Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Dixon, Illinois

Dixon’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, alteration, addition, remodeling, demolition or equipment installation for a building or structure inside Dixon city limits.

  • A building permit must be obtained from the building official before work starts; construction may proceed after the permit is issued.
  • Exempt work under section 105.2 (as amended in chapter 1) includes: painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, counter tops and similar finish work, and other listed minor items.
  • Plans must be approved and all fees paid before a permit is issued (section 7-1-9(a)(3) and (a)(5)).

  “it shall be unlawful to construct, add to, alter, remove, demolish, remodel, do cement work or commence the construction, addition, alteration, removal or demolition of any building or structure or install equipment for the operation of a building or structure, without first filing with the building official an application in writing and obtaining a building permit therefor.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Dixon city limits: the City of Dixon adopts and administers its own zoning regulations (Title 6 of the city code).

  • Residential district standards are in Title 6, Chapter 9; business, manufacturing, overlay and procedure chapters are separate.
  • Land outside city limits (unincorporated Lee County) is not covered by this claim.

  “the r-1 district is established to protect, promote, and maintain the development of single-family detached housing”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts of the City of Dixon, Illinois

  • Chapter 8 (zoning districts; maps) and chapters 10-19 (business, manufacturing, overlay, procedure) were not opened; only residential districts in chapter 9 were read.
  • Estate residential (ER) district 6-9-3 exists but its standards were not captured.

  “6-9-3: er estate residential district: 6-9-4: cr countryside residential district: 6-9-5: r-1 single-family residential district: 6-9-6: r-2 two-family residential district: 6-9-7: r-3 moderate density multiple-family district: 6-9-8: r-4 high density multiple-family district:”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  One-story single-family dwelling in the R-1 single-family residential district (6-9-5) inside Dixon city limits

  • Applies to one-story dwellings; multi-story dwellings have a separate total-floor-area rule in 6-9-5(i) that was cut off in the text read.
  • Floor area is measured from the outside of the exterior walls, excluding cellars, basements, open porches, breezeways and garages.

  minimum total ground floor area, one-story dwelling: >= 960 square feet (multi-story dwellings have a separate total floor area rule)

  “every one-story dwelling hereafter erected in any r-1 one-family district, shall have a total ground floor area of not less than nine hundred sixty (960) square feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — One-story single-family dwelling in the CR countryside residential district (6-9-4) inside Dixon city limits

    “every one-story dwelling hereafter erected in any cr district shall have a total ground floor area of not less than one thousand two hundred (1,200) square feet”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  One-family detached dwelling in the CR countryside residential district (6-9-4), the rural-residential district inside Dixon city limits

  • Public and religious buildings in CR require a 20,000 square foot lot with a 100-foot building-line width (6-9-4(e)).

  minimum lot area, one-family detached dwelling: >= 10000 square feet · minimum lot width at established property line: >= 70 feet

  “every one-family detached dwelling hereafter erected or structurally altered shall be on a lot having an area of not less than ten thousand (10,000) square feet, and a width at the established property line of not less than seventy feet (70').”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — One-family detached dwelling in the R-1 single-family residential district (6-9-5) inside Dixon city limits

    “every one-family detached dwelling hereafter erected or structurally altered shall be on a lot having an area of not less than six thousand (6,000) square feet, and a width at the established property line of not less than sixty feet (60')”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal dwelling setbacks in the R-1 single-family residential district (6-9-5(f)) inside Dixon city limits

  • Combined side yards: not less than 12 feet for interior lots and 15 feet for corner lots.
  • Corner lots created after the effective date of the title require a corner side yard of not less than 25 feet on the street side.
  • Accessory buildings on reversed corner lots may not project beyond the adjacent lot's front yard, nor be closer than 5 feet to the adjacent side lot line.

  front yard: >= 25 feet (in no case more than 50 feet required) · side yard, each side: >= 5 feet (combined 12 feet interior / 15 feet corner) · rear yard: >= 30 feet

  “front yard: 25 feet minimum. in no case shall a front yard of more than fifty feet (50') be required.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Principal dwelling setbacks in the CR countryside residential district (6-9-4(f)) inside Dixon city limits, plus arterial and collector road setbacks

    “front yard: 35 feet minimum. side yard: 10 feet minimum. rear yard: 35 feet minimum.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  CR countryside residential district (6-9-4(h)) inside Dixon city limits

  • Coverage limit excludes accessory buildings.

  maximum building coverage, interior lot: <= 25 percent of lot area (corner lot maximum 30 percent) · maximum building coverage, corner lot: <= 30 percent of lot area

  “not more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the lot area of an interior lot nor more than thirty percent (30%) of the lot area of a corner lot may be covered by buildings, exclusive of accessory buildings.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 single-family residential district (6-9-5(h)) inside Dixon city limits

    “not more than thirty-five percent (35%) of the lot area of an interior lot nor more than thirty percent (30%) of the lot area of a corner lot may be covered by buildings, exclusive of accessory buildings.”

• Building heightSpecified

  One-family detached dwellings in the CR countryside residential district (6-9-4(d)) inside Dixon city limits

  • Public and religious buildings: 45 feet for the main structure.
  • Height exceptions are in chapter 3, section 6-3-7 (not opened).

  maximum height, one-family detached dwelling: <= 35 feet

  “one-family detached dwellings: thirty-five feet (35').”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — One-family detached dwellings in the R-1 single-family residential district (6-9-5(d)) inside Dixon city limits

    “one-family detached dwellings: twenty-five feet (25') and not over two and one-half (2 1/2) stories.”

• Permit feesPublished

  Building permit fees for work inside Dixon city limits

  • New-construction fees are computed from square-footage unit rates times the multipliers listed in section 7-1-9(b)(1), per the city's schedule; the schedule was printed in section 7-1-9.
  • Plan review fees are set at the rates charged by the International Code Council or another qualified code consultant when the building official requires plan review (section 7-1-9(a)(5)).
  • Fee schedule amendments are adopted by ordinance; the code states 'current through: ord. 3507, passed july 6, 2026' on the overview page, and the newest fee ordinance was not identified.

  building permit application fee: 5 USD (plus new-construction, plan review and other fees under section 7-1-9(b))

  “the application fee for a building permit shall be five dollars ($5.00).”

• Permit processPublished

  Building permit application process inside Dixon city limits

  • Application is made to the building department with plans and specifications; plans must be verified by the owner's signature and the architect's or engineer's seal.
  • No permit is issued until plans are approved and fees are paid; changes from submitted plans require an amended plan and approval.
  • The city hall address is 121 W. 2nd St., Dixon, Illinois 61021 (overview page).

  “application for such permit shall be made to the building department and shall be accompanied by plans and specifications in duplicate showing the work to be done”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Dixon city limits
• Inspections — Inspections for work inside Dixon city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside Dixon city limits
• Living in an RV — Occupancy of an RV on land inside Dixon city limits
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on land inside Dixon city limits

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.