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

Rules another office applies inside Shelbyville Township

Shelbyville 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

  New homes, accessory buildings and other structures on land inside Shelbyville township outside incorporated villages, cities and towns (county zoning jurisdiction)

  • Construction may proceed after the improvement location permit (building permit) is issued, so this is a conditional requirement.
  • Traditionally, the county does not require a building permit for aluminum car ports or boat docks.
  • Ground-mounted solar needs a permit; a solar array on an existing roof does not.
  • Construction without a permit is a petty offense, with a fine not to exceed $500 and each week the violation remains uncorrected a separate offense.
  • A permit is issued typically within 15 business days and expires if construction does not begin within 1 year.

  “no structure of any kind shall be placed, erected, altered, changed, or located on any land within the jurisdiction of shelby county, illinois, including any unincorporated villages, without an improvement location permit (building permit).”

• Local zoningVaries (with conditions)

  Land inside Shelbyville township that is outside incorporated villages, cities and towns: the Shelby County zoning ordinance applies. This is a county aggregate, not a township ordinance.

  • No Shelbyville township zoning ordinance was located on any official page opened; no township-adopted zoning is established.
  • The county ordinance applies only outside villages, cities and incorporated towns; land inside an incorporated city is governed by that municipality and was not researched.
  • The posted ordinance is a 2005 OCR scan with errors, and the zoning page notes later amendments (e.g., a solar amendment). Verify the current version before relying on it.

  “this ordinance shall apply to all of the territory of shelby county, illinois, outside of villages, cities and incorporated towns”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning district map for land inside Shelbyville township outside incorporated places

  • District maps are the township zoning maps adopted as part of the 2005 ordinance; the GIS layer shows current zoning. Verify the current map before relying on it.
  • The district map itself was not opened.

  “shelby county provides an online gis website at shelby county illinois supervisor of assessments gis map.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Residence minimum size on land inside Shelbyville township outside incorporated places

  • The county states 900 square feet as its current residence minimum; the ordinance's district table lists 900 sq ft ground floor in several districts (OCR-garbled, not used as the basis).
  • A variance may be applied for if the rule creates a particular hardship.

  minimum residence size: >= 900 square feet (variance available through application process)

  “currently, the minimum requirement for a residence is 900 square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Non-farm residential dwelling in the agricultural district of the Shelby County zoning ordinance, on land inside Shelbyville township outside incorporated places

  • Only the agricultural-district figure is verified. Single-family and rural-residential district lot sizes are not established (the figure 1 table is OCR-garbled).
  • Mobile-home use requirements in agricultural districts also list a one-acre minimum lot size.

  minimum lot size, non-farm residential dwelling, agricultural district: >= 1 acre

  “the minimum lot size for non-farm residential dwellings in an agricultural district is one (1) acre.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Structures in the agricultural district of the Shelby County zoning ordinance, on land inside Shelbyville township outside incorporated places

  • Right-of-way setbacks for agricultural structures are listed in the ordinance as 40 ft (major street), 30 ft (collector street), and 25 ft (local street); the OCR text is garbled, so verify against the scan.
  • The county property_setbacks PDF linked from the zoning page was not opened; single-family district setbacks are not established.

  side yard, agricultural district: >= 10 feet

  “a side-yard shall be maintained as follows: minimum measurement of ten (10) feet.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Use of an RV as a dwelling on land inside Shelbyville township outside incorporated places (county zoning area)

  • RVs may be used as dwellings only in locations lawfully established for that use, such as parks and campgrounds.
  • Long-term RV occupancy on private land is therefore restricted by the county's statement; the full ordinance was not searched for an RV section.

  “recreational vehicles shall not be used as dwelling units except in locations lawfully established for such use, such as parks and campgrounds”

• Tiny homesLimited

  Tiny home used as a residence on land inside Shelbyville township outside incorporated places

  • The county applies a 900 square foot minimum residence size; a variance may be sought through the application process.

  “currently, the minimum requirement for a residence is 900 square feet.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile and manufactured homes on land inside Shelbyville township outside incorporated places, in agricultural districts

  • Permitted in agricultural districts subject to the mobile-home use requirements (minimum lot size one acre, minimum lot width 80 feet, minimum 900 square feet, per the ordinance's mobile-home requirements; the OCR table alignment is unreliable).
  • Replacement of homes existing as of July 9, 1997 may not be with units under 900 square feet ground floor area.

  “mobile homes – homes of these types, as defined in §1, shall be permitted in agricultural districts subject to the use requirements hereinafter designated in paragraph b5.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning/building permit fees for structures on land inside Shelbyville township outside incorporated places

  • Fees listed on the zoning page: new residence $175; residential addition $125; accessory building $125; new commercial building $500; commercial accessory building $250; commercial addition $250.
  • Permits for buildings used for agricultural purposes are issued free of charge, per the ordinance's agricultural provisions.
  • The zoning page does not give a fee-schedule date; the separate county 'Fee schedule for permits' PDF was not opened.

  new residence permit fee: 175 USD (minimal fee to offset zoning office cost) · residential addition permit fee: 125 USD · accessory building permit fee: 125 USD (agricultural-purpose buildings issued free of charge)

  “new residence: $175 residential addition: $125 accessory building: $125 new commercial building: $500 commercial accessory building: $250 commercial addition: $250”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit process for land inside Shelbyville township outside incorporated places

  • Decide size and placement first, then obtain the health department sewer permit if applicable, then apply for the building permit.
  • Permit issued typically within 15 business days; 1 year to begin construction before expiry.
  • The zoning office is by appointment only, and the zoning administrator is part-time.

  “typically, a permit is issued within 15 business days.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Shelbyville township
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for new construction inside Shelbyville township
• Inspections — Building inspections for new construction inside Shelbyville township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Shelbyville township
• Lot coverage — Maximum lot coverage inside Shelbyville 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.