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

Rules another office applies inside Geneseo Township

Geneseo 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 permitLimited

  Manufactured homes placed in unincorporated Geneseo township land (not city of Geneseo land)

  • Applies to manufactured homes only; general building permit requirements were not established.
  • The permit requirement depends on district and on whether the home is HUD code or Illinois code compliant.

  “zoned r-1, r-2, r-3 and r-5 residential districts (unless excluded by deed restrictions/ subdivision covenants) with a building permit.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Buildings constructed after the ordinance effective date in unincorporated Geneseo township (not city of Geneseo land)

  • Inspection is tied to certificate of occupancy issuance; the ordinance says certificate issuance requires the premises to be inspected and certified by the zoning enforcing officer.

  “no certificate of occupancy for a building, or portion thereof, 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 and new uses in unincorporated Geneseo township (not city of Geneseo land)

  • A change of use other than from one permitted use to another permitted use also requires a certificate of occupancy.

  “every application for a building permit shall be deemed to be an application for a certificate of occupancy.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Unincorporated land inside Geneseo township. Henry County's zoning ordinance governs this land; it is a county rule, not a Geneseo township ordinance. Land inside the city of Geneseo is excluded.

  • The ordinance applies only to the unincorporated area of Henry County.
  • Farm dwellings and farm structures used for agricultural purposes are exempt under Illinois law (see agricultural_exemption claim).

  “henry county zoning and building department is responsible for development and implementation of several land use management programs in the unincorporated areas of the county.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts for unincorporated land in Geneseo township (not city of Geneseo land)

  • Unincorporated land newly disconnected from a municipality is classified AG-1 until amended.
  • Only the district definition and the AG-1 default rule were extracted; the full district map was not opened.

  “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 until otherwise classified by amendment under the procedure established in article xxii, paragraph 2.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single dwellings in the R-1 residential district in unincorporated Geneseo township (not city of Geneseo land)

  • The table header reads 'ground floor living area per dwelling'; the table text is garbled in extraction, so verify against the PDF.
  • Manufactured homes in R-1 need 825 square feet minimum living area.

  minimum ground floor living area per dwelling: >= 825 sq ft

  “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) — Single dwellings in the AG-1 agricultural district in unincorporated Geneseo township (not city of Geneseo land)

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

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Lots in the AG-1 agricultural district in unincorporated Geneseo township (not city of Geneseo land)

  • Farm dwellings and farm structures used for agricultural purposes are exempt from the zoning ordinance under Illinois law.
  • Unit and layout of the table row should be verified in the PDF.

  minimum lot size: >= 43560 sq ft (agricultural use exempt under Illinois law) · minimum lot width: >= 150 ft

  “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) — Lots in the R-1 residential district in unincorporated Geneseo township (not city of Geneseo land)

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

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal buildings in the AG-1 agricultural district in unincorporated Geneseo township (not city of Geneseo land)

  • Farm dwellings and farm structures used for agricultural purposes are exempt from the zoning ordinance under Illinois law; the agricultural road setback below still applies to agricultural buildings.

  front yard setback: >= 40 ft (agricultural use exempt under Illinois law) · side yard setback: >= 10 ft (agricultural use exempt under Illinois law) · rear yard setback: >= 40 ft (agricultural use exempt under Illinois law)

  “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) — Principal buildings in the R-1 residential district in unincorporated Geneseo township (not city of Geneseo land)

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

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Lots in the AG-1 agricultural district in unincorporated Geneseo township (not city of Geneseo land)

  • Farm dwellings and farm structures used for agricultural purposes are exempt from the zoning ordinance under Illinois law.
  • The 20% figure is from the same garbled row as R-1; verify in the PDF.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 20 % (agricultural use exempt under Illinois law)

  “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) — Lots in the R-1 residential district in unincorporated Geneseo township (not city of Geneseo land)

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

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes located on land in unincorporated Geneseo township (not city of Geneseo land)

  • Homes must be built to HUD code or Illinois code; homes not built to either code are barred from every zoning district.
  • R-1, R-2, R-3 and R-5 placements require a building permit and a minimum width of 24 feet and 825 square feet living area (section 7.6).
  • R-4 mobile home park placements and AG-1 placements carry their own conditions in Article VII.

  “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, farm dwellings and farm structures used for agricultural purposes in unincorporated Geneseo township

  • The exemption applies only while the land is used for agricultural purposes.
  • Agricultural buildings and land uses remain subject to federal, state or local floodplain rules.
  • Agricultural buildings must meet the road setback in the Article III paragraph b.1.

  “no regulations or restrictions under the provisions of this ordinance shall be construed to apply to land, farm dwellings and farm structures which are used for agricultural purposes, while so used.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land division and subdividing in unincorporated Geneseo township (not city of Geneseo land)

  • The county maintains a subdivision ordinance linked from the zoning & building page; its terms were not opened.

  “the department works with the planning/development committee, planning committee, zoning board of appeals and ag areas committee to manage the zoning, planning, subdividing, building, ag areas and floodplain management programs.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in the designated Henry County floodplain in unincorporated Geneseo township, including agricultural land and buildings

  • Agricultural buildings and land uses are not exempt from floodplain rules.
  • The county maintains a flood plain ordinance; its terms were not opened.

  “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 and zoning permit payments and office process for unincorporated Geneseo township

  • Online payment is not accepted for building permits; checks payable to 'Henry County' are mailed to the courthouse c/o Zoning & Building.
  • Office: 307 West Center Street, Cambridge, IL; phone 309-937-3419; hours Monday through Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm.
  • Full application steps were not published in 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 Geneseo Township or Henry County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for construction inside Geneseo township
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for construction inside Geneseo township
• Building height — Maximum building height in unincorporated Geneseo township
• Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on private land in unincorporated Geneseo township
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land in unincorporated Geneseo 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.