Building permits, zoning and land rules in Peoria County, Illinois

At a glance

Building permit

Required for new construction, additions, alterations and repairs in unincorporated areas⁷

Building inspections

Required for permitted projects; type and number depend on the project⁸

Zoning

County zoning applies in unincorporated areas under the Unified Development Ordinance³

Septic permit

Required through the Peoria City/County Health Department⁵⁹

Owner-builder

Owners may apply for building permits; this is not a permit exemption¹⁰

County-road driveway

An approved entrance permit is required before construction¹¹

Floodplain development

A county permit is required before development in a Special Flood Hazard Area⁶

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 12, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Peoria County, Illinois?

Peoria County requires building permits for new homes, additions, remodels, alterations, repairs, garages, pools, electrical, HVAC and plumbing work on unincorporated land¹. Sheds of 200 square feet or less, re-siding, reshingling and cosmetic upgrades are listed as exempt, but sheds still must meet setback and accessory-structure limits; every building permit application requires a site plan¹. County-permitted projects require inspections, a current permit to schedule them and at least 24 hours’ notice⁸. Owners may apply for building permits themselves, but must still obtain required trade and health approvals¹⁰. Illinois also has a narrow owner-occupant plumbing exemption, subject to the state plumbing code and local plumbing-permit requirements¹²¹³.

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

Peoria County Planning and Zoning accepts digital building permit submissions at buildingpermits@peoriacounty.org and encourages appointments for zoning services¹⁴. Complete, readable plans may be submitted digitally or over the counter and must be reviewed and approved before building permit issuance². New residential construction costs $0.50 per square foot with a $750 minimum, plus a $45 technology fee; residential additions or alterations have a $250 minimum plus the technology fee¹⁵¹⁶. The published fee schedule lists a $160 floodplain development permit fee and a 3% credit-card service charge, while the Planning and Zoning counter says it accepts check or exact cash; confirm payment arrangements when fees are ready¹⁵¹⁴. Pekin, a city reaching into Peoria County but mainly in Tazewell County, issues its own building permits¹⁷. Septic permits for Peoria County property remain with the Peoria City/County Health Department⁴⁵.

Does Peoria County have zoning?

Peoria County zoning applies to unincorporated property¹⁸. Peoria Heights has its own zoning, as does Pekin, which reaches into Peoria County but lies mainly in Tazewell County¹⁹²⁰. Septic permits for property in Peoria County remain with the Peoria City/County Health Department⁴⁵. Setbacks and height limits depend on the applicable district²¹²². County land splits may require special-use approval, a survey, recording or access conditions; in the A-1 Agricultural Preservation district, a split below the 40-acre minimum requires a Special Use²³²⁴. Most unincorporated short-term rentals require County Board Special Use approval as Overnight Accommodations²⁵.

How do septic and well permits work in Peoria County?

The Peoria City/County Health Department acts as the local Health Authority for private onsite wastewater systems under the Illinois private sewage code and the county ordinance⁴. A Health Department permit is required before constructing, repairing or altering an onsite wastewater system⁵. The Health Authority may refuse an onsite permit when sanitary sewer is available, including a practical permitted connection within 300 feet of a single-family property's boundary; an onsite system may still be allowed if a conforming individual sewer connection cannot be made²⁶²⁷. Installation or repair must be inspected before backfilling, and final approval follows a visual compliance inspection²⁸. Only 35.9% of county soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional drain field, so make septic feasibility an early purchase contingency²⁹. A well needs its own permit: the application to construct or modify a water well carries a $100 permit fee, and the person constructing or deepening a permitted well must notify the Department or approved local health department at least two days before work begins³⁰. The Health Department provides online records for onsite wastewater systems and wells installed after 2009³¹.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in Peoria County?

Unincorporated Peoria County allows temporary RV shelter on the same parcel when a fire or natural disaster makes a residence uninhabitable, during rehabilitation or reconstruction³². A temporary use permit is required as soon as practicable after emergency occupancy begins, with health-department water and sewage approvals before issuance; the term is at most 6 months unless the Zoning Administrator grants an extension for demonstrated need³². The RV must be at least 10 feet from the dwelling being rebuilt, meet principal-structure side and rear setbacks, and be removed after the replacement or rehabilitated home receives an occupancy permit³³³². County RV parks require Special Use approval and patrons must maintain a permanent residence outside the park; RVs need at least 10 feet from interior drives, adjacent RVs and buildings, plus district setbacks³⁴³⁵. These provisions do not establish permission for ordinary RV living while building a new home; ask Planning and Zoning about that use, tiny-home occupancy and minimum dwelling size, which we could not confirm³²³⁴³.

