Bolthole Index

Cook County, Illinois

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

The Village of Lincolnwood, Illinois, in Cook County, administers its own building and zoning codes through its Community Development department1. The village adopts and runs its own zoning ordinance2. Septic systems are unlawful inside village limits, so every home connects to the village sewer and water systems3.

At a glance

Building permits
Issued by the village's Community Development department, not Cook County14
Zoning
The village adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance2
Building code
2021 International Building Code with village amendments5
Septic
Banned inside village limits; sewer connection required36
R-1 minimum lot
9,000 sq ft7
R-1 minimum house size
1,700 sq ft ground floor for a one-story home without a basement8
RV and tiny-home living
Not confirmed; ask Community Development1

Who to call

Building permits

Village of Lincolnwood Community Development

Building permits, plan review, inspections, zoning and code enforcement inside the village

847-673-7402

commdev@lwd.org

6900 N Lincoln Avenue, Lincolnwood, IL 60712

Building permits

Lincolnwood building permit applications (online portal)

Online building permit applications, permit handouts and forms, contractor registration

847-673-7402

commdev@lwd.org

Online permits →

Building permits

Cook County Department of Building and Zoning

Building permits and zoning for unincorporated Cook County only; not for properties inside Lincolnwood

312-603-0500

info.bnz@cookcountyil.gov

69 West Washington Street, Chicago, IL 60602

Septic permits

Cook County Department of Public Health - Environmental Health

Septic and well approvals elsewhere in Cook County; Lincolnwood's own code bans septic systems inside the village

708-836-8600

7556 Jackson Boulevard, Forest Park, IL 60130

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 23, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

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Does Lincolnwood, Illinois have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size and setbacks?

Yes. The Village of Lincolnwood adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance for land inside village limits2. Cook County's zoning ordinance covers only unincorporated areas, so the county's districts do not apply here4.

In the R-1 single-family district, the minimum lot size is 9,000 square feet7. Setbacks in R-1 are 25 feet in front, 10 feet on a corner side and 30 feet in the rear; the interior side setback is the greater of 5 feet or 10% of lot width9. Buildings may cover no more than 35% of an R-1 lot, and impervious surfaces no more than 60%10. A flat-roofed single-family house in R-1 is limited to 22 feet11.

The village publishes its zoning districts and a zoning map in Chapter 15 of its code12. We could not confirm the village's rules on RVs, tiny homes, accessory dwellings or manufactured homes; ask Community Development1.

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

Building permits inside Lincolnwood come from the village, not from Cook County. The village's Community Development department administers the village building and zoning codes, and its services include plan review, permit issuance and construction inspection1. Cook County's Department of Building and Zoning handles unincorporated areas and tells owners in municipalities to contact the local authority4.

The village adopted the 2021 International Building Code, with village amendments; the International Residential Code for one- and two-family dwellings is part of the village building code5. Applications are filed online through the village's permit portal13.

We could not confirm an owner-builder provision or the full fee schedule; Community Development can answer both1.

How do septic permits work in Lincolnwood?

They do not, because septic systems are not allowed. The village code makes it unlawful to construct or maintain a privy, septic tank, cesspool or other private sewage disposal facility inside village limits3. Every building must connect to the village's combined sanitary and stormwater sewer system and to the village water system6. That also rules out off-grid sewage disposal on a Lincolnwood lot14.

Cook County's Department of Public Health approves private sewage systems elsewhere in the county15; a Lincolnwood property is not a place to ask for a septic permit. For a new home, the owner must show the existing water service line is in good repair and at least 1.5 inches in diameter, or replace it6.

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

We could not confirm either answer. The village's rules on long-term RV occupancy, temporary camping and tiny homes were not found in the zoning ordinance sections we reviewed, so Community Development is the office to ask before you buy or park anything1.

One rule does bear on small homes: in R-1, a one-story detached house without a basement needs at least 1,700 square feet of ground floor, and a house with one-and-a-half or more stories needs at least 1,0008. The Cook County RV rules for unincorporated land do not govern a lot inside the village4.

