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

Rules another office applies inside Rice Township

Rice 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 Rice township (unincorporated Jo Daviess County)

  • Accessory structures under 120 sq ft with no electrical or plumbing do not need a building permit but must meet zoning setbacks.
  • Construction may proceed only after the permit is issued; work must not begin before payment of the permit fee.
  • Commercial structures require architecturally stamped plans (county guidance).

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

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Building, residential, mechanical, fuel gas, and electrical codes for construction on land inside Rice township (unincorporated Jo Daviess County)

  • Adopted: International Building Code 2021 (with appendix G); International Residential Code 2021 (with listed appendices); International Mechanical Code 2021; International Fuel Gas Code 2021; International Energy Conservation Code 2021 as amended by Illinois; 2018 Illinois Accessibility Code; National Electrical Code 2020.
  • State of Illinois Plumbing Code 2014 edition, published by IDPH, is also part of the county building code.
  • The county says the full list with amendments is on its website; that list was not opened.

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

• InspectionsRequired

  Construction under a building permit on land inside Rice township (unincorporated Jo Daviess County)

  • Inspections are scheduled with the county: footings, framing before siding, rough-in before insulation, post-insulation for conditioned space, and final before occupancy.
  • Plumbing must be inspected by the Illinois state plumbing inspector before it is covered (state plumbing code, IDPH).
  • Electrical, HVAC, and life-safety items must be complete before final inspection.

  “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 Rice township (unincorporated Jo Daviess County)

  • The application form says the building must not be occupied until the final occupancy certificate is issued.
  • An elevation certificate based on finished construction is required before the occupancy permit for flood-area parcels (county guidance).

  “do not occupy building until final occupancy certificate has been issued”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Rice township, which lies in unincorporated Jo Daviess County: the county zoning ordinance, administered by the county Planning & Development Department, is the zoning rule found for this land

  • Applies only to unincorporated land; municipalities such as Galena have their own zoning and are not covered.
  • Whether Rice township has adopted its own zoning ordinance was not verified (see the township claim, which is unknown).

  “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”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Land inside Rice township (unincorporated Jo Daviess County): zoning districts named in the county's official permit guidance

  • The official permit guidance names the ag (agricultural), r-1 and r-2 districts; it does not publish the full district map or district list.
  • District boundaries are kept by the county zoning administrator, per the county Title 8 (not opened on an official host).

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

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Structures in the AG and R-1 districts on land inside Rice township (unincorporated Jo Daviess County); road setbacks apply in all districts

  • Road frontage setbacks apply to every structure: state highway 75 ft from property line / 125 ft from road centerline; county road 60 ft / 110 ft; township road 50 ft / 80 ft (county permit guidance).
  • Accessory structures under 120 sq ft with no electrical or plumbing need no building permit but must still meet the zoning setbacks.
  • The county guidance gives no side or rear setback for R-2 or other districts.

  side setback, AG and R-1 districts: 20 ft · rear setback, AG and R-1 districts: 40 ft · road frontage setback, township road (from property line): 50 ft (from centerline 80 ft) · road frontage setback, county road (from property line): 60 ft (from centerline 110 ft)

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

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Impervious (nonpermeable) coverage and accessory-building area on land inside Rice township (unincorporated Jo Daviess County)

  • The county says lot coverage limits vary by zoning district and points to the district's ordinance text; the percentage limit itself was not found.
  • Ag district non-agricultural accessory area: under 5,000 sq ft on lots under 5 acres; 5,000 sq ft for the first 5 acres plus 1,000 sq ft per additional acre on lots 5 to under 40 acres; not over 50,000 sq ft on lots 40 acres or more (county guidance).
  • R-1 district total accessory building area: 1,950 sq ft on lots 1.0 to 1.49 acres; 2,400 sq ft on lots 1.5 acres or more (county guidance).
  • R-2 district total accessory building area: 1,500 sq ft on lots 0.22 to 0.74 acre; 1,725 sq ft on 0.75 to 0.99 acre; 1,950 sq ft on 1.00 to 1.49 acres; 2,400 sq ft on 1.5 acres or more (county guidance).

  “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)

  Private septic (sewage) systems for homes on land inside Rice township (unincorporated Jo Daviess County)

  • Permits come from the Jo Daviess County Environmental Health Department (Health Department, 9483 Route 20 West, Galena), not the Planning office.
  • Plumbing work is inspected by the Illinois state plumbing inspector.

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

• Septic permitRequired

  New homes needing a private septic system on land inside Rice township (unincorporated Jo Daviess County)

  • The septic permit or sign-off must be issued before the building permit is issued.
  • Address, septic and building permits are normally submitted together.

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

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Creation of new non-agricultural lots on land inside Rice township (unincorporated Jo Daviess County)

  • Lots created for non-agricultural use after the May 12, 2009 amendment may not exceed a proportional ratio value of 1.40 (lot-shape rule).
  • The county has an 'Application for Separation of Residence in the Agricultural District' form (county site); its terms were not opened.
  • Title 9 subdivision regulations are referenced by the zoning ordinance; the Title 9 text was not opened.

  maximum proportional ratio value, non-agricultural lots: <= 1.4 ratio (created after May 12, 2009)

  “any lot or parcel for non-agricultural use created after the jo daviess county ordinance amended may 12, 2009 shall not have a proportional ratio value greater than 1.40.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Driveway access to a new home on land inside Rice township; the permitting agency depends on the road type

  • Driveway permits are obtained from the county highway department, the township road commissioner, or IDOT depending on the road.
  • The road authority must sign off that the location has safe access before an address is issued.

  “driveway permits and culvert requirements can be obtained by calling the appropriate agency”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Construction on parcels in a special flood hazard area on land inside Rice township (unincorporated Jo Daviess County)

  • Projects in special flood hazard areas must submit an elevation certificate based on construction drawings before the building permit is issued.
  • An elevation certificate based on finished construction is required before the occupancy permit.
  • Applies only to parcels in the mapped flood hazard area; the county map was not checked.

  “jo daviess county has a special flood hazard areas ordinance. if your project will be located in an area that is considered to be vulnerable to floodwaters, you are subject to this ordinance.”

• Permit feesPublished

  Building and zoning permit fees for construction on land inside Rice township (unincorporated Jo Daviess County)

  • Fees are invoiced after permit approval; no work, including excavation, may start before payment.
  • Zoning certificate fees: single-family dwelling $50; additions $25; sheds/decks $10; outbuildings/garages $25 (county fee schedule).
  • Application fee (base fee) $75; flood area development permit $100; additional inspection $50 each (county fee schedule).
  • The county says the fee schedule is on its website in full; the full schedule was not opened.

  building permit fee: per 4 USD per $1,000 of cost value (plus $75 base application fee)

  “building permit fee schedule $4.00 per thousand dollar cost value (value x 0.004)”

• Permit processPublished

  Building permit application and review for construction on land inside Rice township (unincorporated Jo Daviess County)

  • Submittals: completed application with firm finished-value estimate, building plan review checklist, two sets of scaled plans, two copies of the survey/site plan, and a septic permit copy if applicable.
  • Permit work must start within 6 months and have consistent inspections to remain valid.
  • Address applications are normally filed with the building and septic permits; the road authority must sign off on safe access first.

  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 Rice Township or Jo Daviess County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for a single-family home on land inside Rice township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size for a new home on land inside Rice township (unincorporated Jo Daviess County)
• Minimum lot size — R-1 single-family residential district on land inside Rice township (unincorporated Jo Daviess County)
• Building height — Maximum structure height for homes and accessory buildings on land inside Rice township (unincorporated Jo Daviess County)
• Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on private land inside Rice 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.