Bolthole Index

Champaign County, Illinois

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in the Village of Tolono, Illinois

The Village of Tolono, Illinois administers its own zoning ordinance inside village limits.1 Its published permit and fee schedule lists building permit fees for new construction, additions, sheds, garages, decks, fences and driveways.2 Septic and well permits are not a village matter: the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District issues them in Champaign County outside Champaign and Urbana.34

At a glance

Zoning
Village zoning ordinance applies inside Tolono limits1
Building permits
Village fee schedule lists building permit fees; code edition and process unconfirmed2
Minimum lot, AG-1
One acre and 200 feet wide at the building line5
Minimum lot, R-1
9,600 square feet and 80 feet wide6
Septic permits
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, before any work starts7
Well permits
Required from the health district before drilling4
RV storage
Limited to two RVs or watercraft outdoors on a residential lot; not a rule on living in one8

Who to call

Building permits

Village of Tolono Village Hall

Village contact point for zoning and building permit questions inside Tolono

217-485-5212

507 W Strong Street, PO Box 667 Tolono, IL 61880-0667

Building permits

Village of Tolono Permit and Fee Schedule

Village fees for building permits, building inspections, zoning actions and utility taps

Septic permits

Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, Environmental Health

Construction permits, inspections and plan review for private (onsite) sewage disposal systems in Champaign County

217-373-7900

201 W. Kenyon Rd., Champaign, IL 61820

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 24, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Village of Tolono means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does Tolono, IL have zoning, and what does it mean for lots and setbacks?

Tolono, Illinois has its own zoning: the Village of Tolono administers Ordinance 2020-O-3, a revised zoning ordinance that divides the village into districts including AG-1 agricultural, RS residential suburban and R-1 through R-5.19 Lot size depends on the district. In AG-1, every residential lot needs one acre and 200 feet of width at the building line.5 In RS, the minimum is 20,000 square feet and 100 feet of width.10 In R-1, the main single-family district, the minimum is 9,600 square feet and 80 feet of width.6

Front yards are 35 feet from the right-of-way line in AG-1, RS and R-1.111213 Side yards in R-1 must total at least 20 feet, with neither under 10 feet.13 Buildings in AG-1 top out at 50 feet, though barns, silos and other farm structures are excepted.14 Check the district on the village zoning map before you offer on a lot.

Do you need a building permit in Tolono, and who issues it?

The Village of Tolono prices building permits for new construction, reconstruction, remodels, additions, decks, fences, driveways, sheds and garages in its permit and fee schedule, which sits in the village zoning ordinance.2 The same schedule lists separate village fees for zoning actions such as variations and special uses.2 Plan on a village permit before you build inside Tolono limits, and call Village Hall to confirm the exact steps.

We could not confirm which building code edition Tolono enforces, what inspections it requires or whether owner-builders get any exemption. Illinois does not issue building permits for privately funded homes; the local government does.15 Village Hall is open Monday through Friday mornings and by appointment in the afternoon at 217-485-5212.16

How do septic permits work inside Tolono?

Septic permits for Tolono addresses come from the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, not the village. For new or renovated private sewage systems in Champaign County, the owner or a licensed sewage contractor must get a construction permit before any work begins.17 Applications are processed within 15 days, and the district needs at least 48 hours' notice before work starts.7 The published county fee is $200.7

Zoning also ties lot size to sewers. Where a part of the village has neither sanitary sewers nor public water, lots need at least 20,000 square feet and 100 feet of width.18 The village fee schedule lists water and sewer tap fees, which suggests municipal service exists in parts of town.2 We could not confirm whether the village requires connection where sewer is available; ask Village Hall.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Tolono?

We could not confirm Tolono's rules on living in an RV, a tiny home or a manufactured home. The one RV rule we confirmed is about storage: a residential lot may keep no more than two recreational vehicles or watercraft outdoors, and they must sit on an approved surface and stay out of the front yard past the front of the house.8 That is a storage limit, not a rule on sleeping in an RV.

Outside village limits the answer is different: unincorporated Champaign County prohibits using a motor vehicle or travel trailer as a dwelling.19 Read the Champaign County page for land outside Tolono, and ask Village Hall before planning any tiny home or RV stay inside the village.

