Bolthole Index

Iroquois County, Illinois

Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Gilman, Illinois

Gilman, Illinois requires a building permit issued by the city building inspector, with prior inspection before covered construction or excavation.1 Gilman sets its own zoning rules; Iroquois County Public Health Department handles private sewage-system permits, but city sewer rules restrict when private sewage disposal is allowed.234

At a glance

Building permit
Required from the Gilman building inspector, with prior inspection1
Zoning
City zoning applies inside Gilman city limits2
Minimum dwelling size
Residential districts: 750 square feet of ground-floor area; multiple-family units: 600 square feet per unit5
Minimum single-family lot
Residential districts: 7,500 square feet per family for new single-family dwellings6
Sewer connection
For covered properties, connection required within 90 days of official notice when city sewer is within 100 feet of the property line, subject to chapter exceptions7
Private septic
City restrictions apply; where allowed, construction or repair requires a county health department septic permit48

Who to call

Building permits

Gilman City Hall

City Hall contact for requesting the city building inspector and zoning assistance; building permits are issued by the inspector.

(815) 265-4213

[email protected]

215 N. Central St. - PO Box 215 - Gilman, IL 60938

Septic permits

Iroquois County Public Health Department

Environmental Health assistance with private sewage-system permits and private wells.

(815) 432-2483

1001 East Grant Street Watseka, IL 60970 Room 112

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Gilman means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in Gilman, IL?

Gilman requires prior inspection by the building inspector and a building permit before buildings, dwellings or structures are erected, constructed, altered, expanded, dismantled or placed, or excavation is done.1 The requirement therefore reaches beyond a new house to alterations and placement of structures.1 Ask the Gilman building inspector about your exact scope before arranging excavation or moving a structure onto the lot.9 Illinois leaves building permits for privately funded construction to the applicable local government.10

Who issues building permits in Gilman, and who should you call?

The Gilman building inspector issues city building permits and conducts the prior inspection required by the city code.1 Contact Gilman City Hall at (815) 265-4213 or [email protected] to request the inspector’s current contact and application instructions.11 City Hall is at 215 N. Central St., Gilman, IL 60938.11 Ask the inspector for the building permit application, current fee schedule, required drawings and inspection sequence for your project.1 We could not confirm Gilman’s certificate-of-occupancy requirement; ask the city building inspector what approval is needed before moving in.

Does Gilman have zoning, minimum lot sizes and home-size rules?

Gilman has city zoning, including residential-district standards.2 In Gilman’s residential districts, a new single-family dwelling requires at least 7,500 square feet of lot area per family.6 Gilman’s dwelling ground-floor minimum is 750 square feet, measured outside the exterior walls and excluding cellars, basements, open porches, breezeways and garages; multiple-family dwellings require at least 600 square feet per individual unit.5 A garage or basement therefore cannot make up the required dwelling ground-floor area.5 Ask the city building inspector to identify the parcel’s district and applicable setbacks before choosing a house footprint.

How do sewer connections and septic permits work inside Gilman?

Gilman requires owners of covered properties abutting a street, alley or right-of-way containing city sanitary sewer to connect at their expense within 90 days after official notice when the sewer is within 100 feet of the property line, subject to the chapter’s exceptions.7 Gilman prohibits constructing or maintaining septic tanks, privies, cesspools and other sewage-disposal facilities except as provided in the sewer chapter.4 Ask the city about sewer availability and any applicable exception before budgeting for septic.4 Where private sewage disposal is allowed, construction or repair requires a septic permit through Iroquois County Public Health Department.83 Illinois requires plan approval before covered private sewage-system construction and notice to the Department or local authority at least 48 hours before work begins.12

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on land in Gilman?

We could not confirm a general rule allowing RV occupancy or temporary camping on private land inside Gilman; ask the city building inspector about the proposed stay before buying an RV for housing. Gilman’s residential dwelling-size requirement is at least 750 square feet of ground-floor area, so a smaller detached tiny home would not meet that stated minimum.5 We could not confirm a separate tiny-home or accessory-dwelling allowance in Gilman; ask the city how the proposed unit would be classified. Gilman’s sewage-disposal restrictions also need to be resolved for any housing proposal using private sanitation.4

Building a home in Gilman: what steps should you take in order?

  1. Ask the city building inspector to confirm the zoning district and compare the proposed lot and dwelling with Gilman’s residential minimums.265
  2. Confirm city sewer availability and the connection requirement; ask whether a sewer-chapter exception permits private sanitation on the parcel.74
  3. If private sewage disposal is allowed, obtain the county health department septic permit and required plan approval before construction.812
  4. Arrange the Gilman building inspector’s prior inspection and obtain the city building permit before covered work or excavation.1
  5. If proposing a private well, contact Iroquois County Public Health Department about the county well permit.13

What should you check before buying land in Gilman?

