Bolthole Index

McHenry County, Illinois

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Harvard, Illinois

Harvard, Illinois, in McHenry County, adopts its own zoning and building code, and building permits inside city limits come from the City of Harvard's Building Department123. Septic permits for every address in McHenry County, city or not, come from the McHenry County Department of Health4. Land outside city limits follows the county's rules instead.

At a glance

Building permit
Required inside Harvard city limits; issued by the city2
Zoning
Harvard has its own zoning districts and use matrix15
Building code
2021 International Residential Code with local amendments6
Septic permit
McHenry County Department of Health, countywide4
Minimum lot, Agricultural district
5 acres and 300 feet of width7
Maximum building height
35 feet in residential and agricultural districts89

Who to call

Building permits

City of Harvard Community Development, Building Department

Building permit applications, inspections, contractor registration and zoning information inside Harvard city limits

815-943-6468

201 West Diggins St., P.O. Box 310, Harvard, IL 60033

Septic permits

McHenry County Department of Health, Environmental Health Division

Septic (onsite wastewater treatment) system permits in McHenry County

(815) 334-4000

2200 North Seminary Ave., Woodstock, IL 60098

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 16, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

These are affiliate links — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Bolthole Index earns from qualifying purchases.

Does Harvard, IL have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size and setbacks?

Yes. The City of Harvard publishes its own zoning districts and a use matrix that lists which uses each district allows1. The residential and agricultural districts include A, R-A and R-1 through R-65. Rules differ by district, so look up the parcel's district before you plan anything.

In the Agricultural (A) district, a lot needs at least 5 acres and 300 feet of width7. Setbacks there are 50 feet in front, 25 feet on an interior side, 40 feet on a corner side and 100 feet at the rear10. In the residential districts, rear setbacks are 40 feet in R-A and 30 feet in R-1 through R-611. Maximum building height is 35 feet in both the residential and agricultural districts89.

RV, tiny home and manufactured home occupancy inside Harvard are not something we could confirm. Ask the Building Department before you buy.

How big must a house be in Harvard, Illinois?

Harvard sets a minimum floor area per dwelling by district: 1,600 square feet in R-A and R-1, 1,200 in R-2 and R-3, 1,000 in R-4, and 750 in R-5 and R-612. Minimum lot areas also vary: 100,000 square feet in R-A, 13,000 in R-1, 8,712 in R-2, 6,000 in R-3, 8,712 in R-4, 7,500 in R-5 and 20,000 in R-613. Maximum building coverage runs from 10% in R-A to 45% in R-5 and R-614.

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

Yes. Harvard requires building permits for construction inside city limits, and the City of Harvard Community Development Department, through its Building Department, administers them23. The city adopted the 2021 International Residential Code and related codes, with local amendments in Section 19.026.

Harvard also narrowed the usual permit exemptions: the city deleted items 1, 2 and 12 under "Building" in IBC Section 105.2, so small structures that might skip a permit elsewhere should be checked with the city first2. Demolition needs a permit and a $1,000 cash deposit2. Building inspections require 24 hours' advance notice3.

The McHenry County Building Division only handles unincorporated land; its own page directs anyone inside village or city limits to that jurisdiction's building office.

How do septic permits work in Harvard, Illinois?

Building permits and zoning move to the city, but septic permits do not. A septic permit is required before a system is installed, repaired, extended, replaced or abandoned anywhere in McHenry County4. The McHenry County Department of Health, Environmental Health Division issues them, and applications go in person or by mail15. Whether a given Harvard address is on city sewer or needs a septic system is something we could not confirm; ask the city's Building Department or Public Works.

For a new house on a lot without sewer, the county can complete a site evaluation, which requires a soil boring report from a certified soil classifier15. Only about 2.5% of McHenry County soils rate as not limited for a conventional drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system16. Surface-discharging systems are not allowed in the county15.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Harvard, IL?

We could not confirm an RV or tiny home occupancy rule for land inside Harvard city limits, so call the Building Department at 815-943-6468 before parking an RV on a lot or planning a tiny home3. Do not assume the county's rule applies in the city: McHenry County's ban on residential RV occupancy on property without an occupied dwelling covers unincorporated land only17. Illinois's statewide campground rules do not answer whether you can live in an RV on your own lot18.

Building a home in Harvard: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the parcel is inside Harvard city limits and find its zoning district on the city's zoning map and use matrix13.
  2. Check the district's minimum lot size, setbacks and minimum floor area1211.
  3. Ask the Building Department whether the lot has city sewer; if not, call the McHenry County Department of Health for a septic site evaluation15.
  4. Apply for a building permit with the City of Harvard Building Department and register your contractor through its online portal23.
  5. Schedule inspections with 24 hours' notice3.
  6. If the driveway connects to a McHenry County highway, a county access permit is also required19.

What stays with McHenry County, and what to check before you buy?

Septic permits for all of McHenry County come from the county health department4. A driveway onto a McHenry County highway needs a permit from the McHenry County Division of Transportation19, and a driveway onto a state route needs an Illinois Department of Transportation permit20. Wells need a permit from the Illinois Department of Public Health or an approved local health department before work starts21.

McHenry County's effective property tax rate is 2.5%, and the median property tax bill is $7,153 a year2223. For land outside Harvard city limits, see the McHenry County page, where the county's own building, zoning and RV rules apply.

Watch-outs

  • Inside Harvard, we could not confirm rules for RV occupancy, tiny homes, accessory dwellings, permit fees, well permits or certificates of occupancy; call the City of Harvard Building Department at 815-943-64683.
  • The county's building, zoning and RV rules apply only to unincorporated McHenry County, not inside Harvard24.
  • Harvard deleted several standard permit exemptions, so confirm with the city before building even a small structure without a permit2.