Building a home in Lincolnwood: the steps, in order

  1. Call Community Development at 847-673-7402 to confirm your lot's zoning district, the setbacks and coverage limits, and whether your plan fits112.
  2. Check the R-1 minimums if your lot is in R-1: 9,000 square feet of lot and the ground-floor minimums above78.
  3. Apply for the building permit through the village's online portal13.
  4. Arrange water and sewer connections. Work on village mains requires a written application to the Director of Public Works and a contractor licensed in the village16.
  5. Book inspections. Water and sewer service pipes may not be covered until the director of public works has inspected them17.

What stays with Cook County, and what to check before you buy in Lincolnwood

Cook County's building and zoning department covers only unincorporated land, and the county's answers for land outside the village are on the Cook County page. Inside the village, check floodplain status first: the village adopts the FEMA flood insurance study and flood map, and development in mapped flood areas falls under the adopted building code's flood provisions18.

On taxes, Cook County's effective property tax rate is 2%, and the median property tax bill is $6,053 a year1920. Those figures are county-wide, not specific to Lincolnwood.

Cook County's Department of Public Health handles septic and well approvals in the county's unincorporated areas15; Lincolnwood properties use village water and sewer instead6.

Watch-outs

  • Searches for Lincolnwood permits often land on Cook County's Department of Building and Zoning, but that office serves unincorporated areas only; Lincolnwood properties go to the village4.
  • Septic tanks and cesspools are unlawful inside Lincolnwood, so a lot without a village sewer connection is not a buildable-by-septic option3.
  • New connections to village water and sewer need a village permit, a licensed contractor, $1,000,000 in general liability insurance naming the village and a performance bond16.
  • We could not confirm the village's rules on driveway or curb-cut permits, short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units or occupancy approval for a new home; ask Community Development before you commit1.

Sources

  1. Village of Lincolnwood Community Development (lincolnwoodil.org)
  2. Village of Lincolnwood, IL Code, Chapter 15 Art. IV Part C: Area, Bulk, Density and Setback Requirements (Village of Lincolnwood), quoted and re-checked
  3. Village of Lincolnwood, IL Code, Chapter 12 Art. 4: Sanitary and Storm Sewers (Village of Lincolnwood), quoted and re-checked
  4. Cook County Department of Building and Zoning (cookcountyil.gov)
  5. Village of Lincolnwood, IL Code, Chapter 14 Art. 2: Building Code (Village of Lincolnwood), quoted and re-checked
  6. Village of Lincolnwood, IL Code, Chapter 12 Art. 2: Water Main and Sewer Service Connections (Village of Lincolnwood), quoted and re-checked
  7. Village of Lincolnwood, IL Code, Chapter 15 Art. IV Part C: Area, Bulk, Density and Setback Requirements (Village of Lincolnwood), quoted and re-checked
  8. Village of Lincolnwood, IL Code, Chapter 15 Art. IV Part C: Area, Bulk, Density and Setback Requirements (Village of Lincolnwood), quoted and re-checked
  9. Village of Lincolnwood, IL Code, Chapter 15 Art. IV Part C: Area, Bulk, Density and Setback Requirements (Village of Lincolnwood), quoted and re-checked
  10. Village of Lincolnwood, IL Code, Chapter 15 Art. IV Part C: Area, Bulk, Density and Setback Requirements (Village of Lincolnwood), quoted and re-checked
  11. Village of Lincolnwood, IL Code, Chapter 15 Art. IV Part C: Area, Bulk, Density and Setback Requirements (Village of Lincolnwood), quoted and re-checked
  12. Village of Lincolnwood, IL Code, Chapter 15 Art. IV Part C: Area, Bulk, Density and Setback Requirements (Village of Lincolnwood), quoted and re-checked
  13. Lincolnwood building permit applications (online portal) (lincolnwoodil.org)
  14. Village of Lincolnwood, IL Code, Chapter 12 Art. 4: Sanitary and Storm Sewers (Village of Lincolnwood), quoted and re-checked
  15. Cook County Department of Public Health - Environmental Health (cookcountypublichealth.org)
  16. Village of Lincolnwood, IL Code, Chapter 12 Art. 2: Water Main and Sewer Service Connections (Village of Lincolnwood), quoted and re-checked
  17. Village of Lincolnwood, IL Code, Chapter 12 Art. 2: Water Main and Sewer Service Connections (Village of Lincolnwood), quoted and re-checked
  18. Village of Lincolnwood, IL Code, Chapter 14 Art. 2: Building Code (Village of Lincolnwood), quoted and re-checked
  19. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  20. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 23, 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 Lincolnwood

