Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Pekin Township, Illinois

Rules another office applies inside Pekin Township

Pekin 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 of structures other than commercial and industrial in unincorporated Pekin township

  • Construction may proceed after the county building permit is issued.
  • Failure to obtain a permit will result in doubling of the fee required, per the county brochure.
  • Commercial and industrial structures are excluded from this brochure's requirement.

  “prior to the issuance of a building permit by the tazewell county community development department for construction of all structures other than commercial and industrial effective february 1, 2014”

• Building code adoptedPartial

  New dwellings and structures permitted by Tazewell County in unincorporated Pekin township

  • The county brochure says plans are reviewed where applicable against the listed codes; no county ordinance adopting the International Residential Code by name was opened.
  • Commercial and industrial structures are handled under a separate county process not opened here.

  referenced residential code edition: 2018 International Residential Code (applied where applicable)

  “plans are reviewed for compliance where applicable with the tazewell county code, state of illinois plumbing code, 2018 international residential code, 2017 national electric code and illinois energy conservation code”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts of the Tazewell County zoning code, applicable to unincorporated land inside Pekin township

  • Only district names were read on the county zoning page; district dimensional tables were not opened.
  • Inside the City of Pekin, city zoning districts apply instead.

  “a-2 agricultural district r-r rural residential district r-1 low density residential district”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  R-1 low density residential district (table row listed as R-1 and R-2) on unincorporated Pekin township land

  • Values are from the county brochure table; front and road setbacks are not recorded here because the road setback table is garbled in the source text.
  • Table columns are principal rear, principal side, accessory rear and accessory side as the brochure headings state.
  • Brochure is the county's permitting guide, not the zoning text; the zoning ordinance table was not opened.

  principal structure rear yard setback: 20 ft · principal structure side yard setback: 10 ft · accessory structure rear yard setback: 5 ft · accessory structure side yard setback: 5 ft

  “rear & side yard setbacks principal structure accessory structure rear side rear side r-1 & r-2 20' 10' 5' 5'”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — R-R rural residential district on unincorporated Pekin township land

    “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) — A-2 agricultural district (table row listed as A-1, A-2 and conservation) on unincorporated Pekin township land

    “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)

  Septic systems for dwellings in unincorporated Pekin township, through the Tazewell County Health Department

  • Brochure says the septic permit applies 'when applicable'.
  • Health department contact given in the brochure: (309) 477-2223.

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

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit fees for one and two family dwellings in unincorporated Pekin township

  • Failure to obtain a permit doubles the fee, per the brochure.
  • Fees listed are from the 2025 brochure; commercial and industrial fees are not in this brochure.
  • The 2025 brochure lists fees by square-footage band; bands not listed here are in the brochure.

  dwelling 200 sq ft or less fee: 200 USD · dwelling 2,001 to 3,000 sq ft fee: 500 USD · dwelling over 4,000 sq ft fee: per 50 USD per 1,000 sq ft (or fraction thereof)

  “2,001 to 3,000 square feet $500.00 • 3,001 to 4,000 square feet $550.00 • in excess of 4,000 square feet $50.00 per 1,000 square feet or fraction thereof”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit application process for new dwellings in unincorporated Pekin township

  • Requires a 911 mailing address before permit issuance, which the brochure says takes about 10 days.
  • Erosion control permit (standard or site-specific) and road access permit are required as listed.
  • Plans are reviewed against the county code, Illinois plumbing code and listed codes.

  “prior to permit issuance, an application for a mailing address shall be completed and submitted to the community development department.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for permits in Pekin township
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Pekin township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside Pekin township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size for R-1 and R-R districts inside Pekin township
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size for R-1, R-R and A-2 districts inside Pekin 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.