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

Rules another office applies inside Washington Township

Washington 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

  New single- and two-family dwellings on land inside Washington township outside the City of Washington; the county issues the permit, not the township

  • Source says a building permit is issued by the county community development department for construction of structures other than commercial and industrial.
  • Construction may not begin until the permit is issued.
  • Failure to obtain a permit doubles the fee (see permit_fees claim).

  “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”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts that apply to land inside Washington township outside the City of Washington, under Tazewell County zoning

  • Districts named in the brochure setback table: R-1 and R-2, R-R, A-1 and A-2, CONS, C-1 and C-2, I-1 and I-2.
  • District definitions and use lists in Chapter 157 were not reached; this claim is partial.

  “c-1 & c-2 20' 10' 5' 5' i-1 & i-2 20' 15' 10' 10'”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Agricultural districts A-1 and A-2 (and the source's CONS category) on land inside Washington township outside the City of Washington

  • Column order as read from the brochure heading: principal rear, principal side, accessory rear, accessory side.
  • Source states these are general setback figures for unincorporated Tazewell County; road right-of-way setbacks are separate.
  • The source writes 'cons.' without defining it; the CONS category is not identified beyond the table row.

  principal structure rear yard setback: 50 ft · principal structure side yard setback: 30 ft · accessory structure rear yard setback: 25 ft · accessory structure side yard setback: 15 ft

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

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family residential district R-1 and R-2 (main residential district) on land inside Washington township outside the City of Washington

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

  • District specific (with conditions) — Rural residential district R-R on land inside Washington township outside the City of Washington

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

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Sewage disposal (septic) systems for new homes on land inside Washington township outside the City of Washington

  • Septic approval is issued by the Tazewell County Health Department, which the county building permit relies on.
  • Source states the septic permit copy is needed only when applicable.

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

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Residential building permit fees for construction on land inside Washington township outside the City of Washington

  • Fees are county fees; the brochure lists dwelling, accessory, deck, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, pool, fence, demolition and related fees.
  • Failure to obtain a permit doubles the fee required.
  • Brochure undated; fee schedule date not stated in the source.

  1 and 2 family dwelling permit, 200 sq ft or less: 200 USD · 1 and 2 family dwelling permit, 1,001 to 2,000 sq ft: 450 USD · electrical permit per dwelling unit: 55 USD · plumbing permit up to 16 fixtures: 55 USD · 911 addressing fee per unit: 50 USD

  “failure to obtain a permit will result in doubling of the fee required. dwellings: 1 & 2 family - new, additions, alteration and repairs”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit submittal for construction on land inside Washington township outside the City of Washington

  • Brochure lists required submittal items: completed application, two sets of plans, site plan, septic permit copy when applicable, access permit copy, erosion-control permit, 911 mailing address.
  • Brochure states a 48-hour turnaround on most applications requiring plan review.
  • Brochure says it is a guide and other information may be required.

  “effective february 1, 2014 the following information will be required at the time of submittal of a building permit application.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permitting for a home inside Washington township outside the City of Washington
• Inspections — Building inspections for new homes inside Washington township outside the City of Washington
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Washington township outside the City of Washington
• Local zoning — Whether Washington township (Tazewell County, IL) adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance for land inside its limits outside the City of Washington
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Washington township outside the City of Washington

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.