Bolthole Index

Madison County, Illinois

Building permits, zoning and septic in the Village of Glen Carbon, Illinois

The Village of Glen Carbon, Illinois requires building permits for new homes, additions and many smaller projects.1 In Madison County, Glen Carbon administers its own zoning, while Madison County Planning & Development issues private sewage permits.23 Septic is conditional on sewer availability and acceptable soil conditions, so resolve sewage disposal before committing to a building site.3

At a glance

Building permits
Required for new homes, additions, decks, fences, driveways and solar work1
Zoning
Village zoning governs land inside Glen Carbon limits2
Septic permits
Madison County Planning & Development; public sewer availability and soils determine eligibility3
Agricultural buildings
Conditional structural-design exemption on agriculturally zoned farms over 25 acres; not a blanket building permit exemption4
Owner-builder
Illinois has a conditional plumbing exemption, not a general building permit exemption5
Private wells
State or approved local health department approval before construction, modification or sealing6

Who to call

Building permits

Village of Glen Carbon Building and Zoning Department

Village building permit applications, building-code administration and zoning questions

(618) 288-2603

[email protected]

151 N. Main Street Glen Carbon, IL 62034

Septic permits

Madison County Planning & Development — Private Sewage Permits & Inspections

Private sewage permits, installation inspections and installer licensing

(618)296-4663

[email protected]

157 N. Main Street, Suite 254 Edwardsville, IL 62025

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 12, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Village of Glen Carbon means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in the Village of Glen Carbon, IL?

Glen Carbon requires building permits for residential new construction, additions and remodels, as well as accessory structures, covered porches, decks, driveways, electrical work, plumbing, fences, pools and solar work.1 Glen Carbon has adopted the 2018 International Building Code and International Existing Building Code with village amendments.7

Glen Carbon’s agricultural exemption is narrower than permission to build without approval: structures for agricultural applications on farms over 25 acres zoned agricultural may receive a structural-design exemption if the Director of Community Development determines there is no danger to public safety.4

Who issues building permits in the Village of Glen Carbon?

Contact the village Building and Zoning Department for a Glen Carbon building permit application or zoning question.8 Use the department’s Applications/Permits page to reach the online application system; the department requires online submission of applications and plans and no longer accepts paper or emailed applications.8

Ask the department for the inspection sequence and any occupancy approval needed for your specific home project; we could not confirm a complete village inspection schedule.8 Private sewage applications go separately to Madison County Planning & Development, which permits and inspects private sewage installation.3

Does the Village of Glen Carbon have zoning, and can you live in an RV or tiny home?

Glen Carbon has village zoning, and the village Building and Zoning Department administers the Zoning Code.28 The code regulates uses by zoning district, yard dimensions, building heights, parking and fences; ask that department for the parcel’s district and the standards for your proposed home.8

We could not confirm village rules allowing RV living, temporary camping, tiny-home occupancy or accessory dwelling units, or the numeric residential lot-size and setback tables; ask Glen Carbon Building and Zoning before buying for any of those uses.8 Glen Carbon also limits short-term rentals through special-use criteria and a villagewide cap of 15 properties, so a rental plan needs separate consideration.9

How do septic permits work inside the Village of Glen Carbon?

Madison County Planning & Development permits and inspects private sewage systems, including a review of the proposed system before issuance.3 The county allows private sewage only where public sewer is unavailable and cannot be extended to the property line, and where acceptable soil conditions exist.3 Glen Carbon requires connection when public sewer becomes available to a property served by private sewage, with abandonment, cleaning and approved filling of the old facilities.10

Illinois requires private sewage plan approval before construction and notice to the applicable authority at least 48 hours before work begins.11 Ask the county sewage office to evaluate the site and ask the village about sewer availability before designing an off-grid home.310

Building a home in the Village of Glen Carbon: what comes first?

  • Start with Glen Carbon Building and Zoning: request the parcel’s zoning district, allowed residential use, yard dimensions and height standards.8
  • Resolve public sewer versus private sewage with the village and Madison County Planning & Development before finalizing the home site.103
  • Submit the village building permit application and plans through the online permitting system, and ask for the project’s inspection requirements.18
  • If the site is in the floodplain, address Glen Carbon’s development permit requirements, including site drawings and lowest-floor elevation information.12
  • If subdividing covered land, obtain preliminary and final plat approvals and recording before subdivision or development.13

What stays with Madison County, and what should Glen Carbon buyers check?

Madison County remains the private sewage permitting office for a Glen Carbon site; village building and zoning approval does not replace private sewage approval.31 For land outside village limits, use the Madison County guide: county building permit and zoning rules apply to unincorporated Madison County.1415

A private well requires approval from Illinois Department of Public Health or an approved local health department before construction, modification or sealing; ask which authority will handle your Glen Carbon address.6 Work within state highway right-of-way, including access-driveway requests, requires an IDOT permit before work begins.16 Illinois’s owner-occupant plumbing exemption remains subject to code compliance and inspection and does not waive local building permits.5

Watch-outs

  • Glen Carbon’s agricultural structural-design exemption does not establish a blanket exemption from building permits.4
  • Public sewer availability can prevent septic approval, and Glen Carbon requires connection when public sewer becomes available under the village code.310
  • We could not confirm village RV or tiny-home occupancy permission; ask Glen Carbon Building and Zoning before relying on either as housing during construction.8

