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

Rules another office applies inside Galva Township

Galva 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

  New buildings on unincorporated land in Galva township under the Henry County zoning ordinance

  • Inspection is by the zoning enforcing officer before a certificate of occupancy, not a separate building-code inspection program found on the page.
  • Applies to buildings constructed after the ordinance effective date.

  “shall be issued until construction has been completed and the premises inspected and certified by the zoning enforcing officer”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Unincorporated land in Galva township: the Henry County zoning districts (ag-1, ag-2, co-1, hi-1, r-1 through r-5, b-1, m-1) apply because the township has no township zoning found. Land inside the City of Galva is outside this county ordinance.

  • The county ordinance covers the unincorporated area only; the ordinance's own definition of district refers to the unincorporated portion of the county.
  • District maps are kept by the zoning enforcing officer and are incorporated into the ordinance under section 6.2.
  • Disconnected territory added to the unincorporated area is automatically classified ag-1 until reclassified by amendment (section 6.4).
  • Galva township's own zoning status is not confirmed (see local_zoning claim).

  “any additions to the unincorporated area of the county, resulting from disconnection by municipalities or otherwise, shall be automatically classified as in the ag-1 agricultural district”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  ag-1 agricultural district dwellings in unincorporated Galva township

  • Ground floor living area per dwelling, from the bulk table row ag-1, r-1.
  • Manufactured homes in ag-1 must meet a separate minimum living area of 825 sq ft (see manufactured_home_occupancy claim).
  • Table extraction from the PDF collapsed column headings; alignment inferred.

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

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

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — r-1 single family residence district dwellings in unincorporated Galva township

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

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  ag-1 agricultural district lots in unincorporated Galva township

  • Table header reads 'minimum bulk requirements in feet for lot size and width', but 43,560 equals one acre in square feet; unit recorded as square feet pending confirmation.
  • Shares a table row with r-1, which is recorded separately.
  • Table extraction from the PDF collapsed column headings, so column alignment is inferred from the row order.

  minimum lot size: >= 43560 square feet

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

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — r-1 single family residence district lots in unincorporated Galva township

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

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  ag-1 agricultural district lots in unincorporated Galva township

  • Front yard 40 ft, side 10 ft, rear 40 ft per the bulk table row.
  • Agricultural buildings must be 40 ft back from the right-of-way line on township or private roads and 50 ft back on county, state or federal highways; front yard rules control on township and private roads where they conflict with setback rules.
  • Lots of single ownership recorded before the ordinance may not be reduced below 35 ft buildable width; variances are available for hardship.
  • Table extraction from the PDF collapsed column headings; alignment inferred.

  front yard setback: >= 40 feet (agricultural buildings: 40 ft from road right-of-way on township/private roads) · side yard setback: >= 10 feet · rear yard setback: >= 40 feet

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

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — r-1 single family residence district lots in unincorporated Galva township

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

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  ag-1 agricultural district lots in unincorporated Galva township

  • Maximum lot coverage 20% per the bulk table row ag-1, r-1.
  • Table extraction from the PDF collapsed column headings; alignment inferred.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 20 percent

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

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — r-1 single family residence district lots in unincorporated Galva township

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

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

  Land and farm buildings in unincorporated Galva township used for agricultural purposes

  • Exemption applies only while the land and buildings are used for agricultural purposes.
  • The owner or claimant must show the property and buildings are primarily adapted and used for agricultural purposes.
  • Agricultural buildings are not exempt from federal, state or local floodplain rules, and must meet the road setbacks noted in the setbacks claims.

  “be construed to apply to land, farm dwellings and farm structures which are used for agricultural purposes, while so used.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in the designated Henry County floodplain on unincorporated land in Galva township, including agricultural buildings and land uses

  • Applies to developing, depositing or excavating in or on the designated Henry County floodplain.
  • The floodplain boundaries and rules were not opened; check the county floodplain map and rules before any project in or near a mapped floodplain.

  “agricultural buildings and land uses are not exempt from complying with any federal, state or local regulations concerning developing, depositing or excavating in or on the designated henry county floodplain.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit and zoning process for unincorporated land in Galva township

  • Permits are handled by the county zoning and building department at the courthouse; payment is by check only, payable to Henry County, mailed c/o zoning and building.
  • Application steps, plan requirements and review times were not found on the pages opened.

  “zoning & building department can only accept checks as the form of payment.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for work inside Galva township
• Building code adopted — Residential building code applied to construction inside Galva township
• Local zoning — Land inside Galva township limits: whether Galva township itself adopts and administers a zoning ordinance
• Building height — Building height on land inside Galva township
• Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on land inside Galva 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.