Bolthole Index

Peoria County, Illinois

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in the Village of Princeville, Illinois

The Village of Princeville, Illinois, in Peoria County, adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance, Title 17 of the village code1. Village Hall takes payment for building permits, but we could not confirm the permit rules, so call it before you build2. Septic permits in Peoria County come from the Peoria City/County Health Department3.

At a glance

Zoning
Village of Princeville zoning ordinance (Title 17) applies inside village limits1
Zoning districts
Residential (R-1, R-2), commercial, industrial and agricultural chapters4
R-1 minimum lot
9,600 sq ft, 100 ft deep, 80 ft wide5
R-2 minimum lot
0.83 acre6
Building permit
Village Hall takes payment for building permits; permit rules not confirmed2
Septic permit
Required from the Peoria City/County Health Department in Peoria County3
RV living
No village occupancy rule found; ask Village Hall2

Who to call

Building permits

Village of Princeville, Village Hall

Village zoning ordinance and payment of building permit fees inside Princeville village limits

309-385-4765

[email protected]

Septic permits

Peoria City/County Health Department, Environmental Health Division

Reviews onsite wastewater treatment system (septic) plans, issues permits, and inspects installation and repair

309-679-6161

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 17, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

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Does Princeville, Illinois have zoning?

Yes. The Village of Princeville administers its own zoning ordinance, which the code calls "the zoning ordinance of the village of Princeville"1. The code has residential (R-1 and R-2), commercial, industrial and agricultural district chapters, so check which district a lot sits in before you plan anything4. The official zoning map is the document that tells you; ask Village Hall for it2.

Princeville's zoning applies inside village limits. Land outside the village falls under Peoria County's rules instead, covered on the Peoria County page.

What are the lot size and setback rules in Princeville's residential districts?

In the R-1 residential district, each zoning lot needs at least 9,600 square feet, a depth of at least 100 feet and a width of 80 feet5. R-1 lots need side yards of at least 8 feet and a rear yard of 30 feet or more; accessory buildings may sit in the rear yard if they are at least 3 feet from the rear or side lot lines7. Buildings of all kinds may cover no more than 30 percent of an R-1 lot8. A principal building cannot exceed 30 feet in height and an accessory building cannot exceed 15 feet, subject to the exceptions in section 17.16.1009.

The R-2 country style living district is larger-lot: each lot needs at least 0.83 acre6. R-2 lots may also have only one principal and one accessory structure, apart from small items such as playhouses and gazebos, and total coverage there is also capped at 30 percent10.

Do you need a building permit in Princeville, and who issues it?

Princeville Village Hall accepts payment for building permits, so the village is the place to start for a project inside village limits2. We could not confirm which projects need a permit, which building code the village enforces, or how inspections work, so ask Village Hall before you order plans or pour a foundation.

Peoria County's building permit office does not cover village land: Peoria County Planning and Zoning serves unincorporated properties only11. Outside village limits, Peoria County requires building permits for residential construction12.

How do septic permits work in Princeville?

Anyone constructing, altering or extending a private sewage disposal system in Peoria County needs a valid permit from the Peoria City/County Health Department13. The department's Environmental Health Division handles onsite wastewater treatment system (septic) permits for the county14. A permit must be in hand before construction or repair begins3.

Whether a particular lot inside Princeville is connected to village sewer, and whether the village requires a connection, is unconfirmed. Ask Village Hall about water and sewer service, and call the Health Department at 309-679-6161 about septic13. Peoria County's rules also allow the Health Authority to refuse an onsite system permit where sanitary sewer service may be available15.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Princeville?

We could not confirm a Princeville rule for living in an RV or tiny home. The zoning code mentions recreational vehicles only in its mobile home park definition, and no occupancy rule turned up. Call Village Hall before parking an RV on a lot for more than a short stay2.

Peoria County's RV rules cover unincorporated land and recreational vehicle parks, not village lots. Illinois law treats manufactured homes designed as a dwelling place as occupiable dwellings, but the village's zoning districts decide where they can go16.

Building a home in Princeville: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the lot's zoning district (R-1, R-2 or another) and get the zoning map from Village Hall42.
  2. Check the lot against the district's minimum lot size, setbacks, coverage and height56.
  3. Ask Village Hall which building permits, plan review and inspections apply to your project2.
  4. Ask whether the lot connects to village sewer; if it needs a septic system, apply to the Peoria City/County Health Department before construction begins3.
  5. Illinois now requires statewide building codes through Public Act 103-0510, so ask which edition the village enforces17.

What stays with Peoria County, and what to check before you buy

Septic permits and well permits are county or state matters rather than village ones. Peoria County requires a permit to construct or modify a water well18. Development in a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area needs a floodplain development permit before work starts19.

The numbers on this page for taxes and soils are county-level. Peoria County's effective property tax rate is 2.2 percent20, and 35.9 percent of its soils are rated not limited for a conventional septic drain field, so expect a site evaluation on many lots21. Land outside village limits is covered on the Peoria County page.

