Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Tower Hill Township, Illinois

Rules another office applies inside Tower Hill Township

Tower Hill 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 and accessory structures on land in unincorporated Tower Hill township, Shelby County, Illinois

  • County page states the requirement covers any unincorporated villages in the county.
  • The county says it traditionally does not require a building permit for aluminum car ports or boat docks.
  • Construction without a permit is a petty offense punishable by a fine not to exceed $500 per the county page.
  • A sewer permit from the county health department, if applicable, is obtained before applying for a building permit.

  “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 Tower Hill township but outside the incorporated village of Tower Hill, Shelby County, Illinois

  • The county zoning office states it enforces the county ordinance in unincorporated areas of Shelby County; no Tower Hill Township zoning ordinance or township statement that it has no zoning was located, so township-level zoning is not confirmed.
  • Land inside the incorporated village of Tower Hill is outside this statement and may be governed by village rules.

  “the zoning office is responsible for the issuance of building permits and enforcement of ordinance in any unincorporated areas of shelby county”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning district mapping for parcels in unincorporated Tower Hill township

  • The county says the online GIS zoning layer shows current zoning; a zoning map PDF is also listed on the county page.
  • District names on the permit form are AG, R1, RR and Business.

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

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Residences on land in unincorporated Tower Hill township (not the village of Tower Hill)

  • Minimum applies to a residence as stated by the county zoning office; the page does not split this by district.
  • A variance may be requested if the rule creates hardship.

  minimum residence floor area: >= 900 sq ft

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

• SetbacksSpecified

  Agricultural (AG) district lots in unincorporated Tower Hill township

  • Figures read from the county zoning permit form's district table; the form prints no units and the front figure applies to a county road frontage.
  • Values come from a county permit form, not the ordinance text; verify against the zoning ordinance.
  • Does not apply inside the village of Tower Hill.

  front setback, county road frontage: 40 feet (collector street 30 ft; unincorporated village street 25 ft) · side yard setback: 15 feet · rear yard setback: 20 feet

  “agricultural - ag single family - r1 rural residential – rr business 40 30 25 15 20 35 10 20 100 900”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Single family (R1) district lots in unincorporated Tower Hill township

    “max building height side yardage for accessory rear yardage for accessory minimum lot width minimum lot square footage agricultural - ag single family - r1 rural residential – rr business 40 30 25 15 20 35 10 20 100 900 40 30 25 6 20 35 3 20 60 900”

  • Specified — Rural residential (RR) district lots in unincorporated Tower Hill township

    “max building height side yardage for accessory rear yardage for accessory minimum lot width minimum lot square footage agricultural - ag single family - r1 rural residential – rr business 40 30 25 15 20 35 10 20 100 900 40 30 25 6 20 35 3 20 60 900”

• Building heightSpecified

  Agricultural (AG) district buildings in unincorporated Tower Hill township

  • Units are not printed on the permit form; read as feet.
  • Values come from the county permit form table, not the ordinance text.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet

  “agricultural - ag single family - r1 rural residential – rr business 40 30 25 15 20 35 10 20 100 900”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Single family (R1) district buildings in unincorporated Tower Hill township

    “max building height side yardage for accessory rear yardage for accessory minimum lot width minimum lot square footage agricultural - ag single family - r1 rural residential – rr business 40 30 25 15 20 35 10 20 100 900 40 30 25 6 20 35 3 20 60 900”

  • Specified — Rural residential (RR) district buildings in unincorporated Tower Hill township

    “max building height side yardage for accessory rear yardage for accessory minimum lot width minimum lot square footage agricultural - ag single family - r1 rural residential – rr business 40 30 25 15 20 35 10 20 100 900 40 30 25 6 20 35 3 20 60 900”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Living in a recreational vehicle on land in unincorporated Tower Hill township

  • Use as a dwelling is allowed only in locations lawfully established for that use, such as parks and campgrounds, per the county zoning office page.
  • Does not cover the village of Tower Hill.

  “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 homes used as a residence on land in unincorporated Tower Hill township

  • The county 900 square foot minimum applies to a residence; a variance may be requested for hardship, per the county zoning office page.

  minimum residence floor area: >= 900 sq ft (variance available for hardship)

  “currently, the minimum requirement for a residence is 900 square feet. if this rule, or any rule, is creating a particular hardship, you may apply for a variance during your application process.”

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  Private sewage disposal systems on land inside Tower Hill township, Shelby County, Illinois

  • IDPH regulates installation of private sewage systems that have no surface discharge; the state page says about 90 local health agencies also review construction plans, by local ordinance or as the department's agent.
  • The county zoning office says the county health department issues a sewer permit, if applicable, before a building permit.
  • The county health department's own septic rules were not located within the budget.

  “the illinois department of public health (idph) regulates the installation of all private sewage disposal systems that have no surface discharge”

• Septic permitRequired

  Septic or sewer permit for a new home on land inside Tower Hill township, Shelby County, Illinois

  • The county zoning office qualifies the sewer permit with the words if applicable, so the requirement depends on the system type.
  • Permit is obtained from the Shelby County Health Department before the building permit.

  “and once you’ve obtained a sewer permit from the shelby county health department (if applicable), you should apply for a building permit.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Creating new lots or additions by plat in unincorporated Tower Hill township

  • The county fee schedule lists preliminary and final plat application fees, which indicates county plat review; the plat regulations themselves were not reached.
  • Dated October 20, 2023 on the county fee schedule.

  preliminary plat fee per lot or parcel: per 25 USD (plus a base application fee)

  “application for preliminary plat, plus $25 for each lot or parcel in the proposed addition or subdivision”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit fees for land in unincorporated Tower Hill township, Shelby County, Illinois

  • Fee figures are as stated on the county zoning office FAQ page; the county fee schedule PDF is dated October 20, 2023 and lists the same building permit categories, plus other permit and plat fees.
  • Commercial fees are not included in this claim.

  new residence building permit fee: 175 USD · residential addition building permit fee: 125 USD · accessory building building permit fee: 125 USD

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

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit application process for land in unincorporated Tower Hill township, Shelby County, Illinois

  • Apply after deciding the size and placement of the structure and after obtaining a sewer permit from the county health department, if applicable.
  • The permit expires if construction does not begin within 1 year.
  • Office is by appointment only, per the county zoning office page.

  typical permit issuance time: <= 15 business days (typical, not guaranteed)

  “typically, a permit is issued within 15 business days. you have 1 year to begin construction before the permit expires.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permits or inspections in unincorporated Tower Hill township
• Building code adopted — Residential building code applicable to new homes in unincorporated Tower Hill township
• Inspections — Building inspections for new homes in unincorporated Tower Hill township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes in unincorporated Tower Hill township
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot area in unincorporated Tower Hill 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.