Bolthole Index

Peoria County, Illinois

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

The Village of Glasford, Illinois requires a building permit from the village building inspector before any construction or alteration inside village limits1. Glasford has its own zoning commission and zoning code2. Septic permits are a separate matter: Peoria County's onsite wastewater ordinance is run by the Peoria City/County Health Department3, and we could not confirm how it applies inside the village.

At a glance

Building permit
Required from the village building inspector for any construction or alteration inside Glasford1
Zoning
Yes, the village has a zoning commission and zoning code2
Permit expiry
A building permit expires six months after issuance unless construction has started4
RV living
Needs a use permit from the village police chief; limited to 30 days5
Lot size (B Residential)
8,000 square feet and 80 feet average width, with an exception for smaller lots of record6
Septic
Peoria County's ordinance is administered by the Peoria City/County Health Department; village-limits details unconfirmed3
Accessory building as a dwelling
Limited to domestic servants employed on the premises7

Who to call

Building permits

Village of Glasford (village hall and clerk)

Village contact for building permit questions, zoning and the village code of ordinances; ask for the building inspector

309-389-5152

glasfordvill@glastel.net

P.O. Box 140, Glasford, Illinois 61533

Septic permits

Peoria City/County Health Department, Environmental Health Division

Reviews onsite wastewater treatment system (septic) plans, issues permits, and inspects installations in Peoria County

309-679-6161

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

Off-grid gear

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

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Do you need a building permit in Glasford, Illinois?

Yes. The Village of Glasford's code says no one may start site preparation, construction or alteration of any building without applying for and obtaining a building permit from the village building inspector1. A Glasford building permit expires six months after it is issued unless construction of the permitted building has started4. Fees follow the village fee schedule, which we could not locate online, so ask the village office for the current amounts.

Fences have their own rule: the village requires a separate fence permit from the board of trustees, except for agricultural fences and ornamental fencing1.

The village has adopted the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code8. We did not find a village-adopted residential construction code, so ask the building inspector which construction standards apply to a new home. Illinois has required statewide baseline building codes since 2025, and the State does not issue permits for private construction itself, so permit questions go to local government9.

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

Inside Glasford village limits, the village building inspector issues building permits1. The village publishes a mailing address, a phone number and an email on its own website: P.O. Box 140, Glasford, Illinois 61533, 309-389-5152 and glasfordvill@glastel.net10. We did not find an online application form or a step-by-step process, so call before you draw plans4.

Peoria County Planning and Zoning does not serve addresses inside the village. Its building permits and zoning cover unincorporated Peoria County only11. If your lot is outside Glasford's limits, use the Peoria County page instead.

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

Yes. Glasford has a zoning commission of three members appointed by the mayor with village board approval, and amendments, variances and special uses go through that commission and the village board; a board of zoning appeals also exists2. We confirmed the B Residential and D Public and Semipublic districts; the full district list and map were not available to us, so ask the village which district a parcel is in12.

In the B Residential District, every lot with a building needs at least 8,000 square feet and an average width of at least 80 feet, though a smaller lot of record may still be built on6. B Residential setbacks call for a front yard of at least 25 feet unless 30 percent or more of the frontage is already built up, a side yard of at least 6 feet, and a rear yard of at least 30 feet or 20% of lot depth, whichever is smaller13.

We found no tiny-home provision in the village code, so ask the village before buying a lot for one7. Accessory buildings cannot be built before the main building is started and may be lived in only by domestic servants employed on the premises, which rules out a guest house or backyard cabin as a separate home7.

How do septic permits work in Glasford?

We could not confirm how septic permits work inside Glasford village limits. The village code sections we reviewed do not cover sewer or private wells.

For Peoria County as a whole, no onsite wastewater system may be built or repaired until a permit is first obtained from the Peoria City/County Health Department14. That permit is valid for 12 months and becomes void if construction does not start in that time14. The county ordinance also lets the Health Authority refuse a septic permit where a sanitary sewer is available15. In a village, that can matter: ask both the village office and the16 whether a sewer line serves your lot before you plan a septic system. Illinois requires plan approval from the state or the local health authority before any new private sewage system is built17.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Glasford?

Only with a permit, and only briefly. Glasford makes it unlawful to use a parked or stored recreational vehicle for living, sleeping or housekeeping on private residential property in the village without a valid use permit from the village police chief5. The police chief must find no adverse effect on public safety, a permit allows no more than 30 days of continuous use, and a location or vehicle can get no more than 2 permits in any 12-month period5. The permit fee follows the village fee schedule5.

So an RV is not a way to live on a Glasford lot while you build a house over many months. Stored RVs must sit behind the front building line, be no more than 40 feet long or 8 feet wide, stand on a hard surface, be screened, and belong to the resident or family5.

We found no tiny-home provision in the village code. Ask the village office how a tiny home would be classified7.