Sources

  1. Harvard UDO 8.2 Use Matrix (Harvard), quoted and re-checked
  2. Harvard Code 19.02 Exceptions (Harvard), quoted and re-checked
  3. City of Harvard Community Development, Building Department (cityofharvard.org)
  4. So You Are Applying for a Septic Permit, quoted and re-checked
  5. Harvard UDO 8.2 Use Matrix (Harvard), quoted and re-checked
  6. Harvard Code 19.01 Building Code Adoption (Harvard), quoted and re-checked
  7. Harvard UDO 4.3 Agricultural District Dimensional Standards (Harvard), quoted and re-checked
  8. Harvard UDO 5.3 Residential Dimensional Standards (Harvard), quoted and re-checked
  9. Harvard UDO 4.3 Agricultural District Dimensional Standards (Harvard), quoted and re-checked
  10. Harvard UDO 4.3 Agricultural District Dimensional Standards (Harvard), quoted and re-checked
  11. Harvard UDO 5.3 Residential Dimensional Standards (Harvard), quoted and re-checked
  12. Harvard UDO 5.3 Residential Dimensional Standards (Harvard), quoted and re-checked
  13. Harvard UDO 5.3 Residential Dimensional Standards (Harvard), quoted and re-checked
  14. Harvard UDO 5.3 Residential Dimensional Standards (Harvard), quoted and re-checked
  15. McHenry County Department of Health, Environmental Health Division (mchenrycountyil.gov)
  16. 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
  17. McHenry County Code § 16.56.050, Accessory Structure and Use Standards, quoted and re-checked
  18. Youth Camps and Campgrounds (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  19. Highway Access Permit Application, quoted and re-checked
  20. Highway Permits (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  21. 77 Ill. Admin. Code 920.130, Water Well Permit Requirements (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  22. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  23. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
  24. codelibrary.amlegal.com, quoted and re-checked

Written October 16, 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 Harvard

Harvard’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Building construction inside Harvard city; administered by City of Harvard Community Development Department

    • IBC 105.2 permit exemptions are made subject to the Harvard City Code and exemption items 1, 2 and 12 under Building are deleted
    • Demolition requires a permit and $1,000 cash deposit
    “Section 105.2, under the subheading titled "Building", delete items 1, 2, and 12.”
  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    Buildings inside Harvard city

    • Local amendments in Section 19.02 apply
    • Codes listed: IBC, IEBC, IRC, IMC, IPMC, IFGC, IFC, ISPSC 2021; NEC 2020; IECC and Illinois Accessibility Code latest edition

    International Residential Code edition: 2021

    “The following list of codes is hereby adopted as part of the Building Code of the City for the control of buildings and structures as therein provided in each code.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Harvard city limits

    “Table 8-1: Use Matrix identifies the principal and temporary uses allowed within each zoning district.”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Zoning districts inside Harvard city (A, R-A, R-1 to R-6, B-1-RC, B-1-MU, B-2, M-1, B-P, T-C)

    “Table 8-1: Use Matrix use a r-a r-1 r-2 r-3 r-4 r-5 r-6 b-1- rc b-1- mu b-2 m-1 b-p t-c”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Residential districts RA, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5, R-6 inside Harvard city, in that column order

    • Agricultural A district table lists no minimum floor area

    RA: >= 1600 sq ft · R-1: >= 1600 sq ft · R-2: >= 1200 sq ft · R-3: >= 1200 sq ft · R-4: >= 1000 sq ft · R-5: >= 750 sq ft · R-6: >= 750 sq ft

    “Minimum Floor Area per Dwelling 1,600 SF 1,600 SF 1,200 SF 1,200 SF 1,000 SF 750 SF 750 SF”
  • Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Residential districts RA, R-1 through R-6 inside Harvard city, in column order

    • R-4, R-5, R-6 also have lot area per dwelling of 4,356, 2,500 and 1,750 SF

    RA: >= 100000 sq ft · R-1: >= 13000 sq ft · R-2: >= 8712 sq ft · R-3: >= 6000 sq ft · R-4: >= 8712 sq ft · R-5: >= 7500 sq ft · R-6: >= 20000 sq ft

    “Minimum Lot Area 100,000 SF 13,000 SF 8,712 SF 6,000 SF 8,712 SF 7,500 SF 20,000 SF”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Residential districts RA, R-1 through R-6 inside Harvard city

    • Front yard in some districts is the lesser of 25 feet or the average setback along the block face

    Minimum rear setback RA: >= 40 feet · Minimum rear setback R-1 to R-6: >= 30 feet · Minimum front setback (all): >= 25 feet (lesser of 25 ft or block-face average where asterisked) · Minimum single interior side setback RA, R-1: >= 12 feet · Minimum single interior side setback R-2 to R-6: >= 6 feet

    “Minimum Rear Setback 40' 30' 30' 30' 30' 30' 30'”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Residential districts RA, R-1 through R-6 inside Harvard city, in column order

    • A district lists building lot coverage as NA

    RA: <= 10 percent · R-1: <= 30 percent · R-2: <= 35 percent · R-3: <= 40 percent · R-4: <= 40 percent · R-5: <= 45 percent · R-6: <= 45 percent

    “Maximum Building Coverage 10% 30% 35% 40% 40% 45% 45%”
  • Building heightSpecified

    A (Agricultural) district inside Harvard city

    maximum building height: <= 35 feet

    “Maximum Building Height 35' Floor Area Ratio NA”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Harvard or McHenry County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Inside Harvard city
  • Inspections — Inside Harvard city
  • Certificate of occupancy — Inside Harvard city
  • Living in an RV — RV occupancy inside Harvard city
  • Camping on your land — Inside Harvard city
16 more unanswered
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • 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 Harvard publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. McHenry County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of McHenry County: county rules, score and offices