Zoning, building permits and septic rules in West Peoria, Illinois

West Peoria’s own rules

• Building code adoptedPartial

  Tiny houses inside West Peoria city only.

  • Only the tiny-house building code requirement was found; general adoption of the building code for other construction was not verified.
  • Tiny houses must follow a modified appendix Q of the 2018 International Residential Code under the city property maintenance and occupancy code (ord. 2021-41).

  “building code to accommodate tiny houses within the city, must follow a modified appendix q of the 2018 international residential code under city property maintenance and occupancy code.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside West Peoria city limits: the city administers its own zoning ordinance (Title 2).

  • Cover page is dated December 27, 2022; no separate effective date is stated, so effective_at is null.
  • Zoning-only limits in this record come from the city ordinance, not from Peoria County zoning.

  “this title shall be known, cited and referred to as "the zoning ordinance for the city of west peoria, illinois."”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Inside West Peoria city limits: the zoning ordinance names residential (R-1, R-2), agricultural (A-1), business (B-1, B-1-O, B-2) and industrial districts.

  • Only the R-1, R-2, A-1 and B-1 purpose statements were opened; the full district map and remaining districts (chapter 7 industrial, chapter 6 B-2) were not read.
  • Table of contents lists chapters 5 through 7 for districts.

  “building height: no building hereafter erected or structurally enlarged shall exceed forty-five (45) feet in height.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwelling on an interior lot in the R-1 medium density residential district inside West Peoria city.

  • Corner lot single-family minimum is 8,500 sq ft and 90 ft width at building line.
  • Lots of record as of the ordinance adoption date may be used although not meeting required lot area and width.
  • Tiny dwellings on any lot: 1,000 sq ft minimum lot area and 20 ft width at building line (ord. 2021-41).

  lot area (interior lot, single-family): >= 6000 square feet (lots of record as of the date of adoption of this ordinance may be utilized) · lot width at building line (interior lot, single-family): >= 60 feet

  “1. single-family dwellings on the interior lot - lot area of not less than six thousand (6,000) square feet and a minimum width at the building line of not less than sixty (60) feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 medium density residential district inside West Peoria city, construction on developed lots.

  • Side yard: no single side yard less than 3 ft for single-family interior lot; corner lot street-side yard 25 ft.
  • Rear yard: 3 ft (ord. 1997-10); undeveloped-lot construction uses a separate front yard of 25 ft and combined side yards of 20 ft (no single side under 8 ft).
  • Accessory structure and fence exceptions apply under section 2-2-7 and 2-2-10 (not reviewed).

  front yard: 25 feet (or the average setback of two adjoining developed lots) · rear yard: 3 feet

  “front yard - twenty-five (25) feet or the average setback of two (2) adjoining developed lots.”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 medium density residential district inside West Peoria city.

  • Height limit applies to buildings erected or structurally enlarged.

  building height: <= 35 feet

  “building height: no building hereafter erected or structurally enlarged shall exceed thirty-five (35) feet in height.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-2 multi-family residential district inside West Peoria city.

    “e. building height: no building hereafter erected or structurally enlarged shall exceed forty-five (45) feet in height.”

• Tiny homesLimited

  Tiny dwellings inside West Peoria city in the R-1 and R-2 districts (listed among permitted uses).

  • Tiny dwelling must be attached to a permanent foundation and not be a mobile home.
  • Occupancy limited to no more than three people.
  • Accessory uses limited to the first-floor floor area or 150 sq ft, whichever is less (text in R-1 section; read in source).
  • Tiny dwelling minimum lot area 1,000 sq ft and width 20 ft at building line; yard rules differ for tiny lots.

  floor area: < 400 square feet · building height: <= 20 feet · occupants: <= 3 persons

  “14. tiny dwellings other than a mobile home, attached to a permanent foundation, designed for and occupied by no more than three (3) people, with a floor area smaller than 400 square feet, and a height no greater than 20 feet.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Building and fill inside the floodplain in West Peoria city.

  • Construction in the floodplain is subject to the city's flood plain ordinance restrictions for that area.
  • The floodplain ordinance itself was not opened.

  “no building or structure shall be erected nor fill placed in locations which violates any flood plain-ordinance restrictions for that area.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New construction inside West Peoria city limits
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside West Peoria city
• Inspections — Construction inspections inside West Peoria city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside West Peoria city
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside West Peoria city

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.