Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Deer Creek, Illinois

Village of Deer Creek’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New home construction inside Deer Creek village limits, plus building additions, accessory structures, fences, driveway approaches and other listed work.

  • Construction may proceed after the permit is issued.
  • The page lists exemptions: roofing, non-structural siding or guttering, window or door installation, interior remodeling (non-structural), swing sets and jungle gyms, satellite dishes, rear-yard flagpoles, driveway replacement, non-streetside swimming pools, inflatable or temporary mailboxes.
  • The village's own page states the requirement; the Chapter 14 zoning ordinance was not used for this claim.

  “a building permit is required for: new home or business construction”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Any building constructed inside Deer Creek village limits

  • Occupancy is barred until the certificate is issued; the building is occupied only after this step.
  • The certificate is issued after the owner notifies the clerk's office that construction is complete.

  “no building will be occupied until this certificate of occupancy is issued.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Deer Creek village limits. The village adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance (Code Chapter 14, Zoning).

  • The village's own zoning page states that land use within the village is regulated by its zoning ordinance.
  • The zoning chapter PDF carries 'revised' stamps (for example 'revised: april 2004 ord. #497'). Those are not effective dates and are not recorded as effective_at.
  • The 2024 village audit that describes Tazewell and Woodford Counties was seen only in search results and was not opened. County location is not confirmed by an opened page.

  “land-use within the village is regulated by a zoning ordinance.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Deer Creek village limits

  • Six districts are listed: R-1 single-family, R-2 two-family, R-3 multi-family, B-1 business and commercial, I-1 industrial (light), and I-2 industrial (heavy).
  • The district map is kept on file with the village clerk. The map itself was not opened; the district list is published in the code text.
  • No separate agricultural or rural-residential district was found.

  “the village is hereby divided into districts, of which there shall be six (6) in number, known as: "r-1" single-family dwellings "r-2" two-family dwellings district "r-3" multi-family dwellings district "b-1" business & commercial district "i-1" industrial district (light) "i-2" industrial district (heavy)”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family dwellings in the R-1 single-family dwelling district inside Deer Creek village limits

  • The minimum is measured as floor area of the main structure.
  • The text says a variance may be granted by the board of zoning appeals without hearing, though the rest of that sentence was not read.
  • The village's zoning page states the same 1000 square foot minimum as a summary.

  minimum floor area of main structure, single-family dwelling: >= 1000 square feet (variance may be granted by the board of zoning appeals (sentence cut off in the text opened))

  “single family dwellings of a minimum of one thousand (1000) square feet of floor area of main structure.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Two-family dwellings in the R-2 two-family dwelling district inside Deer Creek village limits

    “two family dwellings of a minimum of 600 square feet of floor area per family”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Buildings in the R-1 single-family dwelling district inside Deer Creek village limits. Other districts (R-2, R-3, B-1, I-1, I-2) are not covered by this claim.

  • The code sets a front setback band of 25 to 56 feet, so a building is not allowed closer than 25 feet or farther than 56 feet from the front line.
  • Front setbacks may be reduced to within five feet of the existing setback where more than half of the lots on the same side of the street have buildings. The source wording is 'then all buildings thereafter erected shall be within five feet of the closest and farthest set back that already exists.'
  • Unenclosed covered porches on the first floor may encroach on the front setback.
  • Fences may not exceed six feet in height (sec. 14.205(g)).
  • Driveways may not come within 3 feet of any lot line (sec. 14.205(k)).
  • Pole barn or pole-type buildings may not be erected in the R-1 district (sec. 14.205(i)).
  • The chapter revision stamp 'revised: april 2004 ord. #497' is not an effective date.

  front setback: >= 25 feet (no closer than 25 feet from the front property line; maximum 56 feet per the same section) · front setback maximum: <= 56 feet (no building may be farther than 56 feet from the front property line) · side yard, each side: >= 10 feet · rear yard: >= 20 percent of lot area (the code states the rear yard as a percentage of lot area, not a fixed distance)

  “1. set back: no building shall be erected closer than twenty-five (25) feet or more than fiftysix (56) feet from the front property line.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Improvements on any parcel in all zoning districts inside Deer Creek village limits

  • The code states a 60 percent green-space minimum, not a building-coverage percentage. It may not match a coverage cap exactly.
  • The village zoning page states the same 60% green space rule.
  • The definition of coverage in the code is the percentage of lot area covered by the building area; no separate coverage limit was found in the sections opened.

  green space: >= 60 percent

  “(l) improvements on any parcel in all zoning districts must maintain 60% green space.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveways on lots inside Deer Creek village limits

  • This is a placement limit only. Driveway approaches also appear on the building-permit list (zoning page).
  • The driveway cannot be within 3 feet of any lot line, per chapter 14 sec. 14.205(k).

  driveway distance from lot line: >= 3 feet

  “(k) no portion of a driveway constructed or installed on a lot shall be within 3 feet of any lot line.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit applications inside Deer Creek village limits

  • The published steps are: application, site visit, review, permit issue, then notice of completion for a certificate of occupancy.
  • If plans do not meet the code, a variance is needed from the zoning board of appeals; the page says the procedure 'can take up to sixty days'. Variance applications are published 14 days before the zoning board meeting.
  • The variance fee is $50, paid at application whether or not the variance is approved.

  variance application fee: 50 USD (paid at time of application regardless of approval) · building permit issuance time: <= 3 business days (only if plans are within the guidelines of the village code)

  “application will be reviewed and permit issued within three business days as long as the plans are within the guidelines of the village code.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Deer Creek or Tazewell County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built construction inside Deer Creek village limits
• Inspections — Construction inside Deer Creek village limits
• Minimum lot size — Lots in the R-1 and R-2 districts inside Deer Creek village limits
• Building height — Buildings inside Deer Creek village limits
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy on private land inside Deer Creek village limits

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.