Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Chillicothe, Illinois

At a glance

Building permit

Required for new residential construction, additions, accessory buildings, decks and more; issued at Chillicothe City Hall¹

Zoning

City zoning with districts R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, RCH, A and REC²

Building code

2021 International Residential Code for one- and two-family homes, with local amendments⁴

Minimum home size

700 sq ft ground floor in R-1, 600 sq ft in R-2⁵

RV living

Parking allowed; sleeping use limited to 15 days per six months⁶

Tiny homes

No tiny-home provision confirmed; minimum floor areas apply⁵

Septic

Peoria City/County Health Department issues septic permits countywide³

Wells

Peoria County requires a well permit; city-limits rules unconfirmed⁷

Who to call

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

Does Chillicothe, Illinois have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs, tiny homes and lot size?

Yes. The City of Chillicothe zones the land inside its limits, with districts including R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, RCH, A and REC². Peoria County's own zoning covers only unincorporated land⁸, so the county planning counter is the wrong stop for a lot inside the city.

Lot rules depend on the district. In R-1, a dwelling needs a lot of at least 7,500 square feet and 60 feet of width⁹. In R-2, a single-family dwelling needs at least 6,000 square feet and 50 feet of width¹⁰. Agricultural (A) districts require five acres, with 10 acres for livestock, poultry and horse boarding for a fee¹¹.

In R-1, the required front yard is 25 feet and the rear yard is 20 feet¹². In A districts the front yard is 50 feet¹³. Homes in R-1 may cover no more than 50 percent of the lot together with garages and accessory buildings¹⁴.

A residence in R-1 must have at least 700 square feet of livable ground-floor space, and 600 square feet in R-2⁵. Many tiny homes fall below those floors. Chillicothe's code sections we reviewed contain no tiny-home provision⁵, so ask the Zoning Administrator before planning one.

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

Yes. Chillicothe requires a building permit for residential and commercial new construction, additions and alterations, pools, fences, signs, accessory buildings such as sheds and garages, decks and porches, and inspections are required¹. The City of Chillicothe issues these permits itself; the Peoria County building permits described on the county page apply only to unincorporated land¹⁵.

The city has adopted the 2021 International Residential Code for one- and two-family dwellings, with local amendments, and the State of Illinois Plumbing Code applies in place of the code's plumbing chapters⁴. The city's Building & Zoning page also lists the 2021 International Building Code and 2020 National Electrical Code among its adopted codes¹.

Submit a completed application and a drawing showing all structures with dimensions and setbacks to City Hall before construction starts¹. New developments must also provide stormwater control plans, reviewed before building permits issue¹. Fees, owner-builder rules and certificates of occupancy inside the city are not confirmed; ask the Zoning Administrator.

Who is the Chillicothe building and zoning office, and how do you reach it?

Chillicothe's Building & Zoning office is the Zoning Administrator at City Hall, 908 N. 2nd Street, Chillicothe, IL 61523, phone (309) 274-5056¹. The same office handles zoning questions¹.

A variance requires a public hearing before the zoning board of appeals¹. For land outside city limits, use the Peoria County page: Peoria County Planning and Zoning serves unincorporated properties only⁸.

How do septic permits work in Chillicothe, Illinois?

Septic permits in Peoria County come from the Peoria City/County Health Department, not from the City of Chillicothe's building office¹⁶. County rules say construction or repair of an onsite wastewater system may not begin until the Health Department issues a permit³. A permit is valid for 12 months and becomes void if construction has not started in that time³.

Inside a city, sewer service matters. Peoria County's ordinance lets the Health Department refuse a septic permit where a sanitary sewer is available, which includes a practical connection within 300 feet for a single-family home¹⁷. Whether that applies to a particular Chillicothe lot depends on where the city's sewer lines run, and we could not confirm the city's own connection rules, so ask City Hall.

Peoria County's typical soils are limited for conventional drain fields, so expect a site evaluation: about 36 percent of the county's soils are rated not limited by USDA¹⁸. Phone the Environmental Health Division at 309-679-6161¹⁹.

