Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Pleasant Valley Township, Illinois

Rules another office applies inside Pleasant Valley Township

Pleasant Valley 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 houses, accessory buildings, decks, structural changes, and electrical or plumbing work on land inside Pleasant Valley township outside any incorporated municipality

  • Accessory structures under 120 square feet with no electrical or plumbing do not require a building permit but must still meet zoning setbacks.
  • Construction may not start until the permit is issued; permit work must start within 6 months and have consistent inspections to remain valid.
  • A septic permit or sign off must be issued before a building permit is issued.
  • Survey/site plan must show setbacks from roads and property lines; a firm finished-value estimate and building plan review checklist are required.

  permit review time: 15-20 working days (after a completed application packet is received)

  “a permit must be obtained prior to beginning any construction or excavation.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  New construction on land inside Pleasant Valley township outside any incorporated municipality, under the Jo Daviess County building code

  • Codes listed are adopted effective 01/01/2025 with the appendix chapters and amendments stated by the county; the full list with amendments is on the county website.
  • Municipalities inside the township, if any, are not covered by this county code.

  “the following technical codes have been adopted and made a part of the building code, effective 01/01/2025”

• InspectionsRequired

  Construction under a county building permit on land inside Pleasant Valley township outside any incorporated municipality

  • Owner or contractor must call the planning & development office 24 hours in advance for inspections; footing inspection 3-4 hours before pouring.
  • Inspections: footings, framing before siding, rough-in for electrical, plumbing and mechanical before insulation, post-insulation for conditioned space, and final before occupancy.

  “inspections are required. call the planning & development department at (815) 591-3810 before the work is ready.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Occupancy of a new or altered building on land inside Pleasant Valley township outside any incorporated municipality

  • Occupancy is tied to the final inspection; the county requires a final inspection (ready for occupancy).
  • Floodplain parcels must also provide a finished-construction elevation certificate before an occupancy permit is issued.

  “issuing building permits, zoning certificates, occupancy certificates, and guest accommodations licenses”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Building setbacks from roads for parcels inside Pleasant Valley township outside any incorporated municipality

  • Frontage setbacks listed for state highways, county roads and township roads; the state highway figures are set by the county document, not by IDOT.
  • Survey/site plan must show setbacks from roads and property lines.

  township road frontage setback from property line: 50 ft · township road frontage setback from roadway centerline: 80 ft · county road frontage setback from property line: 60 ft · county road frontage setback from roadway centerline: 110 ft · state highway frontage setback from property line: 75 ft · state highway frontage setback from roadway centerline: 125 ft

  “township roads: 50 ft from the property line/ 80 ft from the centerline of the roadway”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Side and rear yard setbacks for buildings in the AG and R-1 districts of Jo Daviess County zoning, on land inside Pleasant Valley township outside any incorporated municipality

    “side & rear setbacks. (in ag & r-1, side setback is 20’, & rear setback is 40’)”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Nonpermeable surface (lot coverage) limits on parcels inside Pleasant Valley township outside any incorporated municipality

  • The county says the limit depends on the zoning district; the numeric percentage was not stated in the cited document.
  • Accessory building area limits also apply: in the AG district, non-agricultural accessory area is under 5,000 sq ft on lots under 5 acres and 5,000 sq ft plus 1,000 sq ft per additional acre on lots of 5 to under 40 acres, capped at 50,000 sq ft on lots over 40 acres.

  “jo daviess county does have limits on how much of your land can be covered in nonpermeable surface. please see the ordinance for your zoning district, or call the planning & development office to see what your property has”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Septic systems for homes on land inside Pleasant Valley township; the county environmental health department issues septic permits

  • The septic permit is issued through the Jo Daviess County environmental health department at the Jo Daviess County Health Department, 9483 Route 20 West, Galena, IL 61036.

  “you or your septic contractor, are required to obtain a septic permit from the jo daviess county environmental health department.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New homes and other septic-served buildings on land inside Pleasant Valley township

  • A septic permit or sign off must be issued before a building permit is issued.
  • Septic permits are issued by the environmental health department and sent to the planning & development department.

  “a septic permit or sign off must be issued prior to the issuance of a building permit.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division of land inside Pleasant Valley township outside any incorporated municipality

  • The county administers its subdivision regulations (Title 9) for unincorporated land; a subdivision application and checklist is published by the county.

  “the planning and development department is responsible for administering and enforcing the county's building code, zoning ordinance, guest accommodations ordinance, subdivision regulations, and telecommunications ordinance”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Construction on parcels inside Pleasant Valley township that lie in a special flood hazard area

  • Applies only to projects in areas considered vulnerable to floodwaters.
  • Elevation certificate based on construction drawings is required before a building permit is issued, and one based on finished construction before an occupancy permit.

  “if your project will be located in an area that is considered to be vulnerable to floodwaters, you are subject to this ordinance.”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Short-term rental (guest accommodations) use of a home on land inside Pleasant Valley township outside any incorporated municipality

  • Guest accommodations are regulated under a county ordinance with a license and separate zoning certificate; properties in the program have different requirements than a single-family house.
  • The county guest accommodations license packet and zoning certificate application are published on the planning page.

  “note properties used in the guest accommodations program (short term rental) do have different requirements than for a single-family house.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit process for work inside Pleasant Valley township outside any incorporated municipality

  • Submittals include a completed application, firm finished-value estimate, building plan review checklist, two sets of scaled plans, and a survey/site plan.
  • Commercial structures require architecturally stamped plans; structural changes require a structural change request.

  permit review time: 15-20 working days (after a completed application packet is received)

  “building permits review time is approximately 15 - 20 working days after we have received a completed application packet.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Pleasant Valley Township or Jo Daviess County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for a home on land inside Pleasant Valley township
• Local zoning — Whether Pleasant Valley township itself adopts and administers a zoning ordinance for land inside its limits outside any municipality
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size on land inside Pleasant Valley township outside any incorporated municipality
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot area for a residence on land inside Pleasant Valley township outside any incorporated municipality
• Building height — Maximum building height on land inside Pleasant Valley township outside any incorporated municipality

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.