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

Rules another office applies inside Edgington Township

Edgington 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

  Building permits for construction and home improvement on unincorporated land inside Edgington township

  • The county FAQ says permits are required for all home improvements except carpet, paint and gutters.
  • The county FAQ sets out a new-home permit package (site layout, two sets of blueprints, engineered truss drawings, septic approval, contractor list, erosion control plan, energy compliance report).
  • Persons who do not obtain a permit before beginning a project are charged double, per the county FAQ.
  • Contractors must register with the county and show proof of liability insurance when pulling a permit.

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

• Owner-builder exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

  Homeowner doing work on their own home on unincorporated land inside Edgington township

  • Per the county FAQ, contractors who do the work must provide proof of liability insurance.
  • Per the county FAQ, plumbers and roofers must be licensed by the State of Illinois.
  • Per the county FAQ, contractors must get a permit and provide a written contract.

  “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

  County building codes enforced by the Rock Island County building department on unincorporated land inside Edgington township

  • The county page says the building department enforces the county's building codes; the specific code editions adopted were not identified because the codes section of the county page was not opened.
  • Applies only to unincorporated parcels; cities and villages apply their own codes.
  • The county FAQ says that when the county adopts its codes it requires an ice and water barrier.

  “the building department is responsible for enforcement of the county's building codes, including reviewing plans for new and altered construction projects, issuing building permits and occupancy permits and on-site inspections.”

• Local zoningVaries (with conditions)

  Zoning in Rock Island County. The county zoning department's authority reaches only unincorporated land; for land inside Edgington township that is unincorporated, county zoning is the zoning the county administers. This aggregates township and municipal zoning and does not show that Edgington township itself administers zoning.

  • Cities and villages in the county have their own zoning departments.
  • No official source found stating that Edgington township adopted or administers its own zoning ordinance (see local-zoning-township-unknown).
  • The county page does not state Edgington's boundary status; confirm that a parcel is outside any city or village limits before applying county zoning.

  “this department only has authority over properties located in unincorporated rock island county. all cities and villages have their own departments to handle these issues.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  County zoning districts applying to unincorporated land inside Edgington township

  • The county says the full zoning resolution with all district explanations is on its downloads page; that download was not opened.
  • Districts described on the county page include AG-1, AG-2, business, conservation, industrial, office, PUD, residential R-1 to R-7, and SE-1 and SE-2.
  • The county Zoning Districts page is a summary; the district map for Edgington parcels was not opened.

  “the entire zoning resolution with a full explanation of all zoning districts is available on our downloads page.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  AG-1 agricultural preservation district land on unincorporated land inside Edgington township (district of a given parcel not confirmed)

  • The county says AG-1 is a minimum 40-acre lot size.
  • Parcel district was not checked; confirm zoning for the parcel.

  minimum lot size: >= 40 acres

  “ag-1 is a minimum 40-acre lot size and ag-2 is a minimum 15-acre lot size.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — SE-2 suburban estates medium-density (rural-residential) district land on unincorporated land inside Edgington township (district of a given parcel not confirmed)

    “se-1 is a minimum 5-acre lot size and se-2 is a minimum 1-acre lot size.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured or mobile homes on parcels in Rock Island County's R-7 district on unincorporated land inside Edgington township; parcel district not identified

  • The county identifies R-7 as the mobile/manufactured housing district; placement in other districts was not addressed on the opened page.
  • Parcel-level zoning for Edgington land not checked.

  “r-7 is a mobile/manufactured housing district.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Septic systems for new homes on land in Edgington township served by the Rock Island County Health Department (Environmental Health division)

  • Environmental Health approval is named by the county as a prerequisite for a new-home building permit.
  • The health department's service area was not opened; confirm that Edgington township is within its jurisdiction.
  • Applies only to unincorporated parcels for the county building permit path.

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

• Septic permitRequired

  Septic system approval for a new home on land in Edgington township

  • Approval from Environmental Health must be in hand before the county issues a new-home building permit, per county FAQ.
  • The health department's permit form, fees and site requirements were not opened.

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

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Development in floodplain areas on unincorporated land inside Edgington township

  • The county says its zoning and building department administers floodplain ordinances.
  • The floodplain permit trigger and any elevation or flood-hazard rules were not read; this claim is limited to the administering authority.
  • Parcels outside mapped floodplain areas are not shown to need a floodplain permit.

  “rock island county zoning and building department is responsible for zoning, building, property maintenance, planning, stormwater and floodplain ordinances.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Building permit fees for work on unincorporated land inside Edgington township

  • County FAQ says fees vary with the value of the work, using national averages including labor.
  • No fee schedule was opened; the zoning fee downloads were not checked.
  • Projects started without a permit are charged double, per the county FAQ.

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

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit process for new homes on unincorporated land inside Edgington township

  • Plans must be detailed enough for a reader without project knowledge, per the county FAQ.
  • Required documents include a site layout, two sets of blueprints, engineered truss drawings stamped by an Illinois-licensed engineer, and septic approval.
  • The county office is at 1504 Third Avenue, Rock Island; the process steps after submittal were not opened.

  “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 Edgington Township or Rock Island County directly.

• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size for a new home in Edgington township
• Setbacks — Front, side and rear setbacks for R-1 and AG-1 parcels on unincorporated land inside Edgington township
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage limits on land in Edgington township
• Building height — Building height limits for R-1 and AG-1 parcels on unincorporated land inside Edgington township
• Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on private land in Edgington 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.