Building a home in Tolono: the steps, in order

  1. Find the parcel's zoning district on the village zoning map and check lot area, width and yards.9
  2. Call Village Hall at 217-485-5212 about the zoning and building permit process and the code your plans must meet.16
  3. If the lot has no sewer, apply to the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District for a septic construction permit.17
  4. Get a well permit from the same district if the lot has no public water; the published county fee is $200.4
  5. Pay the village permit fees; if you are splitting land, the village has its own subdivision ordinance.220

What stays with Champaign County, and what to check before you buy near Tolono?

Septic and well permits stay with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District wherever the lot sits.34 Land outside village limits falls under Champaign County zoning and its Department of Planning & Zoning instead.21

Soils matter. Only about 0.3% of Champaign County soils rate as not limited for a conventional septic drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system.22 Champaign County's effective property tax rate is 2.1%.23 If the lot is near a creek or ditch, ask about floodplain rules before you design anything.24

Watch-outs

  • We could not confirm Tolono's building code edition, inspection steps, certificate of occupancy rules or owner-builder exemptions; ask Village Hall before you buy.16
  • Illinois's owner plumbing exemption covers plumbing work only and does not exempt a home from village building permits.25
  • Do not use Champaign County's unincorporated rules for a lot inside Tolono; the village sets its own zoning.1

Sources

  1. Village of Tolono Ordinance 2020-O-3, Revised Zoning Ordinance (PDF) (Village of Tolono), quoted and re-checked
  2. Village of Tolono Permit and Fee Schedule (tolonoil.us)
  3. Onsite Sewage Systems, quoted and re-checked
  4. Onsite Water Wells and Closed Loop Geothermal Wells, quoted and re-checked
  5. Village of Tolono Ordinance 2020-O-3, Revised Zoning Ordinance (PDF) (Village of Tolono), quoted and re-checked
  6. Village of Tolono Ordinance 2020-O-3, Revised Zoning Ordinance (PDF) (Village of Tolono), quoted and re-checked
  7. Onsite Sewage Systems, quoted and re-checked
  8. Village of Tolono Ordinance 2020-O-3, Revised Zoning Ordinance (PDF) (Village of Tolono), quoted and re-checked
  9. Village of Tolono Ordinance 2020-O-3, Revised Zoning Ordinance (PDF) (Village of Tolono), quoted and re-checked
  10. Village of Tolono Ordinance 2020-O-3, Revised Zoning Ordinance (PDF) (Village of Tolono), quoted and re-checked
  11. Village of Tolono Ordinance 2020-O-3, Revised Zoning Ordinance (PDF) (Village of Tolono), quoted and re-checked
  12. Village of Tolono Ordinance 2020-O-3, Revised Zoning Ordinance (PDF) (Village of Tolono), quoted and re-checked
  13. Village of Tolono Ordinance 2020-O-3, Revised Zoning Ordinance (PDF) (Village of Tolono), quoted and re-checked
  14. Village of Tolono Ordinance 2020-O-3, Revised Zoning Ordinance (PDF) (Village of Tolono), quoted and re-checked
  15. Illinois Codes FAQ (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  16. Village of Tolono Village Hall (tolonoil.us)
  17. Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, Environmental Health (c-uphd.org)
  18. Village of Tolono Ordinance 2020-O-3, Revised Zoning Ordinance (PDF) (Village of Tolono), quoted and re-checked
  19. Champaign County Zoning Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
  20. Village of Tolono Ordinance 2020-O-3, Revised Zoning Ordinance (PDF) (Village of Tolono), quoted and re-checked
  21. Champaign County Planning and Zoning Brochure, quoted and re-checked
  22. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  23. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  24. Permit Program (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  25. HB5913 Enrolled — Illinois Plumbing License Law amendment (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 24, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Village of Tolono

Village of Tolono’s own rules

  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside Tolono village limits: the Village of Tolono administers its own zoning ordinance, Ordinance 2020-O-3 (Revised Zoning Ordinance).

