Bolthole Index

Cook County, Illinois

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

The Village of Palos Park, Illinois adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance1, and its Building Department issues all building permits and inspections2. Cook County's Department of Building and Zoning does not serve addresses inside village limits3. Septic is also local: Palos Park has its own IDPH-approved septic ordinance rather than Cook County Department of Public Health review4.

At a glance

Building permits
Issued by the Village Building Department, not Cook County2
Zoning
Village's own ordinance; annexed land starts as R-1 single-family1
Minimum lot (R-1)
1 acre for new lots; 20,000 sq ft only for existing legacy lots56
Minimum home size (R-1)
2,200 sq ft of floor area7
Accessory dwellings
Prohibited8
Short-term rentals
Prohibited9
Septic
Village's own IDPH-approved septic ordinance, not Cook County4

Who to call

Building permits

Village of Palos Park Building Department

Building permits, inspections and zoning administration inside Palos Park village limits

708-671-3700

permits@palospark.org

8999 W 123rd Street Palos Park , IL 60464

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 Palos Park means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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

Yes. The Village of Palos Park adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance for all land inside village limits1. Land annexed into the village is classified R-1 Single-Family Residential until a map amendment approves another district1. The residential districts are R-1 single-family and R-2 townhouse and multi-family, and no agricultural or rural-residential district appears in the village's chapter listing10.

In R-1, the main single-family district, new lots need a minimum of 1 acre5. Existing legal lots of record may use 20,000 square feet instead, and the village prohibits creating new legacy lots6. Palos Park's R-1 district caps building height at 35 feet11 and sets a minimum dwelling floor area of 2,200 square feet7. Building coverage tops out at 35%12, and impervious surface is limited to 50% on lots of 1 to 2 acres, 40% above 2 acres up to 4 acres, and 35% above 4 acres12.

In R-1, the corner-side and rear setbacks are 50 feet13. The interior side setback is 15% of lot width or 30 feet, whichever is less, with a 15-foot minimum13. The front setback is the average of abutting lots, capped at 100 feet, or 50 feet in a new subdivision with no established lots13. Accessory structure setbacks were not confirmed; ask the Building Department.

Can you build an accessory dwelling, tiny home or rental in Palos Park?

Accessory dwelling units are prohibited in the Village of Palos Park8. Short-term rentals of 30 consecutive days or less are also prohibited, both offering one and using one9. That rules out a guest cottage rented to a tenant or listed on a booking site inside village limits.

We could not confirm whether Palos Park allows tiny homes, recreational vehicles or temporary camping on a residential lot, because the village's use table was not available to us. Ask the Palos Park Building Department before parking or placing anything you intend to sleep in2. Cook County's rule against living in a parked RV applies to unincorporated Cook County14, not to land inside the village.

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

The Palos Park Building Department is responsible for issuing all building permits and associated inspections inside the village2. The department also administers the village's zoning, grading, flood zone and property maintenance codes2. The department asks property owners to call before starting any interior or exterior improvement, because depending on the work, building permits may be required2.

We could not confirm the village's adopted building code edition or its owner-builder rules. Illinois does not issue building permits for privately funded construction itself; the local unit of government does15. Cook County's building permit process, with its $100 residential deposit16, applies to unincorporated land and not to Palos Park addresses3.

How do septic permits work inside Palos Park?

Cook County Department of Public Health reviews and approves private sewage disposal systems throughout Cook County except in incorporated Barrington Hills, Inverness, Palos Park and South Barrington, which have their own IDPH-approved septic ordinances4. A lot inside Palos Park therefore does not go through the county health department for septic plan approval.

We could not confirm which village office takes septic applications or what the village ordinance requires. Start with the Building Department2. Illinois requires plan approval from the state or the local authority before construction of a new private sewage disposal system begins17. Well permits are also required statewide, from the state or an approved local health department18; confirm which applies to a Palos Park address.