Village of Lincolnwood’s own rules

  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    New construction, alteration and repair of buildings inside Lincolnwood village limits

    • Adopted with village exceptions, insertions, deletions and additions set out in Sec. 14-2-3 (amended 12-3-2024 by ord. no. 2024-3808).
    • The International Residential Code for one- and two-family dwellings (article 3) and the International Existing Building Code (article 20) are part of the village 'building code' per Sec. 14-2-2.

    model code edition: 2021 International Building Code

    “the international code council, inc., 2021 edition of the international building code is hereby adopted by reference, and is hereby made a part of this article 2 with the same force and effect as if fully set forth herein”
  • InspectionsRequired

    Water and sewer service pipes and connections installed on a property inside Lincolnwood village limits

    • Applies to water and sewer service lines and connections; general building inspection cadence was not confirmed.
    • Sec. 14-2-1 also states the building code provides for making of inspections.
    “no water or sewer service pipes or connections shall be covered until they have been inspected by the director of public works and permission granted for the pipes to be covered.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Lincolnwood village limits. The village adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance (Code Chapter 15, Zoning; Article IV, Zoning Districts; Maps).

    • The Part C dimensional standards at Sec. 4.10-4.15 apply to every district the village zoning ordinance establishes.
    “the provisions of this part c shall establish the minimum and maximum requirements of area, bulk, density, and setbacks for every zoning district established by this zoning ordinance.”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Zoning districts and maps for land inside Lincolnwood village limits

    • Districts are set out in Chapter 15, Zoning, Article IV (Zoning Districts; Maps); the zoning map is a separate PDF linked from the code index.
    “4.11 area, bulk, density and setback standards: r-1, r-2, and r-3 districts.”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

    Single-family detached dwellings in the R-1 district inside Lincolnwood village limits (R-1 is the main single-family residential district; no agricultural or rural-residential district was identified)

    • Figure is the minimum ground floor area per dwelling for a one-story detached dwelling without a basement.
    • Same table gives 1,500 sf for a one-story detached dwelling with a basement and 1,000 sf for a detached dwelling with one-and-a-half or more stories in R-1.
    • The table column for R-1 is the first of the three columns labeled r-1, r-2, r-3.

    minimum ground floor area, one-story detached dwelling without basement: >= 1700 sf

    “minimum ground floor area per dwelling sf detached 1-story dwelling without basement 1,700 sf 1,400 sf 1,300 sf”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    Single-family detached dwelling lots in the R-1 district inside Lincolnwood village limits

    • The R-1 minimum lot width of 75 feet appears on an eCode360 subdivision page that was not opened in this run and is not recorded as verified here.

    minimum lot size: >= 9000 sf

    “minimum lot size (square feet) 9,000 sf 7,000 sf 5,400 sf”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    Single-family detached dwellings in the R-1 district inside Lincolnwood village limits

    • Front setback 25 ft (table note 3 cross-references Sec. 4.10(2)(b), which lets an existing block front-yard average set the front setback on a block of 40% or more developed frontage).
    • Interior side setback: the greater of 5 feet or 10% of lot width.
    • Corner side setback 10 ft; rear setback 30 ft.
    • Front yard landscaping coverage minimum 50%.
    • Accessory-building and other yard rules were not reviewed.

    minimum front setback: 25 feet (see Sec. 4.10(2)(b) block-average rule) · minimum interior side setback: the greater of 5 feet or 10% of lot width feet · minimum corner side setback: 10 feet · minimum rear setback: 30 feet

    “minimum corner side setback (feet) 10 feet 10 feet 10 feet minimum rear setback (feet) 30 feet 30 feet 30 feet”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    Single-family detached dwelling lots in the R-1 district inside Lincolnwood village limits

