Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Carlinville, Illinois

Carlinville’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Carlinville city limits: the city's own zoning code divides the entire municipality into zoning districts

  • The source is the Chapter 40 zoning code PDF printed as 2017; a search snippet referenced a January 6, 2025 revised code ordinance (No. 1900) that was not opened, so confirm this text is current.
  • District-by-district dimensional limits are in schedule 40-3-18 at the end of the code, which was not captured in the extracted text.

  “the entire municipality is hereby divided into the following zoning districts”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts of Carlinville city (inside city limits only)

  • The zoning map itself was not opened; the district list is taken from the code text.

  “the entire municipality is hereby divided into the following zoning districts”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Individual mobile home spaces in a mobile home park or court in the MH mobile home district only

  • Applies only to mobile home park or court spaces, which must be on a tract of at least two acres with at least three mobile homes.
  • Not the single-family district minimum.

  minimum lot size: >= 4000 square feet (individual mobile home space in MH district park or court) · minimum lot depth: >= 100 feet (individual mobile home space in MH district park or court) · minimum lot width: >= 40 feet (individual mobile home space in MH district park or court)

  “(a) minimum lot size 4,000 square feet (b) minimum lot depth 100 feet (c) minimum lot width 40 feet”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Individual mobile home spaces in a mobile home park or court in the MH mobile home district only

  • Applies only to mobile home park or court spaces, not to the single-family districts.

  front setback: 20 feet (mobile home park space in MH district) · rear setback: 10 feet (mobile home park space in MH district) · side setback: 8 feet (mobile home park space in MH district)

  “minimum setback requirements from front lot line 20 feet from rear lot line 10 feet from side lot line 8 feet”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Parking a camping trailer or other recreational vehicle on a lot with a dwelling inside Carlinville city limits

  • Only one camping trailer or recreational vehicle may be parked on a lot with a dwelling; a second may be parked for up to 15 consecutive days in a 12-month period.
  • Living in a camping trailer is not allowed outside a camping trailer park.
  • Not parked in any front yard except on a driveway.

  camping trailers per dwelling lot: 1 count (a second may be parked up to 15 consecutive days in a 12-month period)

  “only one camping trailer or other similar recreational vehicle can be parked on any one lot of a dwelling.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Temporary camping with a camping trailer on private land inside Carlinville city limits

  • Camping trailers may not be used as living quarters outside a camping trailer park.
  • Camping trailer parks are defined as lots developed with facilities for temporary occupancy.
  • Whether a camping trailer park may be opened in a given district was not confirmed; schedule 40-3-19 was not captured.

  “no camping trailer or other similar recreational vehicle shall be used as living quarters (other than in a camping trailer park).”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile homes inside Carlinville city limits; modular homes are treated as single-family dwellings

  • Mobile homes may be located or relocated only in the MH (mobile home residence) district, except as otherwise provided in the code.
  • No mobile home may be installed on a lot in the city that is older than ten years from the current date.
  • Modular homes on a permanent foundation are treated as conventional single-family dwellings and may not be installed if older than ten years.

  maximum age of installed mobile home: <= 10 years (not stated for modular homes beyond the same ten-year limit in Section 40-4-12)

  “no mobile home shall be installed on any lot in this municipality that is older than ten (10) years from the current date.”

• Accessory dwellingsProhibited

  Use of an accessory structure as a dwelling inside Carlinville city limits

  • Prohibited unless expressly permitted in a particular zoning district.
  • Schedule 40-3-19 (district permitted and accessory uses) was not captured, so any district-level exception was not checked.

  “the following accessory uses are strictly prohibited unless expressly permitted in particular zoning district(s): (a) use of an accessory structure as a dwelling.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning certificate application for construction inside Carlinville city limits

  • Only the zoning-certificate application items are described; the city building permit steps, fees and the building department process were not located.
  • Applications go to the zoning administrator.

  “every applicant for a temporary certificate of zoning compliance shall submit to the zoning administrator, in narrative or graphic form, all of the following items of information as required by the zoning administrator.”

Rules another office applies inside Carlinville

Carlinville does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Building permitNot required

  Macoupin County building program permit; it does not apply inside Carlinville city limits because the county states it is required only in unincorporated Macoupin County

  • This is a county-program statement, not a city rule.

  “required in only unincorporated macoupin county”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private septic systems inside Carlinville city limits where public sewer is not available (Macoupin County health department private sewage program)

  • The county page states the requirement for all of Macoupin County; it does not separately address municipal boundaries, so the inside-city application is inferred from that countywide statement.
  • Schema note: the county's health program is recorded as a health-district because the schema does not allow municipality-specific scope for a county authority.
  • No city-level septic ordinance was located; zoning Section 40-3-17 defers sewage disposal to the applicable codes.

  “required in all of macoupin county. exception for private septic system permit if public sewer is available.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New private septic system inside Carlinville city limits where public sewer is not available

  • Exception: the private septic system permit is not required where public sewer is available.

  “required in all of macoupin county. exception for private septic system permit if public sewer is available.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  County private septic system permit fee for a lot inside Carlinville city where public sewer is not available

  • Fee as stated on the county page; the county says rules and fees change and should be confirmed.
  • No city zoning or building fee schedule was located.

  private septic system permit fee: 300 USD (not available where public sewer is available) · septic contractors license fee: 75 USD

  “cost for permit: private septic system permit $300.00 septic contractors license $75.00”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from city permits in Carlinville city
• Building code adopted — Which residential or building code Carlinville city has adopted by ordinance
• Inspections — Building inspections for new construction inside Carlinville city
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum floor area for a dwelling inside Carlinville city limits
• Lot coverage — Maximum lot coverage inside Carlinville 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.