Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Bull Valley, Illinois

Village of Bull Valley’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, remodels, accessory buildings, decks, pools and site grading inside Bull Valley village

  • Construction may proceed after the village building permit is issued; work before issuance is a violation.
  • 14.02(b)(8): no building permit for new construction, remodels, accessory buildings, decks, pools or site grading without county stormwater department review and approval.

  “no building or structure shall hereafter be erected or altered until a building permit is issued by the village.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  New construction and alterations inside Bull Valley village limits

  • Chapter 14.02 lists the 2018 International Building Code, 2018 International Residential Code, 2015 IMC, 2015 IFC, 2015 IEBC, 2015 IPMC, 2014 NEC, Illinois Energy Conservation Code, Illinois State Plumbing Code and Illinois Accessibility Code.
  • 14.02(b) exceptions: plumbing references go to the Illinois State Plumbing Code; flood, wells and wastewater provisions are superseded by the McHenry County stormwater ordinance adopted as Chapter 25; more restrictive code controls.

  “the following building codes, are hereby adopted as the building codes of the village of bull valley, for the control of buildings and structures as therein provided in each code.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted construction inside Bull Valley village

  • Inspections are at stages listed in 14.08 (erosion control, footings, foundation, pre-pour, backfill, rough-in, insulation, drywall, final); a later stage may not start until the earlier one is approved.
  • Inspection requests need not be made earlier than 48 hours after the request.

  inspection request lead time: >= 48 hours

  “all work shall be inspected by the building inspector or his designated official, at the following stages of construction, and no subsequent stage may commence until the preceding stage has”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Any structure in Bull Valley village before occupancy

  • CO issued only when work is complete, corrections are re-inspected, a culvert is installed if the village engineer specifies, the property has a village-assigned street number, and all village fees and fines are paid.

  “before a structure may be occupied, a certificate of occupancy must be issued by the building inspector.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Bull Valley village limits: the village administers its own zoning ordinance (the Bull Valley Zoning Code)

  • Zoning regulations were established by Ordinance 1979-2 (April 7, 1979); later amendments remain in effect per Section 11.01.
  • Chapter 14.04 gives the building inspector, village president and chief of police power to administer the bull valley zoning ordinance.

  “the zoning regulations of the village of bull valley, established by ordinance 1979-2, passed and approved april 7, 1979, and subsequent amendments and supplements thereto are continued in full force and effect.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts of Bull Valley village (Section 5 Use Districts, including estate and municipal lands districts)

  • Section 5 contains use district rules including an 'e' estate district and a municipal lands district; the full district list (including agricultural) was not confirmed in opened text.

  “5.2 establishment of districts. in order to carry out the purposes and provisions of this ordinance, the village of bull valley is hereby divided into the following districts: 5.2-1 agricultural districts.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Driveway or culvert work for building permit applications inside Bull Valley village

  • Culvert/driveway permit may be applied for concurrently with the building permit.
  • A culvert must be installed if specified by the village engineer before a certificate of occupancy (14.05(b)).

  “culvert/driveway permit (can be concurrent application).”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit and zoning review fees for work inside Bull Valley village

  • 14.09 says the fee schedule is in Appendix 14-a (amended 2021-22-6, 2009-10-13, 2005-06-10, 2005-06-03).
  • Chapter 11.02 zoning fees (amendment $250 plus $10 per acre; variation $150; appeal $100 plus $5 per acre over 5 acres) apply to zoning petitions and are not building permit fees.
  • Permit change fees and extension fees are in 14.10 (extension is one-half the original fee).

  zoning review fee - residential: 75 USD · re-inspection or extra inspection flat fee: 50 USD · residential additions fee: 0.25 USD per square foot (minimum fee $110)

  “zoning review - residential $75 zoning review - commercial $150 re-inspection or extra inspections needed or requested: flat fee $50”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit application process in Bull Valley village

  • Application signed by the owner or authorized agent (14.07(d)(2)).
  • Required materials include two sets of stamped drawings, a plat of survey, two site plan copies showing setbacks and lot sizes, well and septic plan and permit, culvert/driveway permit, road bond if required, and tree preservation plan.
  • Application is not complete until all required information is provided; the village may adopt reasonable administrative procedures.

  “the application for a permit shall be in writing using a form provided by the village.”

Rules another office applies inside Village of Bull Valley

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

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Septic systems on land inside Bull Valley village; McHenry County Department of Health administers them (county rule applied inside the village by Chapter 14.05)

  • Village Chapter 14.05 adopts the McHenry County public health ordinance (Article IV wastewater, Article V water supply) for residential units.
  • 14.02(b)(2): wells and wastewater systems are superseded by the McHenry County stormwater ordinance adopted as Chapter 25.

  “a permit is required from the mchenry county department of health to install, modify, alter, extend, repair, replace or abandon a septic system in mchenry county.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Installing, modifying, extending, repairing, replacing or abandoning a septic system on land inside Bull Valley village (county permit, applied for through McHenry County Department of Health)

  • Building permit applications require one copy of the well and septic plan and permit from the McHenry County Health Department (Chapter 14.07(a)(v)).

  “a permit is required from the mchenry county department of health to install, modify, alter, extend, repair, replace or abandon a septic system in mchenry county.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Bull Valley or McHenry County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Bull Valley village
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in the single-family residential district inside Bull Valley village
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size in the estate ('e') district and any residential or agricultural district inside Bull Valley village
• Setbacks — Yard setbacks for single-family residential and estate/agricultural districts inside Bull Valley village
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage in residential districts inside Bull Valley 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.