Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Macomb, Illinois

At a glance

Building permit

Required inside city limits; issued by the Office of Community Development¹⁴

Zoning

Macomb has its own zoning in Chapter 17 of the city code²

Building code

2018 International Building Code and 2018 International Residential Code, with local changes⁵

Owner-builder

Owner-occupants may qualify for a permit if they buy all materials and do all labor themselves⁶

Septic

McDonough County Health Department handles private sewage disposal permits³

Manufactured homes

Allowed in the RMH district and by special use elsewhere, with a 10-year age cap on special-use homes⁷

Well permit

Required from IDPH or an approved local health department before drilling⁸

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 17, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Macomb, Illinois?

Yes. The City of Macomb requires a building permit to erect, alter or repair a building inside city limits, and that includes roofs, decks, windows, bathrooms and fences¹. Painting and carpet work count as maintenance and do not need one¹.

Macomb's code says the permit goes only to registered contractors or to a bona fide owner or occupant⁴. For an owner-occupied single-family home, the owner must personally buy all materials and perform all labor, and the work must still meet code⁶. The city's own page says homeowners working on their own property do not need a contractor registration¹.

The permit fee depends on the estimated project cost, and starting work without a permit doubles the fee¹. A permit is valid for 6 months¹. Electrical work needs its own electrical permit, and plumbing work needs a plumbing permit¹.

Who issues building permits in Macomb, and how do you reach them?

The Office of Community Development at Macomb City Hall issues permits for structures, plumbing, electrical work, HVAC, demolitions and work in a public right-of-way⁹. The office also runs zoning administration, building inspection and code enforcement⁹.

Call (309) 833-4944 or visit 232 E. Jackson Street, Macomb, IL 61455⁹. The McDonough County planning counter is the wrong stop for a lot inside Macomb; the county's rules apply to unincorporated land, and the McDonough County page covers those.

The State of Illinois does not issue building permits for privately funded construction; any permit requirement comes from the local government¹⁰. We could not confirm how Macomb schedules building inspections or issues a certificate of occupancy, so ask the Office of Community Development when you apply.

Does Macomb have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs, tiny homes and setbacks?

Yes. Macomb has its own zoning in Chapter 17 of the city code, with a board of zoning appeals and a community development coordinator². The districts we saw include R-1, R-2, R-3, R-3A, RMH, B-2, M-1 and M-2¹¹. Which district a parcel sits in decides what you can build, so confirm the district with the Office of Community Development before you make an offer.

Setbacks depend on the district. In the R-1 and R-2 one-family districts, corner side yards must match the minimum front yard, and the buildable width of a corner lot cannot be reduced below 32 feet¹². The district-by-district numbers are in the city's bulk matrix, and we could not confirm them here.

We also could not confirm Macomb's rules on tiny homes, accessory dwellings or minimum dwelling size. Ask the Office of Community Development which district your lot is in and what that district allows.

How do septic permits and wells work in Macomb?

Illinois regulates private sewage disposal statewide, and about 90 local health agencies also review construction plans under local ordinance or as agents of the state¹³. In McDonough County, the McDonough County Health Department reviews the plan, evaluates the site and inspects new or renovated private sewage systems³. Call (309) 837-9951, extension 2000³.

We could not confirm whether any lot inside Macomb city limits may use a private septic system instead of the city sewer. Macomb's code does require manufactured home sites to connect to municipal water and sewer when the site is inside the city or the facilities are immediately adjacent¹⁴. Ask the Office of Community Development whether sewer is available at your address.

A new water well needs a permit from the Illinois Department of Public Health or an approved local health department before work starts, and the fee may not exceed $100⁸. We could not confirm separate Macomb rules for private wells.

Can you live in an RV or manufactured home in Macomb?

We could not confirm whether Macomb allows living in an RV or a tiny home on a private lot. The only camping rule we found applies to the city reservoir, which is public land. Ask the Office of Community Development before you plan to live in either one.

Manufactured homes have a clear path. They are allowed in the RMH district, and elsewhere by special use⁷. A special-use manufactured home needs a permanent perimeter foundation below the frost line, and it may not be more than 10 years old⁷. It must also be anchored under the Illinois Mobile Home Tie Down Act⁷.

State law adds licensing for larger manufactured home communities, but local zoning, building, floodplain and utility rules apply on top¹⁵.

Building a home in Macomb: the steps, in order

1. Call the Office of Community Development at (309) 833-4944 and confirm the zoning district for your lot⁹.
2. Check for sewer and water at the address. If sewer is not available, ask the McDonough County Health Department about a private sewage plan review and site evaluation³.
3. Apply for the building permit. Sketch the changes for a residential project, and plan to meet the 2018 International Residential Code as Macomb adopted it⁵.
4. Decide who does the work: a registered contractor, or you as the owner-occupant buying all materials and doing all labor yourself⁶.
5. Pull separate electrical and plumbing permits¹.
6. If you need a new well, get the permit before drilling⁸.
7. Get a right-of-way permit for any driveway, sidewalk or street work in the public right-of-way¹.

What to check before you buy land in Macomb

Start with the zoning district and sewer availability, since both decide what you can build². Ask whether the parcel is in the city's Enterprise Zone, because construction there carries no building permit fee¹.

Flooding: a state permit is required for construction in regulated floodways of streams above set drainage sizes¹⁶. We could not confirm how Macomb administers its own floodplain permits, so ask the Office of Community Development.

Taxes and soils are county-level figures. McDonough County's effective property tax rate is about 2.2%¹⁷, and about 23% of its soils rate as not limited for a conventional septic drain field¹⁸. A site evaluation matters for any lot outside the sewer.

Watch-outs

• Starting work without a building permit doubles the permit fee¹.
• Macomb's county page rules do not apply inside city limits, and the city's rules do not apply to unincorporated McDonough County; ask the Office of Community Development which side of the line a parcel falls on⁹.
• We could not confirm Macomb's rules on building inspections, certificates of occupancy, tiny homes, accessory dwellings or fees beyond what the city permit page states; call (309) 833-4944⁹.
• Septic and well permits come through the health department or IDPH, not the city building office³.

Sources

1. City of Macomb Office of Community Development (permits) (cityofmacomb.com)
2. Macomb Code Sec. 17-640 Bulk requirements (R-1 and R-2) (Macomb), quoted and re-checked
3. McDonough County Health Department (mchdept.com)
4. Macomb Code Sec. 7-134 Permit eligibility (Macomb), quoted and re-checked
5. Macomb Code Sec. 7-31 Adoption of International Building Code (Macomb), quoted and re-checked
6. Macomb Code Sec. 7-134 Permit eligibility (Macomb), quoted and re-checked
7. Macomb Code Sec. 17-681 RMH Purpose (Macomb), quoted and re-checked
8. 77 Ill. Adm. Code Part 920, Section 920.130: Water Well Permit Requirements, quoted and re-checked
9. City of Macomb Office of Community Development (cityofmacomb.com)
10. Illinois Codes FAQ (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
11. Macomb Code Sec. 17-681 RMH Purpose (Macomb), quoted and re-checked
12. Macomb Code Sec. 17-640 Bulk requirements (R-1 and R-2) (Macomb), quoted and re-checked
13. Private Sewage Disposal, quoted and re-checked
14. Macomb Code Sec. 17-910 Manufactured housing standards (Macomb), quoted and re-checked
15. Manufactured & Modular Homes/Mobile Structures (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. Permit Program (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
17. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
18. 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

Written October 17, 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.