Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Pearl City, Illinois

Village of Pearl City’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Pearl City village's corporate limits: the Village of Pearl City adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance (Chapter 12 of its municipal code)

  • The zoning ordinance also covers contiguous territory not more than one and one half miles beyond the village limits and not included in other municipalities (sec. 12-26); that outside-limits territory is not answered here.
  • Uses are limited to those permitted in each district; the code's own text says no building or land may be used except for a purpose permitted in the district.

  “this ordinance shall be known, referred to, and recited as the zoning ordinance of the village of pearl city.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Land inside Pearl City village's limits: the zoning district classes named in the village zoning ordinance

  • The zoning map is incorporated by reference and filed with the village clerk; the map itself was not found online, so district boundaries are not verified here.
  • The residence district is the 'R' district; the excerpt does not list its permitted uses in the part read.

  “the boundaries of the district are shown upon the zoning map of the village of pearl city, illinois, which is made a part of this ordinance”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwelling lot inside Pearl City village limits (intensity-of-use standard in the zoning area regulations; the excerpt does not name the district, read as the residence district)

  • Two-family and multi-family lots have a separate standard of 2,500 square feet per family unit (sec. 12-36, item 4.b).
  • A lot of record smaller than the requirement at the time the ordinance was passed may be used only for single-family use (sec. 12-36, item 4.c).

  minimum lot area per single-family dwelling: >= 6500 square feet (two-family/multi-family: 2,500 sq ft per family unit)

  “a.) a lot on which there is erected a single family dwelling shall contain an area of not less than 6,500 square feet per family.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Main building on a lot inside Pearl City village limits (zoning area regulations, sec. 12-36; read as the residence district, the excerpt does not name the district)

  • Front yard: the 20-foot minimum yields to the average of observed front yards on the block when 40% or more of the frontage is built and varies by no more than 10 feet; no front yard is required to exceed 60 feet.
  • Side yard: where a lot of record is 50 feet wide or less the side yard may be reduced to 10% of the lot width, but not less than 3 feet.
  • Accessory buildings in a required rear yard may not be nearer any side yard line than the building code permits or within 4 feet of an alley.

  front yard depth (minimum): >= 20 feet (block-average front yard rule; maximum 60 feet) · side yard width (minimum): >= 7 feet (lots of record 50 feet wide or less: 10% of lot width, minimum 3 feet) · rear yard depth (minimum): >= 35 feet (or 20% of lot depth, whichever is smaller)

  “3. rear yard: except as hereinafter provided in the article dealing with exceptions and variations, there shall be rear yard having a depth of not less than thirty-five feet or twenty percent of the depth of the lot, whichever amount is smaller.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Principal buildings inside Pearl City village limits (zoning height regulations, sec. 12-35; the excerpt does not name the district)

  • Exceptions for chimneys, towers, church steeples and similar structures are governed by other village ordinances (sec. 12-35, item 2).

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet (also maximum two and one half stories)

  “sec. 12-35 height regulations. no building shall exceed two and one half stories nor shall it exceed thirty-five feet in height.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Accessory buildings (such as garages and sheds) on lots inside Pearl City village limits

    “nor shall any such accessory building occupy more than forty percent of the required rear yard or exceed twenty feet in height.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Dwelling use of accessory buildings (detached garages, outbuildings) inside Pearl City village limits; the code does not allow a separate accessory dwelling unit except as stated

  • Only domestic servants employed entirely on the premises may use an accessory building for dwelling purposes.
  • Accessory buildings may not be built on a lot until construction of the main building has actually commenced.

  “no accessory building shall be construed upon a lot until the construction of the main building has been actually commenced and no accessory building shall be used for dwelling purposes other than by domestic servants employed entirely on the premises.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision proposals and new developments inside Pearl City village limits

  • Stated purpose is flood-damage consistency; the excerpt does not contain a full subdivision ordinance, lot-layout or plat standards, which were not located.

  “the village president and board of trustees shall review all subdivision proposals and other proposed new developments to assure that all proposals are consistent with the need to minimize flood damage.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  New construction or improvements on a site in a flood hazard zone inside Pearl City village limits

  • Applies only if the site is in a flood hazard zone; the building inspector determines whether a site is reasonably safe from flooding.
  • Construction must be designed or modified and anchored as stated (sec. 12-83, item 1).

  “sec. 12-83 flood area regulations. 1. the building inspector will also inspect proposed building site and determine whether said site will be reasonable safe from flooding. if a proposed site is in a flood hazard zone, new construction or improvement must be designed (or mod”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permits for construction inside Pearl City village limits (zoning-code permit procedure)

  • The permit fee is referenced in the text but the fee schedule was not located; the permit is granted by the building inspector and appealable to the board of appeals.
  • The code does not state here whether a permit is required for each type of work; that is unresolved.

  “6. procedure: upon payment of the appropriate fee, the building permit will be obtained from the village clerk, completed and delivered to the building inspector.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Pearl City or Stephenson County directly.

• Building permit — Whether a building permit is required for new residential construction inside Pearl City village
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from village permits for an owner building a home inside Pearl City village
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted by Pearl City village
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Pearl City village
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Pearl City village

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.