Zoning, building permits and septic rules in New Athens Township, Illinois

Rules another office applies inside New Athens Township

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

• Local zoningVaries (with conditions)

  Land in the unincorporated part of New Athens township (outside the village of New Athens and outside Scott Air Force Base): St. Clair County Chapter 40 zoning applies unless the township has adopted its own zoning ordinance, which was not located

  • Scope of the county code is set by section 40-1-3; the county code does not regulate incorporated municipalities that have their own zoning codes.
  • Whether New Athens township has its own zoning ordinance has not been confirmed; if it has, that ordinance would govern instead of this county claim.

  “it is hereby declared that the provisions of this code shall apply to all unzone municipalities and to all properties in the unincorporated part of st. clair county as provided herein, except those properties occupied by scott air force base.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private sewage (septic) systems on land inside New Athens township, administered by the St. Clair County Health Department

  • The ordinance excerpt applies to individual domestic sewage systems within St. Clair County; it does not carve out incorporated municipalities in the excerpt read.
  • Health department review may also be done under state rules (IDPH) as the state-approved local agency; state rules were not opened.

  “it shall be unlawful for any person to construct, alter or extend individual domestic sewage disposal systems within st. clair county unless he/she holds a valid permit issued by the health department”

• Septic permitRequired

  New or altered private sewage disposal systems for homes inside New Athens township

  • A valid permit from the St. Clair County Health Department must be held before a system is constructed, altered or extended.
  • The permit is issued to the named person for the specific construction, alteration or extension.

  “it shall be unlawful for any person to construct, alter or extend individual domestic sewage disposal systems within st. clair county unless he/she holds a valid permit issued by the health department stating the name of such person for which the specific construction, alteration or extension is proposed.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land for home sites inside New Athens township, as to septic and soil review by the county health department

  • Health Department review applies to subdivision plans; a fee is set by lot count (1 lot to 200 dollars; 11 to 25 lots 300 dollars; 26 to 50 lots 400 dollars; 51 or more lots 500 dollars per the code text as read).
  • The subdivision-plan fee figures in the opened PDF text are OCR-garbled and must be confirmed against the source before use.

  “the health department shall require persons who subdivide property to furnish information on forms provided by the health department concerning soil absorption capacities”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  County Building and Zoning Department fees for land in the unincorporated part of New Athens township (only a zoning compliance letter fee was read)

  • Only the zoning compliance letter fee was read on the opened page; building permit fee schedule not verified.
  • Fee schedule figures seen in search snippets were not opened and are not relied on.

  zoning compliance letter fee: 30 USD

  “zoning compliance letters will have a fee of $30.00.”

• Permit processPartial

  County Building and Zoning permit process for the unincorporated part of New Athens township

  • The page gives department services, hours and a phone number; it does not describe the step-by-step application process.

  “you may contact the office at 277-6600 ext. 2531.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask New Athens Township or St. Clair County directly.

• Building permit — New residential construction in the unincorporated part of New Athens township
• Owner-builder exemption — Whether an owner may build a home without a licensed contractor inside New Athens township
• Building code adopted — Which building code, if any, is adopted for construction inside New Athens township
• Inspections — Building inspections for new construction in the unincorporated part of New Athens township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate or occupancy permit for a new dwelling in the unincorporated part of New Athens 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.