Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Port Barrington, Illinois

Village of Port Barrington’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Work on property inside Port Barrington village limits, administered by the village building department.

  • Permit not required for ordinary maintenance and minor repair, replacement of windows and doors of the same size, painting, masonry, tuck pointing, existing-fixture replacement, interior finishes, plantings and retaining walls under 2 ft, existing plumbing fixture replacement, and above-ground pools under 24 in deep without added electrical.
  • Many residents belong to HOAs, which may need board approval before a permit application; the department says its list is not all-inclusive.

  “a permit is required for the following: all new construction, additions, remodeling, framing, etc.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction inside Port Barrington village.

  • Adoption is listed in the village code index (chapter 150); the operative adoption section was not opened, so amendments are unverified.

  “2021 icc international residential code (with amendments)”

• InspectionsRequired

  Premises in Port Barrington village that receive a certificate of occupancy after a building permit.

  • Inspection is tied to the certificate of occupancy; separate required-inspection schedule not opened.

  “a certificate of occupancy shall only be issued for a premises, or any portion thereof, after inspection and approval thereof by the building inspector”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Premises in Port Barrington village for which a building permit has been issued.

  • A temporary certificate of occupancy may be issued at the building and zoning official's discretion, with completion dates and bond conditions.

  “a certificate of occupancy is required prior to occupying or using any premises, or any portion thereof, for which a building permit has been issued.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Port Barrington village limits: the village adopts and administers its own zoning code (Chapter 154, Zoning Code).

  • Chapter 154 is the village's own zoning code; the 2025 zoning map is listed on the village ordinances page but was not opened.
  • Chapter 154 revision stamp is (04/20); no effective date for the whole chapter was stated in the opened text, so effective_at is null.

  “for purpose of this chapter, the village is divided into the following zoning districts”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Land inside Port Barrington village limits.

  • Districts named in 154.035: E very low density residential; R low density residential; NC neighborhood conservation residential; OI office institutional and multi-family residential; BG general business; BN neighborhood business; BW waterfront business; M manufacturing.
  • The 2025 zoning map PDF (linked from the village ordinances page) was not opened, so district boundaries were not verified.

  “(a) e, very low density residential district; (b) r, low density residential district; (c) nc, neighborhood conservation residential district; (d) oi, office institutional and multi-family residential district; (e) bg, general business district; (f) bn, neighborhood business district; (g) bw, waterfront business district; and (h) m, manufacturing district.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  New single-family dwellings in the R (low density residential) district inside Port Barrington village.

  • The building department page lists the minimum by zone; the Appendix C floor-area column matches.

  minimum floor area: >= 1500 square feet

  “new single family minimum floor area: 1,500 sq. ft. n.c. zone 1,500 sq. ft. r. zone 1,800 sq. ft. e. zone”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — New single-family dwellings in the E (very low density residential) district inside Port Barrington village.

    “new single family minimum floor area: 1,500 sq. ft. n.c. zone 1,500 sq. ft. r. zone 1,800 sq. ft. e. zone”

  • District specific (with conditions) — New single-family dwellings in the NC (neighborhood conservation residential) district inside Port Barrington village.

    “new single family minimum floor area: 1,500 sq. ft. n.c. zone 1,500 sq. ft. r. zone 1,800 sq. ft. e. zone”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Land in the R (low density residential) district inside Port Barrington village (main single-family district).

  • Minimum lot area 10,000 sq ft; minimum lot width 75 ft (Appendix C, Table of Dimensional Criteria).
  • Notes to table: lots served by septic systems must also comply with county health regulations on minimum lot area.
  • Table column headings as printed; the table is the code's Appendix C.

  minimum lot area: >= 10000 square feet (lots served by septic systems must also comply with applicable county health regulations regarding minimum lot area) · minimum lot width: >= 75 feet

  “r 10,000 75 30 30 7.5 20 2.58 4.00 35 35 1,500”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Land in the E (very low density residential) district inside Port Barrington village (estate / rural-residential district).

    “e 21,780 100 40 40 12 30 1.20 4.00 25 35 1,800”

  • District specific (with conditions) — Land in the NC (neighborhood conservation residential) district inside Port Barrington village.

    “nc 7,500 75 30 30 7.5 20 3.48 4 00 40 35 1,500”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal structures on land in the R (low density residential) district inside Port Barrington village.

  • Front yard 30 ft; street side yard 30 ft; other side yard 7.5 ft; rear yard 20 ft (Appendix C).
  • Village building department page gives the same new single-family setbacks (side 7.5 ft, front 30 ft, rear 20 ft) without naming the district.
  • Accessory buildings: the building department page gives accessory building setbacks of front 30 ft, side 3 ft, rear 3 ft and 10 ft from the principal building; section 154.017(c) bars structures other than fences within 3 feet of any side or rear property line.

  front yard setback: >= 30 feet · street side yard setback: >= 30 feet · other side yard setback: >= 7.5 feet · rear yard setback: >= 20 feet

  “setbacks side setback - 7.5 ft. front setback - 30 ft. rear setback - 20ft.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Principal structures on land in the E (very low density residential) district inside Port Barrington village.

    “e 21,780 100 40 40 12 30 1.20 4.00 25 35 1,800”

  • District specific (with conditions) — Principal structures on land in the NC (neighborhood conservation residential) district inside Port Barrington village.

    “nc 7,500 75 30 30 7.5 20 3.48 4 00 40 35 1,500”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Structures in the E (very low density residential) district inside Port Barrington village.

  • Maximum height 35 ft per Appendix C; structure-exceptions in 154.017 were not reviewed in full.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet (structures allowed to exceed maximum height per section 154.017 exceptions)

  “e 21,780 100 40 40 12 30 1.20 4.00 25 35 1,800”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Structures in the R (low density residential) district inside Port Barrington village.

    “r 10,000 75 30 30 7.5 20 2.58 4.00 35 35 1,500”

  • District specific (with conditions) — Structures in the NC (neighborhood conservation residential) district inside Port Barrington village.

    “nc 7,500 75 30 30 7.5 20 3.48 4 00 40 35 1,500”

• Permit processPublished

  Building permit applications in Port Barrington village.

  • Permit issues after fees are paid and the village approves the application and submittals; permit placards must stay on site until a certificate of occupancy issues.
  • Small projects (cost of $10,000 or less) must start within 60 days and finish within 6 months; major projects must start within 6 months and finish within 24 months.

  “after payment of all required fees to the village, and after the village's approval of the application and all required submittals, the building inspector shall issue the permit.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Port Barrington or Lake County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for homeowners in Port Barrington village.
• Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on private land inside Port Barrington village.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Port Barrington village.
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Port Barrington village.
• Manufactured homes — Manufactured or mobile home occupancy inside Port Barrington village.

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.