Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Elm Grove Township, Illinois

Rules another office applies inside Elm Grove Township

Elm Grove 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

  Construction, erection, enlargement or relocation of any building or structure inside Elm Grove township (unincorporated Tazewell County), issued by the county Community Development Administrator

  • Permit must be issued before construction; construction may proceed after the permit is issued.
  • Exempt (§ 157.558): routine maintenance or repair such as siding, repainting or reroofing; portable pools under 24 inches deep or under 125 sq ft surface; accessory structures under 25 sq ft (must still meet district setbacks); agricultural fences; ornamental fencing.
  • Failure to obtain permit doubles the fee (§ 157.569).

  “no building or structure shall be constructed, erected, enlarged, structurally altered, extended, converted, or relocated unless a building permit has first been issued by the community development administrator.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Tazewell County zoning districts applicable in unincorporated areas, including land inside Elm Grove township

  • Only district labels and setback values are confirmed; district purposes, uses and the zoning map were not located.
  • Zoning code adopted December 1997 per the county amendment list (not opened).

  “a-1, a-2 & cons. 50' 30' 25' 15' c-1 & c-2 20' 10' 5' 5' i-1 & i-2 20' 15' 10' 10'”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Main residential R-1 and R-2 districts in unincorporated Tazewell County, including land inside Elm Grove township

  • Table is from the county Community Development brochure; the code text on setbacks was not opened.
  • Road setbacks (highway, major and minor roads) are listed in the same brochure but the table is not legible in the extracted text, so not stated here.
  • Accessory structures must meet district setbacks (§ 157.558(c)).

  principal structure rear yard setback (R-1 and R-2): 20 ft · principal structure side yard setback (R-1 and R-2): 10 ft · accessory structure rear yard setback (R-1 and R-2): 5 ft · accessory structure side yard setback (R-1 and R-2): 5 ft

  “r-1 & r-2 20' 10' 5' 5' r-r 30' 30' 15' 15' a-1, a-2 & cons. 50' 30' 25' 15' c-1 & c-2 20' 10' 5' 5' i-1 & i-2 20' 15' 10' 10'”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Rural-residential R-R district in unincorporated Tazewell County, including land inside Elm Grove township

    “rear & side yard setbacks principal structure accessory structure rear side rear side r-1 & r-2 20' 10' 5' 5' r-r 30' 30' 15' 15' a-1, a-2 & cons. 50' 30' 25' 15' c-1 & c-2 20' 10' 5' 5' i-1 & i-2 20' 15' 10' 10'”

  • District specific (with conditions) — Agricultural A-1 and A-2 and conservation districts in unincorporated Tazewell County, including land inside Elm Grove township

    “rear & side yard setbacks principal structure accessory structure rear side rear side r-1 & r-2 20' 10' 5' 5' r-r 30' 30' 15' 15' a-1, a-2 & cons. 50' 30' 25' 15' c-1 & c-2 20' 10' 5' 5' i-1 & i-2 20' 15' 10' 10'”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Sewage disposal (septic) approval for a new home inside Elm Grove township; the Tazewell County Health Department issues the approval that the county building permit relies on

  • Septic permit is needed only 'when applicable'.
  • Health Department phone listed in brochure: (309) 477-2223.

  “copy of septic permit from the tazewell county health department approving sewage disposal facility, when applicable.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New dwelling with on-site sewage disposal inside Elm Grove township

  • Required 'when applicable' (i.e., where on-site sewage disposal is used).
  • Building permit application must include a copy of the health department permit approving the sewage disposal facility (§ 157.559(b)(7)).

  “water supply and sewage disposal facilities, including a true and correct copy of any permit required by the county’s or state’s health department approving such facilities”

• Well permitLimited

  Water supply facilities (private wells) for construction inside Elm Grove township

  • Applies where a county or state health department permit is required for the water supply facility; the code does not state a separate well permit for every site.
  • A copy of that health department permit must accompany the building permit application.

  “water supply and sewage disposal facilities, including a true and correct copy of any permit required by the county’s or state’s health department approving such facilities”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Agricultural structures and fences in unincorporated Tazewell County, including Elm Grove township

  • Agricultural buildings and structures still need a building permit.
  • Only agricultural fences are exempt from the building permit.

  “the construction, erection, or development of any building or structure, either by itself or in addition to another use, including buildings or structures to be used for agricultural purposes;”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division of land inside Elm Grove township (unincorporated Tazewell County) as a condition of building permit issuance

  • Building permits for the listed work require that the parcel was divided in compliance with the state plat act.
  • The county subdivision regulations themselves were not opened.

  “in addition, a building permit shall only be issued for § 157.557(a), (b), (d), (e), (g), and (i) after the community development administrator determines that the parcel of land involved was divided in compliance with the state’s plat act, 765 ilcs 205/0.01 et seq.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Interior alteration of a structure in a mapped floodplain inside Elm Grove township

  • Building permit required for interior alteration of structures in the floodplain; county floodplain regulations also apply to all permits (§ 157.556(a)).
  • Floodplain ordinance itself and new-construction rules not opened.

  “(h) the interior alteration of any structure located in the floodplain;”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit fees for dwellings and accessory structures inside Elm Grove township (unincorporated Tazewell County), per county fee brochure

  • Fees are those published in the 2025 brochure; the fee ordinance (§ 154.011) is cited by the code and was not opened.
  • Failure to obtain permit doubles the fee.
  • Plan review, electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits are charged separately (see brochure).

  1-2 family dwelling, 200 sq ft or less: 200 USD · 1-2 family dwelling, 201 to 699 sq ft: 300 USD · 1-2 family dwelling, 700 to 1,000 sq ft: 400 USD · 1-2 family dwelling, 1,001 to 2,000 sq ft: 450 USD · 1-2 family dwelling, in excess of 4,000 sq ft: per 50 USD (per 1,000 sq ft or fraction thereof)

  “dwellings: 1 & 2 family - new, additions, alteration and repairs • 200 square feet or less $200.00 • 201 to 699 square feet $300.00 • 700 to 1,000 square feet $400.00 • 1,001 to 2,000 square feet $450.00”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built homes inside Elm Grove township (unincorporated Tazewell County)
• Inspections — Inspections for construction inside Elm Grove township (unincorporated Tazewell County)
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy approval for new homes inside Elm Grove township (unincorporated Tazewell County)
• Local zoning — Land inside Elm Grove township, Tazewell County, IL: whether Elm Grove township itself adopts and administers a zoning ordinance
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Elm Grove 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.