Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Prairie Grove, Illinois

Village of Prairie Grove’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Decks and other construction for which the village requires a building permit inside Prairie Grove village; general new-dwelling permit clause not located

  • Construction may proceed after the permit is issued.
  • Deck requirement is quoted; a general new-dwelling permit sentence was not found in this pass.

  “a. permit required: a building permit is required prior to the installation of a deck, extension of an existing deck, or replacement of an existing deck.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Building construction inside Prairie Grove village

  • Adopted editions are 2006 (IBC, IRC, mechanical, fuel gas, property maintenance, energy conservation), amended per the village code text; the code was last revised 5/18/21 per its chapter header.
  • Current-edition status was not checked against later village ordinances.

  “the international building code, 2006 edition, published by the international code council”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Prairie Grove village limits (village zoning code, Chapter 21 of the village code)

  • Zoning is administered under the village zoning code (Chapter 21, articles 1-10); the village code names McHenry County and IL Routes 31 and 176 in its setback text, consistent with the village in McHenry County.
  • Lot, yard, height and coverage limits are set by district; see the district claims.

  “no building or other structure shall be erected, altered or enlarged so as to exceed the maximum lot coverage percentage, floor area ratio, minimum setbacks and minimum side and rear yards, or the maximum building height for the district in which the building or structure is located.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Prairie Grove village

  • District list in Article 5 includes farming (F), estate (E-5, E-3, E-1), single family (R, R-1), transitional (T), business (B), industrial transitional (IT), industrial (I) and open space recreation (OSR).
  • Zoning map not opened in this research pass.

  “estate district (e-1) estate district r single family district r-1 single family district”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single family district (R), the main single-family residential district inside Prairie Grove village

  • The 34,000 sq ft figure appears both in the zoning district lot-size text and in the subdivision platting table.
  • Minimum lot width for this district is 125 feet at the front property line per the same zoning text.
  • Special uses have lot sizes set by special use permit.

  minimum lot area: >= 34000 square feet · minimum lot width: >= 125 feet

  “minimum lot size - thirty four thousand (34,000) square feet”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single family district (R-1) inside Prairie Grove village

    “minimum lot area 10 acres 5 acres 3 acres 1 acre 34,000 square feet 21,780 square feet”

  • District specific (with conditions) — Farming district (F), the agricultural district inside Prairie Grove village

    “minimum lot area 10 acres 5 acres 3 acres 1 acre 34,000 square feet 21,780 square feet”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single family district (R) inside Prairie Grove village, main structures

  • Setback from major highways: not less than fifty (50) feet from the ultimate right-of-way for IL Route 31 and IL Route 176 (quoted in the same district text).
  • Accessory uses are set separately (20 ft in the R block quoted in the zoning text).

  minimum front yard: >= 45 feet · minimum interior side yard: >= 20 feet · minimum corner side yard: >= 35 feet · minimum rear yard: >= 40 feet

  “(1) minimum front yards -- not less than forty five (45) feet. (2) minimum interior side yards -- not less than twenty (20) feet from an interior side lot line.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family detached residences in the single family district (R) inside Prairie Grove village

  • Special uses have heights set by special use permit.
  • Accessory uses limited to 20 feet in the same R block.

  maximum height, single-family detached: <= 45 feet (special uses set by special use permit)

  “structure height: (1) single-family detached residences -- not more than forty five (45) feet in height.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions and platting inside Prairie Grove village (Chapter 22 subdivision regulations)

  • Applies to subdivisions and planned developments; minimum lot areas set in the platting standards.

  “2. platting: all lots shall be designed in accordance with good planning practice.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit fees inside Prairie Grove village

  • Fee schedule is Exhibit A to Chapter 23 (table of contents dates it 1/14/25); fee amounts not extracted in this pass.
  • Fees are payable in full in advance of issuance.

  “permit fees are found in exhibit a of this chapter.”

Rules another office applies inside Village of Prairie Grove

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

• Septic permitRequired

  Homes on private septic inside Prairie Grove village; permit issued by McHenry County health department

  • Permit must be shown in the building permit application (approved drawings and county permit).

  “one copy of the approved drawings and mchenry county health department permit for the well and septic system.”

• Well permitRequired

  Homes on private well inside Prairie Grove village; permit issued by McHenry County health department

  • Permit must be shown in the building permit application (approved drawings and county permit).

  “one copy of the approved drawings and mchenry county health department permit for the well and septic system.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Prairie Grove village
• Inspections — Building inspections for new homes inside Prairie Grove village
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for a new home inside Prairie Grove village
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Prairie Grove village
• Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on private land inside Prairie Grove 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.