    • Impervious coverage counts paved and other impervious surfaces; the code's definition was not reviewed.
    • Table note 4 (up to 40% building coverage for a garage) applies to R-3 only and is not applied here.

    maximum impervious coverage: <= 60 % · maximum building coverage: <= 35 %

    “maximum impervious coverage: % 60% 60% 60% maximum building coverage (%) 35% 35% 35% (note 4)”
  • Building heightSpecified

    Single-family detached dwellings in the R-1 district inside Lincolnwood village limits

    • Flat-roof maximum 22 feet measured to the highest point of the flat roof.
    • Finished first floor height limit: maximum 3 feet above elevation at top of curb.
    • The pitched-roof maximum building height row precedes the captured text and was not verified in this run.

    maximum building height, flat roof, single-family detached: <= 22 feet · finished first floor height above top of curb: <= 3 feet

    “maximum building height (feet) flat roof sf detached measured to the highest point of the flat roof 22 feet 22 feet 22 feet”
  • Who permits septicLocal

    Sewage disposal on any premises inside Lincolnwood village limits

    • The village code bans new or maintained septic systems inside the village; sewage goes to the village sanitary/combined sewer system.
    “it shall be unlawful to construct or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool, or other facility intended or used for the disposal of sewage.”
  • Off-grid sanitationProhibited

    Off-grid or private sewage disposal (septic, cesspool, privy) on any premises inside Lincolnwood village limits

    • Sewage must be connected to the village sanitary/combined sewer system (Sec. 12-2-1(b)).
    • Sec. 12-4-2 makes unlawful any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool or other sewage facility.
    “it shall be unlawful to construct or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool, or other facility intended or used for the disposal of sewage.”
  • Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

    Any building, structure or premises inside Lincolnwood village corporate limits, including a new home

    • Water: the water distribution of any building with plumbing fixtures must connect to a village-owned water main (Sec. 12-2-1(a)).
    • Sewer: owner must connect to the combined sanitary and stormwater sewer system (Sec. 12-2-1(b)).
    • For new residential construction, the owner must show the existing water service line is in good repair and at least 1.5 inches in diameter, or replace it (Sec. 12-2-1(c)).
    • Connection work requires a village permit (Sec. 12-2-2) and the insurance and bond conditions of Secs. 12-2-6 and 12-2-7.
    • The code gives no distance-to-main availability test; the mandate is unconditional inside village limits.
    “it shall be the duty of the owner, occupant, party or parties in possession or control of any building, structure or premises located within the corporate limits of the village to cause such building, structure or premises to be connected to the combined sanitary and stormwater sewer system of the village and to the village water system.”
  • Building in a floodplainLimited

    Property inside the FEMA special flood hazard areas mapped for Lincolnwood village

    • The village adopts the FEMA flood insurance study for the village and its FIRM and floodway map as the flood hazard map (IBC Sec. 1612.3 as amended in Sec. 14-2-3).
    • Development in mapped flood hazard areas is subject to the adopted IBC flood provisions; the specific floodplain development permit requirements were not reviewed.
    “the adopted flood hazard map and supporting data are hereby adopted by reference and declared to be part of this section.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Work on village water mains and sewer lines, including new service connections, inside Lincolnwood village limits

    • Application goes to the Director of Public Works in writing (Sec. 12-2-2); the permit is issued by the village.
    • Work must be done by a contractor licensed to do business in the village (Sec. 12-2-5).
    • Permit requires $1,000,000 general liability insurance naming the village (Sec. 12-2-6) and a performance bond (Sec. 12-2-7).
    • Building permit application steps for general construction were not published in the opened sections.
    “no person shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter, or disturb the water mains or the sewer lines of the village, except upon written application to the director of public works”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction of a home inside Lincolnwood village limits
  • Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy approval for a new home inside Lincolnwood village limits
  • Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on private land inside Lincolnwood village limits
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Lincolnwood village limits
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Lincolnwood village limits
7 more unanswered
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

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 Lincolnwood publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Cook County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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