lot width: >= 150 feet

  “ag-1, r-1 43,560 150 40 10 40 825 20% m-1 80% ag-2, b-1 15,000”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Lot in the r-1 single family residence district of unincorporated Henry County, including r-1 land in Burns township

    “ag-1, r-1 43,560 150 40 10 40 825 20% m-1 80% ag-2, b-1 15,000”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Buildings in the ag-1 agricultural district of unincorporated Henry County, including ag-1 land in Burns township

  • Yard values from the section 7.6 bulk table: front 40 feet, side 10 feet, rear 40 feet.
  • Agricultural buildings have separate road setbacks; see the ag-building claim.

  front yard: >= 40 feet · side yard: >= 10 feet · rear yard: >= 40 feet

  “ag-1, r-1 43,560 150 40 10 40 825 20% m-1 80% ag-2, b-1 15,000”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Buildings in the r-1 single family residence district of unincorporated Henry County, including r-1 land in Burns township

    “ag-1, r-1 43,560 150 40 10 40 825 20% m-1 80% ag-2, b-1 15,000”

  • Specified — Agricultural buildings and structures on land in Burns township outside incorporated municipalities, measured from township or private roads

    “1. township/private roads – 40 feet back from common right-ofway/property line boundary”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Lots in the ag-1 agricultural district of unincorporated Henry County, including ag-1 land in Burns township

  • Maximum lot coverage 20% from the section 7.6 bulk table row.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 20 percent

  “ag-1, r-1 43,560 150 40 10 40 825 20% m-1 80% ag-2, b-1 15,000”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Lots in the r-1 single family residence district of unincorporated Henry County, including r-1 land in Burns township

    “ag-1, r-1 43,560 150 40 10 40 825 20% m-1 80% ag-2, b-1 15,000”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes built to HUD or Illinois code, on land in Burns township outside incorporated municipalities that is zoned r-1, r-2, r-3 or r-5

  • Requires a building permit and a 24-foot minimum width and 825 sq ft minimum living area, per the ordinance. Deed restrictions or subdivision covenants may exclude them.
  • Temporary hardship occupancy is separately allowed in ag-1, r-1, r-2 and r-3 with a special use permit; the ordinance states it is for temporary occupancy by applicant(s) only based on reasons of hardship with individual zoning special use permits.
  • Districts are assigned on the county zoning map, not checked for Burns township parcels.

  minimum width: >= 24 feet · minimum living area: >= 825 square feet

  “c. zoned r-1, r-2, r-3 and r-5 residential districts (unless excluded by deed restrictions/ subdivision covenants) with a building permit. minimum width is 24 feet and minimum living area is 825 square feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Prohibited — Manufactured homes or housing not built to the HUD code or Illinois manufactured housing code, on land in Burns township outside incorporated municipalities

    “3. manufactured homes/housing not constructed in compliance to the hud code or il code shall not be permitted to locate in any zoning district in unincorporated henry county.”

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

  Land and farm dwellings and farm structures used for agricultural purposes in unincorporated Henry County, including Burns township land outside incorporated municipalities

  • Exemption applies only while the property is used for agricultural purposes. The ordinance states that it shall be the responsibility of any person or group claiming that certain property is entitled to exemption on the basis of this article to demonstrate that the property and buildings are primarily adapted and used for agricultural purposes.
  • Agricultural buildings and land uses are not exempt from federal, state or local floodplain regulations, and must meet the agricultural setbacks.

  “c. it shall be the responsibility of any person or group claiming that certain property is entitled to exemption on the basis of this article to demonstrate that the property and buildings are primarily adapted and used for agricultural purposes.”

• Permit processPartial

  Permit application routing for new use or construction on land in Burns township outside incorporated municipalities

  • Only the routing to the zoning enforcing officer for certificate-of-occupancy applications is stated; the full permit steps, forms and fees were not verified.
  • Payment is by check only, per the county FAQ.

  “every application for a certificate of occupancy for a new use of land where no building permit is required shall be made directly to the zoning enforcing officer.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for a home inside Burns township
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for new construction inside Burns township
• Building height — Building height limits on land in Burns township
• Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on private land in Burns township
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on land in Burns 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.