Building a home in Palos Park: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the zoning district and lot status with the Building Department, because lot size, setbacks and the 2,200-square-foot R-1 minimum depend on it72.
  2. Check whether the lot is a legacy lot of record or must meet the 1-acre standard5.
  3. Ask the Building Department about septic and well approval for the address, since the village runs its own septic ordinance4.
  4. Apply for the building permit with the Building Department, which issues all building permits2.
  5. Schedule the inspections the department conducts during construction2.
  6. Skip any plan for a second dwelling on the lot, because accessory dwelling units are prohibited8.

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

Cook County's building, zoning and RV rules apply to unincorporated Cook County, not to Palos Park3. For land outside the village, see the Cook County page.

Cook County's effective property tax rate is 2% and the median property tax bill is $6,053 per year1920. Illinois requires a state permit for work in the right-of-way of a state-maintained road, which covers driveway access to a state highway21. The Building Department also administers flood zone codes, so ask about floodplain status before you buy2.

Watch-outs

  • We could not confirm Palos Park's building code edition, permit fees, owner-builder rules or certificate-of-occupancy process; call the Building Department at 708-671-3700 before you budget2.
  • Cook County's septic office does not review systems in Palos Park, so do not send a septic application there without checking4.
  • The village's posted code may lag the adopted version, so confirm the official copy of any zoning standard with the village before relying on it1.

Sources

  1. Palos Park code - Chapter 1262 Zoning Districts and Zoning Map (Village of Palos Park), quoted and re-checked
  2. Village of Palos Park Building Department (palospark.org)
  3. Building and Zoning, quoted and re-checked
  4. Septic, quoted and re-checked
  5. Palos Park code - Chapter 1263 Residential Districts (Village of Palos Park), quoted and re-checked
  6. Palos Park code - Chapter 1263 Residential Districts (Village of Palos Park), quoted and re-checked
  7. Palos Park code - Chapter 1263 Residential Districts (Village of Palos Park), quoted and re-checked
  8. Palos Park code - Chapter 1266 Uses (Village of Palos Park), quoted and re-checked
  9. Palos Park code - Chapter 1266 Uses (Village of Palos Park), quoted and re-checked
  10. Palos Park code - Chapter 1262 Zoning Districts and Zoning Map (Village of Palos Park), quoted and re-checked
  11. Palos Park code - Chapter 1263 Residential Districts (Village of Palos Park), quoted and re-checked
  12. Palos Park code - Chapter 1263 Residential Districts (Village of Palos Park), quoted and re-checked
  13. Palos Park code - Chapter 1263 Residential Districts (Village of Palos Park), quoted and re-checked
  14. 25-0036 Full Text PDF, quoted and re-checked
  15. Illinois Codes FAQ (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  16. Building and Zoning Building Permits, quoted and re-checked
  17. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 905.190 Installation Approval (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  18. 77 Ill. Admin. Code 920.130, Water Well Permit Requirements (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  19. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  20. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
  21. Highway Permits (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 Palos Park

Village of Palos Park’s own rules

  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    All land inside Palos Park village limits; the village adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance (Part Twelve, Chapters 1260-1277).

    • Section 1262.05: all land annexed to the village is classified as the R-1 Single-Family Residential District until a map amendment approves another district.
    • Chapters carry ordinance 2026-06 passed 4-27-26; the overview states the posted code is complete to December 8, 2025 (2025 S-36), so confirm the official copy with the village.
    “to carry out the purpose and intent of this code, the village of palos park is divided into the following zoning districts: (a) residential districts. (1) r-1 single-family residential district.”
  • Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

    Zoning districts of Palos Park village (R-1 single-family, R-2 multi-family, B-1, B-2, M-1, OS, INST, WGA overlay).

    • Residential districts are R-1 single-family and R-2 townhouse and multi-family; the R-2 district requires planned unit development approval. No agricultural or rural-residential district appears in the chapter listing.
    “(a) the location and boundaries of the districts established by this zoning code are set forth on the zoning map entitled village of palos park zoning map”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

    Dwelling units in the R-1 single-family residential district, Palos Park village.

    • Minimum total floor area stated in the R-1 column; the legacy-lot column (1,500 sq ft) is not included.

    minimum dwelling unit total floor area: >= 2200 sq ft

    “minimum dwelling unit total floor area 2,200 sf 1,500 sf”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    Legacy lots in the R-1 single-family residential district, Palos Park village, for legal existing lots of record in the eastern portion of the village.

