Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Drury Township, Illinois

Rules another office applies inside Drury Township

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

• Building permitRequired

  Home improvements and new home construction on unincorporated land in Drury Township

  • Permits are not required for carpet, paint and gutters.
  • Construction may proceed after the permit is issued; a project started without a permit is charged double.
  • A new home permit also needs septic approval from Environmental Health, a site layout, two sets of blueprints and engineered truss drawings stamped by an Illinois-licensed engineer.

  permit fee penalty for starting without permit: 2 multiple of fee (persons not obtaining a permit prior to beginning a project)

  “permits are required for all home improvements except carpet, paint and gutters.”

• Owner-builder exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

  Homeowners doing work on their own home on unincorporated land in Drury Township

  • Contractors doing the work must provide proof of liability insurance.
  • The homeowner's work still requires the county permit.

  “a homeowner can do the work on their home, but we do require proof of liability insurance from contractors who would do the work.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  New construction and alterations on unincorporated land in Drury Township, under the Rock Island County Zoning and Building Safety Department

  • Codes are listed as those currently used with local amendments, not inclusive of all federal and state of Illinois requirements.
  • Listed editions include the 2021 International Residential Code and 2021 International Building Code, with the 2024 Illinois Energy Conservation Code effective Nov 30, 2025.
  • Copies are viewable at the county office; some are copyrighted.

  “2021 international residential code (see note 1)”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Parcels in unincorporated Drury Township, Rock Island County (county zoning map and parcel zoning class)

  • Map and parcel zoning class come from Rock Island County, which administers zoning only in unincorporated county land and the Village of Hillsdale.
  • Municipal zoning inside incorporated places is not covered.

  “a zoning map (pdf) is available in 11-inch-by-17-inch pdf format on our downloads page.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Septic systems serving new homes inside Drury Township; the county health department's Environmental Health division approves them

  • Approval is needed before the county building permit for a new home is issued.

  “approval from environmental health, a division of the rock island county health department for a septic system.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New home septic systems inside Drury Township

  • Application form, fee and review timeline were not located; Environmental Health approval is needed before the building permit.

  “approval from environmental health, a division of the rock island county health department for a septic system.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions on unincorporated land in Drury Township

  • Governed by the Rock Island County subdivision resolution; the resolution text was not opened, so its thresholds are unknown.

  “rock island county subdivision resolution rock island county zoning resolution rock island county stormwater ordinance”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Building permit fees for work on unincorporated land in Drury Township

  • Fees are set as a function of the value of the work, using national averages including labor.
  • No fee schedule was located within budget.

  “fees vary with the value of the work being done using national averages, including labor.”

• Permit processPartial

  New home and home-improvement permits on unincorporated land in Drury Township

  • Plans need enough detail for a reader with no knowledge of the project; a site layout, two sets of blueprints, stamped engineered truss drawings, contractor list, erosion control plan and energy-code compliance report are listed.
  • Contractors register with the county and provide proof of liability insurance when they pull a permit.
  • Office hours and field-inspection hours are on the county page; the step sequence and review times are not stated.

  “the plans you submit should have enough detail to allow someone with absolutely no knowledge of your project to be able to go build your project.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Drury Township or Rock Island County directly.

• Local zoning — Whether Drury Township itself adopts and administers a zoning ordinance for land inside its limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size on unincorporated land in Drury Township
• Setbacks — Building setbacks for dwellings on unincorporated land in Drury Township
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage limits on unincorporated land in Drury Township
• Building height — Building height limits on unincorporated land in Drury Township

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.