    • The ordinance divides the village into named districts (AG-1 agricultural, RS, R-1 through R-5, CB, CN, I-1, PL) and sets uses in Table 3.1 and development standards by district.
    • The ordinance's effective date clause (section 22.9) says only 'upon passage and printing as provided by law'; no adoption date appears in the text read.
    “the purpose of this zoning district is to prevent scattered, indiscriminate urban development within areas which are predominately vacant and which presently do not demonstrate any significant potential for development.”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Land inside Tolono village limits

    • Districts named in the ordinance table of contents include Article 5 AG-1 Agricultural, Article 6 RS Residential Suburban, Article 7 R-1, Article 8 R-2, Article 9 R-3, Article 10 R-4, plus R-5, CB, CN, I-1 and PL per the use table. Only AG-1, RS, R-1 and R-2 district text was read.
    “this is a rural, very low density residential district, generally located between an ag-1 and an r-1 or r-2 district.”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    Residential lots in the AG-1 Agricultural District inside Tolono village limits

    • Applies to every lot used for residential purposes in AG-1.
    • Section 20.4.1 (private sewage disposal) can require larger lots where the village is unsewered; see the separate unsewered-lot claim.

    minimum lot area: >= 43560 square feet (one acre) · minimum lot width at building line: >= 200 feet

    “every lot used for residential purposes shall have: 1. a minimum width at the building line of 200 feet. 2. a minimum lot area of one acre (43,560 square feet).”
    3 more reviewed findings on this topic
    • Specified — Residential lots in the RS Residential Suburban District inside Tolono village limits
      “2. a minimum width at the building line of 100 feet. 3. a minimum lot area of 20,000 square feet or ½ acre.”
    • Specified — Residential lots in the R-1 residential district (main single-family district) inside Tolono village limits
      “2. a minimum width at the building line of 80 feet. 3. a minimum lot area of 9,600 square feet.”
    • Specified — Lots in any section of Tolono village that is not served by sanitary sewers (applies notwithstanding district lot rules)
      “a. in all sections of the village which are served neither by sanitary sewers nor with public water supply, lots shall have minimum area of twenty thousand square feet, and a minimum width at the building line of one hundred feet.”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    AG-1 Agricultural District inside Tolono village limits

    • Front yard: 35 feet from the right-of-way line.
    • Rear yard: not less than 25 percent of the depth of the lot.
    • Side yards: two side yards, aggregate not less than 30 percent of lot width.

    front yard setback: >= 35 feet (from right-of-way line) · side yard setback (each): >= 15 feet (each lot, except as otherwise specified)

    “2. side yards. each lot, except as otherwise specified, shall have two side yards, each having a width of not less than 15 feet and the aggregate width of both side years in any lot shall be not less than 30 percent of the width of the lot.”
    2 more reviewed findings on this topic
  • Building heightSpecified

    AG-1 Agricultural District inside Tolono village limits

    • Exceptions include barns, silos, and other farm structures.

    maximum building height: <= 50 feet (barns, silos and other farm structures)

    “e. maximum height the maximum height of any building shall not exceed 50 feet. exceptions include barns, silos, and other farm structures.”
  • Living in an RVLimited

    Outdoor storage of recreational vehicles on residential lots inside Tolono village limits. This is a storage limit, not a rule on living in an RV.

    • Parking of recreational vehicles on gravel only in the rear yard; surfaces must be approved surface, brick or concrete pavers, and dirt, wood or sod surfaces are prohibited.
    • RVs may not extend into the front yard past the front of the principal structure or obstruct the sight visibility triangle.
    • Passage read from the parking provisions preceding page 17-4; the exact subsection number was not confirmed.

    maximum recreational vehicles and/or watercraft stored outdoors: <= 2 vehicles (outdoor storage on residential lots)

    “b. no more than two recreational vehicles and/or watercraft may be stored outdoors at any one time.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Developments of five acres or more inside Tolono village limits (erosion control cross-reference)

    • The village has a separate subdivision ordinance; its content was not opened. Only the erosion-control cross-reference was read.
    “f. the subdivision of land was not executed in accordance with the village's subdivision ordinance.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Building permit — New residential construction inside Tolono village limits
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders constructing a home inside Tolono village limits
  • Building code adopted — New construction inside Tolono village limits
  • Inspections — New residential construction inside Tolono village limits
  • Certificate of occupancy — New dwellings inside Tolono village limits
17 more unanswered
  • Lot coverage
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees
  • Permit process

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Village of Tolono publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Champaign County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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