    • Legacy lot must be a legal existing lot of record as of the code's effective date.
    • Contiguous lots held in common ownership that total at least 20,000 sq ft and less than 1 acre form one legacy lot (section 1263.03(b)(3)a).
    • Creation of any new legacy lots is prohibited (section 1263.03(b)(2)).

    minimum legacy lot area: >= 20000 sq ft (legal existing lot of record only)

    “such lots must be a legal existing lot of record as of the effective date of this code, and a minimum of twenty thousand (20,000) square feet in area.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Specified — New lots and development in the R-1 single-family residential district, Palos Park village (main single-family district).
      “bulk standards minimum lot area 1 acre 20,000 sf maximum lot area not applicable less than 1 acre maximum lot width 150' 100'”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    Principal single-family dwellings in the R-1 single-family residential district, Palos Park village (main single-family district; legacy-lot column not included).

    • Front setback is the average of abutting lots under section 1263.03(d), capped at 100 feet; for new residential subdivisions with no established lots, 50 feet (section 1263.03(e)).
    • Footnote 1 on corner-side and rear setbacks (paper-street rule) is referenced in the table but its text was truncated in the captured page; not verified.
    • Accessory structure setbacks are in Chapter 1268 and were not reviewed.

    minimum front setback: average of abutting lots, maximum 100 ft (new residential subdivision with no established lots: 50 ft) · minimum interior side setback: 15% of lot width or 30, whichever is less; minimum 15 ft · minimum corner side setback: 50 ft (footnote 1 paper-street rule, text not verified) · minimum rear setback: 50 ft (footnote 1 paper-street rule, text not verified)

    “minimum corner side setback 50' 1 35'1 minimum rear setback 50' 25% of lot depth or 35', whichever is greater”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    Single-family lots in the R-1 single-family residential district, Palos Park village (main district, lots of 1 acre or more).

    • Impervious coverage limit steps down with lot size: 50% for 1 to 2 acres, 40% for more than 2 to 4 acres, 35% for more than 4 acres.

    maximum building coverage: <= 35 % · maximum impervious surface coverage, 1 to 2 acres: <= 50 % (lot size 1 to 2 acres) · maximum impervious surface coverage, more than 2 to 4 acres: <= 40 % (lot size more than 2 to 4 acres) · maximum impervious surface coverage, more than 4 acres: <= 35 % (lot size more than 4 acres)

    “maximum building coverage 35% 35% maximum impervious surface coverage 1 acre to 2 acres: 50% more than 2 acres to 4 acres: 40% more than 4 acres: 35% 55%”
  • Building heightSpecified

    Principal buildings in the R-1 single-family residential district, Palos Park village.

    • Height limit stated in the R-1 column of Table 1263-1; the legacy-lot column is not included.

    maximum building height: <= 35 ft

    “maximum lot width 150' 100' maximum building height 35' 35’ maximum building coverage 35% 35%”
  • Accessory dwellingsProhibited

    Accessory dwelling units anywhere in Palos Park village.

    • Accessory office/studio or guest rooms allowed under section 1266.04 are not dwelling units and are outside this prohibition.
    “(g) accessory dwelling units (adu) are prohibited in the village of palos park.”
  • Short-term rentalsProhibited

    Offering or use of short-term rentals (30 consecutive days or less, in residential districts) anywhere in Palos Park village.

    • Definition covers a residential dwelling, single room, dwelling unit or portion rented for 30 consecutive days or less to a person other than a member of the owner's immediate family.
    “(f) short-term rentals are prohibited in the village of palos park. both the offering for short-term rental and the use of a short-term rental are expressly prohibited.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Building permit — New construction permits inside Palos Park village.
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for a homeowner building their own home inside Palos Park village.
  • Building code adopted — Building codes for construction inside Palos Park village.
  • Inspections — Building inspections inside Palos Park village.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy certificates for new dwellings inside Palos Park village.
15 more unanswered
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • 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 Palos Park publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Cook County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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