Confirm that the parcel is inside Gilman city limits: the county zoning ordinance applies to unincorporated Iroquois County, while Gilman has its own city zoning.142 For land outside the city, use the Iroquois County guide for the county building-permit and zoning answers.1514 Inside Gilman, ask the city building inspector about floodplain status, driveway approval, setbacks and any agricultural exemption before committing to a site plan; we could not confirm the city’s driveway or agricultural-exemption rules. Work in a state-highway right-of-way requires an IDOT permit before work begins.16 A private well in Iroquois County requires a county well permit.13

Watch-outs

  • Gilman’s septic restrictions have sewer-chapter exceptions; ask the city whether an exception applies before assuming a private sewage system is allowed.4
  • Illinois’s qualifying homeowner plumbing exemption is limited to plumbing and does not establish a general exemption from Gilman building permits.17
  • We could not confirm RV occupancy, temporary camping or a separate tiny-home allowance inside Gilman; ask the city building inspector before planning to live on the lot while building.11

Sources

  1. Gilman Code, Title 18, §18.36.010 (Gilman), quoted and re-checked
  2. Gilman Code, Title 18, §18.12.080 (Gilman), quoted and re-checked
  3. Application for Permit to Construct or Repair a Private Sewage System, quoted and re-checked
  4. Gilman Code, Title 13, §13.08.020 (Gilman), quoted and re-checked
  5. Gilman Code, Title 18, §18.12.080 (Gilman), quoted and re-checked
  6. Gilman Code, Title 18, §18.12.070 (Gilman), quoted and re-checked
  7. Gilman Code, Title 13, §13.08.020 (Gilman), quoted and re-checked
  8. Application for Permit to Construct or Repair a Private Sewage System, quoted and re-checked
  9. Gilman Code, Title 18, §18.36.010 (Gilman), quoted and re-checked
  10. Illinois Codes FAQ (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  11. Gilman City Hall (cityofgilman.com)
  12. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 905.190 Installation Approval (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  13. Well Program Procedure, quoted and re-checked
  14. Iroquois County Zoning Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
  15. iroquoiscountyil.gov, quoted and re-checked
  16. Highway Permits (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  17. HB5913 Enrolled — Illinois Plumbing License Law amendment (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 11, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Gilman

Gilman’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Buildings, dwellings, structures, alterations, expansions, dismantling, placement, and excavation inside Gilman city limits.

    • Prior inspection by the building inspector is also required.
    • The requirement applies before the building permit is issued.
    “No buildings, dwellings, or structures shall be erected, constructed, altered, expanded, dismantled, placed or excavation done without prior inspection by the building inspector and a building permit being issued by said inspector.”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Buildings, dwellings, structures, alterations, expansions, dismantling, placement, and excavation inside Gilman city limits.

    • Inspection by the building inspector must occur before the permit is issued.
    “No buildings, dwellings, or structures shall be erected, constructed, altered, expanded, dismantled, placed or excavation done without prior inspection by the building inspector and a building permit being issued by said inspector.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Gilman city limits; the city has Title 18, Zoning, including residential and floodplain chapters.

    “Every dwelling erected, constructed or placed hereafter shall have a total ground floor area or not less than seven hundred and fifty square feet as measured from the outside of the exterior walls, but excluding cellars, basements, open porches, breezeways and garages;”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

    Dwellings in Gilman's residential districts.

    • Ground-floor area excludes cellars, basements, open porches, breezeways, and garages.
    • Multiple-family dwellings require at least 600 square feet per individual dwelling unit.

    minimum ground-floor area for dwelling: >= 750 square feet (Multiple-family dwelling units: 600 square feet per unit)

    “Every dwelling erected, constructed or placed hereafter shall have a total ground floor area or not less than seven hundred and fifty square feet as measured from the outside of the exterior walls, but excluding cellars, basements, open porches, breezeways and garages; provided, however, in the case of multiple-family dwellings, the ground floor area per individual dwelling unit shall not be less than six hundred square feet.”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    New single-family dwellings in Gilman's residential districts.

    • The same section also provides 4,500 square feet per family for semi-detached dwellings and duplexes and 3,000 square feet per family or unit for other multiple dwellings or apartment buildings.

    minimum lot area per single-family dwelling: >= 7500 square feet

    “Single-family dwellings, seventy-five hundred square feet per family;”
  • Off-grid sanitationProhibited

    Privies, privy vaults, septic tanks, cesspools, and other sewage-disposal facilities inside Gilman city limits.

    • The prohibition is subject to exceptions provided elsewhere in Chapter 13.08.
    “Except as provided in this chapter, it is 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)

    Human-occupancy, employment, recreation, and other properties inside Gilman city limits that abut a street, alley, or right-of-way containing a city public sanitary sewer.

    • Connection is required within 90 days after official notice.
    • The public sewer must be within 100 feet of the property line.
    • The owner pays the installation cost.
    • The requirement is subject to the chapter's exceptions.

    connection deadline after official notice: 90 days · public sewer distance from property line: <= 100 feet

    “The owner of all houses, buildings, or properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purposes situated within the city and abutting on any street, alley, or right-of-way in which there is now located or may in the future be located any public sanitary sewer of the city, is 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 chapter, within ninety days after date of official notice to do so; provided, that said public sewer is within one hundred feet (30.5 meters) of the property line.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Gilman or Iroquois County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemptions inside Gilman city limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificate-of-occupancy requirements inside Gilman city limits.
  • Lot coverage — Lot coverage inside Gilman city limits.
  • Building height — Building height inside Gilman city limits.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping inside Gilman city limits.
5 more unanswered
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Short-term rentals

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Gilman publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Iroquois County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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