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

Rules another office applies inside Clayton Township

Clayton 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

  Structures on unincorporated land inside Clayton township (county zoning permit; no Clayton township permit process was located)

  • Zoning permit applications must be filed in written form with the zoning administrator on forms the administrator prescribes.
  • The lead-in sentence to the list of permit-triggering activities was not captured; the list items visible in the capture include extending or moving a structure and undertaking development in the special flood hazard area.
  • The ordinance text captured shows amendments dated through August 20, 2024.

  “b. applications for zoning permits shall be filed in written form with the zoning administrator on such forms as the zoning administrator shall prescribe, and shall:”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts applying to unincorporated land in Clayton township

  • The county ordinance table of contents lists the AG, conservation, R-1, R-2, I-1, and I-2 districts, plus the general commercial district and others.
  • The district map was not opened.

  “section 11 (ag) agriculture district §154.11.1 purpose the agriculture district is established to benefit and protect agricultural uses throughout the county.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Agriculture (AG) district land in unincorporated Clayton township

  • Applies except as provided by special use permit.
  • Applies to unincorporated lands only, as the ordinance defines the district.

  minimum lot size: >= 2 acres (except as provided by special use permit)

  “§154.11.4 minimum lot sizes except as provided by special use permit, all uses and structures in the agriculture district shall have a minimum lot size of two (2) acres.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family residential (R-1) district land in unincorporated Clayton township

    “except as provided by special use permit, all uses and structures in the r-1 district shall have a minimum lot size as determined by the standards set forth in the §50 private sewage and woodford county health department review.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal and accessory structures on unincorporated land in Clayton township, measured from township roads (all districts)

  • Applies to principal and accessory structures in all districts.
  • Measured as the greater of the centerline distance and the right-of-way distance.
  • State/federal highway and county highway setbacks are also listed in the same section but are not extracted here.

  setback from road centerline: >= 65 feet (or 30 feet from the right-of-way line, whichever is greater) · setback from road right-of-way: >= 30 feet (whichever is greater)

  “3. township road: 65 feet from the centerline of the road or 30 feet from the right-of-way line, whichever is greater. (03/18/08)”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Principal and accessory structures in the AG district on unincorporated land in Clayton township

    “b. non-agricultural uses, only. 1. side yard. a. principal structures shall have a side setback of not less than 30 feet. b. accessory structures shall have a side setback of not less than 15 feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Residential and agricultural structures on AG district land in unincorporated Clayton township

  • Covers residential and agricultural structures combined.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 8 percent of lot

  “§154.11.7 maximum coverage the maximum allowable coverage of any lot in this district, by residential and agricultural structures, is limited to eight percent (8%) of the total lot size.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family residential (R-1) lots in unincorporated Clayton township

    “b. lot coverage. not more than thirty percent (30) % of the total area of the lot shall be occupied by structures.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Principal structures on AG district land in unincorporated Clayton township

  • Accessory structions are limited to 25 feet to the peak of the roof.
  • The height rule carries the source note (2/18/20).

  principal structure height: <= 45 feet to roof peak

  “3. height. the following height regulations shall apply in the ag district: (2/18/20) a. principal structures not to exceed 45 feet to the peak of the roof. b. accessory structures not to exceed 25 feet to the peak of the roof”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Private sewage (septic) systems on land inside Clayton township, handled by the Woodford County health department environmental health program

  • The county program page describes the Woodford County health department (WCHD) environmental health program as the body that approves plans, inspects, investigates, and issues permits for private sewage systems.
  • State private sewage code and county septic ordinance text were not opened.

  “private sewage disposal program activities include: approving plans for new and renovated private sewage disposal system installations inspecting private sewage disposal systems investigating private sewage complaints issuing private sewage disposal permits”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions in Clayton township, administered by the Woodford County Building/Zoning department

  • The department description states it administers the county subdivision regulations; the subdivision ordinance text was not opened.

  “building/zoning the primary functions of this department are interpretation, administration and enforcement of the zoning ordinance, subdivision regulations, floodplain ordinance, erosion, sediment and storm water management, tall structure ordinance and rural addressing.”

• Permit processPartial

  Zoning permit applications for structures on unincorporated land in Clayton township

  • Applications must be in writing on forms the zoning administrator prescribes.
  • The captured text lists required application contents, including the location (township, road, lot), owner and contractor names, estimated project cost, uses, and a site plan.
  • Fees, review timelines, and the complete permit-trigger list were not located.

  “b. applications for zoning permits shall be filed in written form with the zoning administrator on such forms as the zoning administrator shall prescribe, and shall: (06/20/06) 1. state the location, including township, road number, lot, block, and/or tract comprising the legal description of the property. 2. state the name and address of the owner, the applicant, and the contractor, if known. 3. state the estimated project costs.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Clayton township limits
• Building code adopted — Construction inside Clayton township limits
• Inspections — Construction inside Clayton township limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new structures inside Clayton township limits
• Local zoning — Land inside Clayton township limits, Woodford County, Illinois (whether the township itself adopts a zoning ordinance)

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.