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

Only in a limited way for RVs. Chillicothe lets an RV park in a driveway, side yard near the house, or rear yard, but sleeping in it is limited to the homeowner, a resident or a bona fide guest⁶. Sleeping use may not exceed 15 days in each six-month period beginning January 1 and July 1⁶. R-1 and R-2 properties may hold at most three RVs or trailers⁶. RV parks are a special use in A districts⁶.

Living in an RV while you build a home inside the city is therefore not allowed beyond that short sleeping limit. Chillicothe's code sections we reviewed do not address tiny homes, and the minimum floor areas of 700 square feet in R-1 and 600 square feet in R-2 apply to residences⁵. Ask the Zoning Administrator for a ruling on any tiny home or second dwelling.

In R-1, a second dwelling is possible only as a replacement: the original home must be removed within 14 months of the building permit²⁰.

Building a home in Chillicothe: the steps, in order

1. Confirm the zoning district and lot rules with the Zoning Administrator at (309) 274-5056¹.
2. Check the lot against the minimum floor area and setbacks for the district⁵.
3. Ask City Hall whether a city sewer line serves the lot; if not, apply to the Peoria City/County Health Department for a septic permit before construction starts³.
4. If you plan a well, Peoria County requires a well permit with a $100 fee⁷.
5. Submit the building permit application and a drawing showing structures, dimensions and setbacks to City Hall¹.
6. Schedule the required inspections as you build¹.
7. For a driveway, remember that access onto a state highway needs an IDOT permit²¹.

What stays with Peoria County, and what should you check before you buy in Chillicothe?

Septic permits and well permits come from the Peoria City/County Health Department, not the city³⁷. County-level figures: Peoria County's effective property tax rate is 2.2 percent²² and the median property tax bill is $3,416 a year²³.

For flood risk, Peoria County requires a floodplain development permit in a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area on unincorporated land²⁴; we could not confirm how Chillicothe handles floodplain development inside city limits, so ask City Hall. Land outside city limits follows the county's rules on the Peoria County page.

Watch-outs

• Building permit fees, owner-builder rules and certificates of occupancy inside Chillicothe were not confirmed; ask the Zoning Administrator at City Hall before budgeting¹.
• City limits matter: Peoria County Planning and Zoning serves unincorporated properties only, so a Chillicothe address does not use the county's building permits⁸.
• RV sleeping inside Chillicothe is capped at 15 days per six months, so an RV is not a place to live while you build⁶.
• A public hearing before the zoning board of appeals is required for a variance, and the applicant must post a yard sign on the property¹.

Sources

1. City of Chillicothe Building & Zoning (Zoning Administrator) (cityofchillicotheil.org)
2. Chillicothe Code Sec. 106-161 Uses permitted in all districts; minimum floor area (Chillicothe), quoted and re-checked
3. Onsite Wastewater, quoted and re-checked
4. Chillicothe Code Sec. 18-144 Amendments to the International Residential Code (Chillicothe), quoted and re-checked
5. Chillicothe Code Sec. 106-161 Uses permitted in all districts; minimum floor area (Chillicothe), quoted and re-checked
6. Chillicothe Code Sec. 94-245 Parking RVs on private property (Chillicothe), quoted and re-checked
7. Application for Permit to Construct or Modify a Water Well, quoted and re-checked
8. Planning & Zoning, quoted and re-checked
9. Chillicothe Code Sec. 106-162 R-1 one-family residential district (Chillicothe), quoted and re-checked
10. Chillicothe Code Sec. 106-163 R-2 two-family residential district (Chillicothe), quoted and re-checked
11. Chillicothe Code Sec. 106-251 A agricultural districts (Chillicothe), quoted and re-checked
12. Chillicothe Code Sec. 106-162 R-1 one-family residential district (Chillicothe), quoted and re-checked
13. Chillicothe Code Sec. 106-251 A agricultural districts (Chillicothe), quoted and re-checked
14. Chillicothe Code Sec. 106-162 R-1 one-family residential district (Chillicothe), quoted and re-checked
15. Residential Permits, quoted and re-checked
16. Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, quoted and re-checked
17. Onsite Wastewater, quoted and re-checked
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
19. Peoria City/County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (pcchd.org)
20. Chillicothe Code Sec. 106-162 R-1 one-family residential district (Chillicothe), quoted and re-checked
21. Highway Permits (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. Build Responsibly, 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.