Sources

  1. 9-1-3: Fees (Village of Glen Carbon), quoted and re-checked
  2. Glen Carbon, IL Code of Ordinances (Village of Glen Carbon), quoted and re-checked
  3. Madison County Planning & Development — Private Sewage Permits & Inspections (madisoncountyil.gov)
  4. 9-1-4: Exemptions From Provisions (Village of Glen Carbon), quoted and re-checked
  5. HB5913 Enrolled — Illinois Plumbing License Law amendment (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  6. 77 Ill. Admin. Code 920.130, Water Well Permit Requirements (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  7. 9-1-1: Building Code Adopted (Village of Glen Carbon), quoted and re-checked
  8. Village of Glen Carbon Building and Zoning Department (glencarbonil.gov)
  9. 10-6A-4: Special Uses (Village of Glen Carbon), quoted and re-checked
  10. 8-3-4: Private Sewage Disposal Systems (Village of Glen Carbon), quoted and re-checked
  11. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 905.190 Installation Approval (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  12. 12-1-5: Development Permit (Village of Glen Carbon), quoted and re-checked
  13. codelibrary.amlegal.com (Village of Glen Carbon), quoted and re-checked
  14. Building Permits & Inspections, quoted and re-checked
  15. Zoning Administration, quoted and re-checked
  16. Highway Permits (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 12, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Village of Glen Carbon

Village of Glen Carbon’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Accessory structures, covered porches, decks, driveways, electrical, fences, commercial additions/remodels, commercial new construction, plumbing, pools, signs and banners, residential additions/remodels, residential new construction, and solar work inside Glen Carbon village.

    • Fees are set by the Schedule of Fees in section 1-16-1.
    • Only one permit extension is granted, and the request must be made before expiration.
    “Building Permits are required in the Village of Glen Carbon.”
  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    Building construction, alteration, movement, enlargement, replacement, repair, equipment, location, removal, and demolition inside Glen Carbon village.

    • The Village adopted the 2018 International Building Code and 2018 International Existing Building Code, subject to Village amendments in section 9-1-2.
    • The adoption was amended by Ordinance 2024-12 on 2024-04-23 and Ordinance 2025-07 on 2025-02-11.

    building code edition: 2018 (International Building Code and International Existing Building Code)

    “International Building Code (IBC), 2018 edition”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Glen Carbon village limits; the Village Code contains Title 10 Zoning Regulations.

    “TITLE 8 WATER AND SEWER TITLE 9 BUILDING REGULATIONS TITLE 10 ZONING REGULATIONS TITLE 11 SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS TITLE 12 FLOOD CONTROL”
  • Mandatory utility hookupConditional

    Property inside Glen Carbon village served by a private or semi-private sewage disposal system when a public sewer becomes available.

    • A direct connection to the public sewer must then be made.
    • Existing septic tanks, cesspools, or similar facilities must be abandoned, cleaned of sludge, and filled with approved material.
    • The Village Code section establishing public-sewer availability was not separately opened, so the precise distance or availability threshold remains unresolved.
    “At such time as a public sewer becomes available to a property served by a private or semi-private sewage disposal system, as provided in subsection 8-3-3D of this chapter, a direct connection shall be made to the public sewer in compliance with this chapter, and any septic tanks, cesspools, or similar private or semi-public sewage disposal facilities shall be abandoned, cleaned of sludge, and filled with sand, gravel, dirt, or suitable material, as approved by the director of public works.”
  • Agricultural exemptionConditional

    Buildings or structures on farms over 25 acres zoned agricultural inside Glen Carbon village.

    • The Director of Community Development must determine that there is no danger to public safety.
    • The buildings or structures must be for agricultural applications.
    • The exemption concerns structural design specified by the building code, not necessarily all permits or other regulations.

    farm area threshold: > 25 acres (must be zoned agricultural)

    “farms over twenty five (25) acres zoned agricultural may be exempted from the structural design specified by the building code”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision of land and planned development procedures within Glen Carbon village corporate limits.

    • The regulations also extend to areas within 1.5 miles of the Village corporate limits, but this record concerns land inside the Village.
    • Exemptions include certain divisions of land into parcels or tracts of five acres or more without new streets or access easements, among other listed exemptions.
    • Preliminary and final plat approvals and filing with the county recorder of deeds are required before covered land may be subdivided or developed.

    extraterritorial subdivision reach: 1.5 miles (outside the requested municipal limits)

    “These regulations shall apply to all subdivision of land”
  • Building in a floodplainRequired

    Development in the floodplain inside Glen Carbon village.

    • The applicant must submit scaled site drawings, grades, building locations and dimensions, lowest-floor elevation, and estimated project cost.
    • The permit does not apply where survey data establishes the land is above the current base flood elevation and was not filled after the first flood-insurance-rate-map date.
    • All other required federal, state, and local permits must be obtained before issuance.
    “shall commence any development in the floodplain without first obtaining a development permit”
  • Short-term rentalsLimited

    Use of a dwelling unit as a short-term rental inside Glen Carbon village, including the RS-10 district.

    • Short-term rental use is subject to the special-use criteria in section 10-16-4.
    • The Villagewide cap is 15 total short-term-rental properties regardless of zoning district.
    • The code defines short-term rental property as overnight lodging for non-permanent or transient guests for fewer than 30 consecutive days.

    maximum total short-term rental properties: <= 15 properties (villagewide regardless of different zoning districts) · maximum rental period: < 30 consecutive days (overnight lodging for non-permanent or transient guests)

    “no more than fifteen (15) total short-term rental properties shall be allowed within the Village of Glen Carbon”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Glen Carbon or Madison County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders performing construction inside Glen Carbon village.
  • Inspections — General building inspection requirements inside Glen Carbon village.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Single-family and other dwellings inside Glen Carbon village.
  • Minimum lot size — Residential lots inside Glen Carbon village.
  • Setbacks — Buildings and structures inside Glen Carbon village.
8 more unanswered
  • Lot coverage
  • Building height
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Village of Glen Carbon publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Madison County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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