Building a home in Peoria County: what are the steps?

1. Confirm that the parcel is unincorporated, identify its zoning district, and ask Planning and Zoning for the applicable use, lot, setback and height rules¹⁸²¹.
2. Check whether a land split or A-1 lot-size issue requires an additional county approval²³²⁴.
3. Ask the Health Department whether sewer is considered available; if not, obtain the onsite wastewater permit before construction²⁷⁵.
4. Determine whether floodplain development approval or a county-road entrance permit is needed before site work⁶¹¹.
5. Submit complete, readable plans to Planning and Zoning; plans must clear review before permit issuance².
6. Confirm the project fee, including the applicable technology fee, before payment¹⁶.
7. Schedule and pass the required building and septic inspections before covered work is closed⁸²⁸.

What should you check before you buy land in Peoria County?

Start with jurisdiction, zoning and legal access: county zoning serves unincorporated parcels, land splits are regulated, and a new residential, commercial or field entrance onto a county road needs Highway Department approval before construction³²³¹¹. For a state, municipal or township road, contact that road authority instead¹¹. Development in a Special Flood Hazard Area requires a county floodplain development permit before work begins, and the county treats filling, paving, demolition, storage and land clearing as development too⁶. Confirm both sewer availability and septic feasibility because an available sewer can prevent an onsite permit, and only 35.9% of county soils are rated without severe limitations for conventional drain fields²⁷²⁹. A new, modified or abandoned well requires a state or approved-local-health-department permit before work³⁶. The median property-tax bill is $3,416 per year³⁷.

Watch-outs

• A land split in the A-1 Agricultural Preservation district that falls below 40 acres requires a Special Use; do not assume that rule applies to every zoning district²⁴.
• A new entrance onto a Peoria County road needs Highway Department approval before construction, while access from a state, municipal or township road goes to that road authority¹¹.
• Most unincorporated short-term rentals require County Board Special Use approval because the county classifies them as Overnight Accommodations²⁵.

Sources

1. Residential Permits, quoted and re-checked
2. Permits, quoted and re-checked
3. Planning & Zoning, quoted and re-checked
4. Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, quoted and re-checked
5. Onsite Wastewater, quoted and re-checked
6. Build Responsibly, quoted and re-checked
7. Residential Permits, quoted and re-checked
8. Residential Permits, quoted and re-checked
9. Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, quoted and re-checked
10. Peoria County Building Permit Application, quoted and re-checked
11. Permits — Entrance Permit, quoted and re-checked
12. HB5913 Enrolled — Illinois Plumbing License Law amendment (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
13. 225 ILCS 320/18 — Local regulation; Department standards (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
14. Peoria County Planning and Zoning (peoriacounty.gov)
15. Building Permit Fee Schedule, quoted and re-checked
16. Building Permit Fee Schedule, quoted and re-checked
17. Pekin: Community Development Department | Pekin, IL (Peoria County), quoted and re-checked
18. Planning & Zoning, quoted and re-checked
19. Village of Peoria Heights: TITLE 10 ZONING REGULATIONS (Peoria County), quoted and re-checked
20. Pekin: Planning and Zoning | Pekin, IL (Peoria County), quoted and re-checked
21. ilga.gov (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
22. 55 ILCS 5/5-12001 — Authority to regulate and restrict location and use of structures (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
23. Land Use Committee - 01-26-2026, quoted and re-checked
24. Land Use Committee - 01-26-2026, quoted and re-checked
25. Short-Term Rental Property, quoted and re-checked
26. Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
27. Onsite Wastewater, quoted and re-checked
28. Onsite Wastewater, quoted and re-checked
29. 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
30. Application for Permit to Construct or Modify a Water Well, quoted and re-checked
31. Peoria City/County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (pcchd.org)
32. Peoria County UDO § 5.14, Temporary Uses, quoted and re-checked
33. Peoria County UDO § 5.14, Temporary Uses, quoted and re-checked
34. Peoria County UDO § 7.11, Recreational Vehicle Parks, quoted and re-checked
35. Peoria County UDO § 7.11, Recreational Vehicle Parks, quoted and re-checked
36. 77 Ill. Admin. Code 920.130, Water Well Permit Requirements (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
37. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 12, 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.