Watch-outs

  • We could not confirm Princeville's building permit requirements, building code or inspection process, so ask Village Hall before you start work2.
  • Only the R-1 and R-2 residential districts have been checked in detail; commercial, industrial and agricultural district standards and the official zoning map still need confirming with Village Hall4.
  • Peoria County's building permit rules apply to unincorporated land, not to lots inside Princeville11.
  • Septic permits come from the Peoria City/County Health Department, not the village3.

Sources

  1. Village of Princeville Code Book, Title 17 Zoning (2022) (Village of Princeville), quoted and re-checked
  2. Village of Princeville, Village Hall (princeville.org)
  3. Onsite Wastewater, quoted and re-checked
  4. Village of Princeville Code Book, Title 17 Zoning (2022) (Village of Princeville), quoted and re-checked
  5. Village of Princeville Code Book, Title 17 Zoning (2022) (Village of Princeville), quoted and re-checked
  6. Village of Princeville Code Book, Title 17 Zoning (2022) (Village of Princeville), quoted and re-checked
  7. Village of Princeville Code Book, Title 17 Zoning (2022) (Village of Princeville), quoted and re-checked
  8. Village of Princeville Code Book, Title 17 Zoning (2022) (Village of Princeville), quoted and re-checked
  9. Village of Princeville Code Book, Title 17 Zoning (2022) (Village of Princeville), quoted and re-checked
  10. Village of Princeville Code Book, Title 17 Zoning (2022) (Village of Princeville), quoted and re-checked
  11. Planning & Zoning, quoted and re-checked
  12. Residential Permits, quoted and re-checked
  13. Peoria City/County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (pcchd.org)
  14. Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, quoted and re-checked
  15. Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
  16. Manufactured & Modular Homes/Mobile Structures (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  17. Building Codes and Regulations (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  18. Application for Permit to Construct or Modify a Water Well, quoted and re-checked
  19. Build Responsibly, quoted and re-checked
  20. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  21. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 17, 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 Princeville

Village of Princeville’s own rules

  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Princeville village limits

    “this title shall be known and may be cited as “the zoning ordinance of the village of princeville”.”
  • Zoning districtsPartial

    Zoning districts inside Princeville village; the code has residential (R-1, R-2), commercial, industrial and agricultural district chapters

    • Only the R-1 and R-2 residential districts were read in detail; commercial, industrial and agricultural district standards were not reviewed.
    • Official zoning map not reviewed.
    “article 2 r-2 country style living residential district sections: 17.20.110 17.20.120 permitted uses regulations and standards article 1 r-1 residential district”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    R-1 residential district inside Princeville village

    minimum lot area: >= 9600 sq ft · minimum lot depth: >= 100 ft · minimum lot width: >= 80 ft

    “each zoning lot shall have an area of at least nine thousand six hundred (9,600) square feet, a depth of at least one hundred (100) feet and a width of eighty (80) feet.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • SetbacksSpecified

    R-1 residential district inside Princeville village

    • Front yard on a major street is 70 ft from street centerline but not less than 20 ft from right-of-way line; other streets 50 ft from centerline but not less than 20 ft from right-of-way line.
    • In an established block, front yard is the average of the two adjacent buildings.
    • Accessory buildings may be in the rear yard if at least 3 ft from rear or side lot lines.
    • R-2 setbacks not captured.

    side yard: >= 8 ft · rear yard: >= 30 ft (accessory buildings at least 3 ft from rear/side lot lines)

    “rear yard depth shall be thirty (30) feet or greater. accessory buildings may be erected in a rear yard provided they are located at least three (3) feet from the rear or side lot lines”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    R-1 residential district inside Princeville village

    • Applies to all principal and accessory buildings combined.

    maximum lot coverage: <= 30 percent

    “the amount of the total lot area which may be covered by all principal and accessary buildings shall not exceed thirty percent (30%).”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Specified — R-2 country style living residential district inside Princeville village
      “the amount of the total lot area which may be covered by the principal structure, the accessory structure, and any other structure permissible under subsection b of this section shall not exceed thirty percent (30%).”
  • Building heightSpecified

    R-1 residential district inside Princeville village

    • Subject to the exceptions in section 17.16.100.

    principal building height: <= 30 ft (except as provided in section 17.16.100) · accessory building height: <= 15 ft

    “except as provided in section 17.16.100, no principal building shall exceed thirty (30) feet in height, and no accessory building shall exceed fifteen (15) feet in height.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Building permit — Building permits inside Princeville village
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Princeville village
  • Building code adopted — Building code inside Princeville village
  • Inspections — Building inspections inside Princeville village
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Princeville village
19 more unanswered
  • Minimum dwelling size
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees
  • Permit process

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 Princeville publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Peoria County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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