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

Rules another office applies inside Phenix Township

Phenix 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 permitRequired

  New construction and new uses of land on unincorporated land inside Phenix township, Henry County, IL, under the county zoning ordinance

  • The excerpt shows a building permit is part of the county process for some construction; the full list of triggers was not read.
  • Applies only outside incorporated municipalities.

  “Applications for permits shall be made for all uses of the land and structures upon it, except as specifically exempt in Chapter 34, Illinois Revised Statutes.”

• InspectionsRequired

  New buildings constructed on unincorporated land inside Phenix township, Henry County, IL, before a certificate of occupancy issues

  • Inspection is by the county zoning enforcing officer before the certificate of occupancy issues.
  • Applies to buildings constructed after the ordinance's effective date.

  “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 changed or new uses of land on unincorporated land inside Phenix township, Henry County, IL

  • A temporary certificate of occupancy may be issued under the ordinance; its terms were not read.
  • Applies only outside incorporated municipalities.

  “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 zoningVaries (with conditions)

  Unincorporated land inside Phenix township, Henry County, IL (outside any incorporated municipality). No zoning ordinance adopted by Phenix township itself was located on official sources; this is the county rule that applies there.

  • The county ordinance covers only land outside incorporated areas; incorporated municipalities inside the township are not covered.
  • No Phenix township zoning ordinance or official no-zoning statement was found, so this is not a township-adopted rule and is not recorded as present or absent for the township.

  “For the purposes of this ordinance, all land lying outside of the incorporated areas in Henry County is hereby divided into the following districts:”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts for unincorporated land inside Phenix township, Henry County, IL

  • Districts: ag-1 agriculture, ag-2 agribusiness, co-1 conservation, hi-1 historical and cultural preservation, r-1 single family, r-2 single family, r-3 single general residence, r-4 mobile home residence, r-5 summer home, b-1 general business, m-1 general manufacturing.
  • District maps are referenced as part of the ordinance and were not opened.

  “For the purposes of this ordinance, all land lying outside of the incorporated areas in Henry County is hereby divided into the following districts:”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  AG-1 agriculture district land in unincorporated Phenix township, Henry County, IL (county ordinance; no township ordinance located)

  • Minimum ground-floor living area per dwelling from the Section 7.6 table; table is garbled in PDF text and should be confirmed.

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

  “District Lot Lot Front Side Rear Ground Floor Lot Size Width Yard Yard Yard Area/Dwelling Coverage [...] AG-1, R-1 43,560 150 40 10 40 825 20%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 single family residence district land in unincorporated Phenix township, Henry County, IL (county ordinance; no township ordinance located)

    “District Lot Lot Front Side Rear Ground Floor Lot Size Width Yard Yard Yard Area/Dwelling Coverage [...] AG-1, R-1 43,560 150 40 10 40 825 20%”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  AG-1 agriculture district land in unincorporated Phenix township, Henry County, IL (county ordinance; no township ordinance located)

  • Maximum lot coverage per the Section 7.6 table; table is garbled in PDF text and should be confirmed.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 20 percent

  “District Lot Lot Front Side Rear Ground Floor Lot Size Width Yard Yard Yard Area/Dwelling Coverage [...] AG-1, R-1 43,560 150 40 10 40 825 20%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 single family residence district land in unincorporated Phenix township, Henry County, IL (county ordinance; no township ordinance located)

    “District Lot Lot Front Side Rear Ground Floor Lot Size Width Yard Yard Yard Area/Dwelling Coverage [...] AG-1, R-1 43,560 150 40 10 40 825 20%”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  HUD-code manufactured homes on individual (not platted subdivision) R-1 lots in unincorporated Phenix township, Henry County, IL

  • Requires a building permit.
  • Minimum width 24 feet, minimum living area 825 square feet, and a full perimeter concrete or concrete block foundation on a frost-protected footing.
  • Platted-subdivision lots fall under deed restrictions and are covered by a separate clause of the ordinance.
  • Also permitted in AG-1 on lots of record before February 14, 1978, and as farm dwellings, under separate clauses.

  minimum width: >= 24 ft · minimum living area: >= 825 sq ft

  “IN ZONED AG-1 AGRICULTURE DISTRICTS ON INDIVIDUAL (NOT INCLUDED IN A PLATTED SUBDIVISION)LOTS OF RECORD PRIOR TO FEBRUARY 14, 1978 OR ZONED R-1 RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS ON INDIVIDUAL (NOT INCLUDED IN A PLATTED SUBDIVISION) WITH A BUILDING PERMIT PROVIDING THAT THE MANUFACTURED HOME HAS A MINIMUM WIDTH OF 24 FEET, MINIMUM LIVING AREA OF 825 SQUARE FEET AND A FULL PERIMETER CONCRETE OR CONCRETE BLOCK FOUNDATION CONSTRUCTED ON A FROST PROTECTED FOOTING.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Prohibited — Manufactured homes and housing that are not built to HUD code or Illinois code, on any zoned land in unincorporated Phenix township, Henry County, IL

    “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.”

• Who permits septicState (with conditions)

  Private sewage disposal systems with no surface discharge (septic tanks and seepage fields) on land inside Phenix township, Henry County, IL

  • IDPH states that about 90 local health agencies also review construction plans, either under a local ordinance or as an IDPH agent; whether the Henry County health department does so was not confirmed on official sources.
  • Health department service-area details for Phenix township were not located.

  “The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) regulates the installation of all private sewage disposal systems that have no surface discharge (such as septic tanks and seepage fields)”

• Septic permitRequired

  New private sewage disposal systems with no surface discharge on land inside Phenix township, Henry County, IL

  • IDPH says staff review and approve plans before construction; the local permit fee and form were not located.
  • The local health agency may administer plan review in place of IDPH; not confirmed for Henry County.

  “Staff also review and approve plans for private sewage disposal systems and alternative private sewage disposal systems before construction.”

• Permit processPartial

  Permit applications for unincorporated land inside Phenix township, Henry County, IL

  • Applications go to the zoning enforcing officer; the county Zoning & Building office is at 307 West Center Street, Cambridge, IL 61238, phone 309-937-3419, Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • The permit fee schedule and application forms were not located; process is only partly published.

  “Applications shall be filed in written form with the Zoning Enforcing Officer and shall be given such information as may be required by this ordinance for its proper enforcement.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for homes on unincorporated land in Phenix township
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for Phenix township, Henry County, IL
• Building height — Building height on unincorporated land inside Phenix township, Henry County, IL
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy on private land in unincorporated Phenix township, Henry County, IL
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land in unincorporated Phenix township, Henry County, IL

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.