Building a home in Glasford: the steps, in order

  1. Call the Village of Glasford at 309-389-5152 to confirm your parcel's zoning district and which construction code the building inspector applies10.
  2. Check the lot against the district rules; in B Residential that means 8,000 square feet, 80 feet of width and the setbacks above6.
  3. Ask the village and the Peoria City/County Health Department whether a sanitary sewer is available or you need a septic permit15.
  4. Apply for a building permit from the village building inspector before any site preparation1.
  5. Start construction within six months of the permit date, or the permit expires4.
  6. Ask the village about inspections and a certificate of occupancy; we could not confirm either from the code sections we reviewed4.

What stays with Peoria County, and what to check before you buy in Glasford?

Septic permits are administered through the Peoria City/County Health Department, a county-level agency3. Private water wells in Peoria County need a permit with a $100 fee18; we could not confirm whether the village has its own well rules. Land outside village limits falls under the county's separate rules on the Peoria County page.

County-wide figures are context only. Peoria County's effective property tax rate is 2.2%19. Before buying, ask the village about floodplain rules, driveway approvals and any short-term rental limits, because we found no village provision on those topics.

Watch-outs

  • Peoria County's building permits and zoning apply only to unincorporated land, so the county planning counter is the wrong office for a lot inside Glasford11.
  • We could not confirm Glasford's building permit fees, inspection rules, certificate of occupancy requirement or floodplain rules; call the village office at 309-389-5152 before you buy10.
  • A Glasford RV use permit allows no more than 30 days of continuous use and 2 permits per 12 months, so it does not work as housing during a build5.
  • Septic details inside the village are unconfirmed; ask the Peoria City/County Health Department, which may refuse a septic permit where a sanitary sewer is available15.

Sources

  1. Glasford Code Sec. 36-343 Building permits (Village of Glasford), quoted and re-checked
  2. Glasford Code Sec. 2-232 Zoning commission (Village of Glasford), quoted and re-checked
  3. Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, quoted and re-checked
  4. Glasford Code Sec. 36-343 Building permits (Village of Glasford), quoted and re-checked
  5. Glasford Code Sec. 32-83 Conditions for parking or storage (RVs) (Village of Glasford), quoted and re-checked
  6. Glasford Code Sec. 36-133 B Residential District area regulations (Village of Glasford), quoted and re-checked
  7. Glasford Code Sec. 36-33 Accessory buildings (Village of Glasford), quoted and re-checked
  8. Glasford Code Sec. 6-52 Adoption of property maintenance code (Village of Glasford), quoted and re-checked
  9. Building Codes and Regulations (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  10. Village of Glasford (village hall and clerk) (glasfordil.com)
  11. Planning & Zoning, quoted and re-checked
  12. Glasford Code Sec. 36-189 D Public and Semipublic District use regulations (Village of Glasford), quoted and re-checked
  13. Glasford Code Sec. 36-133 B Residential District area regulations (Village of Glasford), quoted and re-checked
  14. Onsite Wastewater, quoted and re-checked
  15. Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
  16. Peoria City/County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (pcchd.org)
  17. 77 Ill. Adm. Code 905.190 Installation Approval (Illinois statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  18. Application for Permit to Construct or Modify a Water Well, quoted and re-checked
  19. Effective property tax rate: 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.

Answers from the rulebook for Village of Glasford

Village of Glasford’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Construction or alteration of any building inside Glasford village

    • Permit expires six months from issuance unless construction has commenced.
    • Fees are per the village fee schedule.
    • Separate fence permit required from board of trustees, except agricultural fences and ornamental fencing.

    permit expiry if not commenced: 6 months

    “No person shall commence site preparation for, or construction or alteration of, any building without applying for and obtaining a building permit from the building inspector”
  • Building code adoptedPartial

    Inside Glasford village; only the property maintenance code was seen adopted

    • Adoption of residential/building construction codes was not found in the sections reviewed.

    code: 2021 International Property Maintenance Code

    “The 2021 International Property Maintenance Code, published by the International Code Council, Inc., is adopted as though fully set forth in this article.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Glasford village limits

    • Zoning amendments, variances and special uses go through the zoning commission and village board; a board of zoning appeals also exists.
    “The village has created a zoning commission consisting of three members appointed by the mayor with the approval of the village board.”
  • Zoning districtsPartial

    Zoning districts inside Glasford village

    • B Residential and D Public and Semipublic districts confirmed; full district list and map not reviewed.
    “A building or premises in the D district shall be used only for the following purposes:”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    B Residential District inside Glasford village

    • Permitted uses may be erected on a smaller lot of record.

    minimum lot area: >= 8000 sq ft (smaller lot of record) · minimum average lot width: >= 80 ft (smaller lot of record)

    “every lot upon which a building is erected shall have an area of not less than 8,000 square feet and an average width of not less than 80 feet, except that any of the uses permitted in this district may be erected or constructed upon a smaller lot of record.”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    B Residential District inside Glasford village

    • Front yard follows established building line if 30 percent or more of frontage is improved, but never more than 60 feet.
    • Side yard may reduce to 12 percent of lot width (not less than five feet) for lot of record under 50 feet wide.
    • Double-frontage lots need front yard on both streets; corner lots need front yard on each street side.
    • Rear and side yards subject to article IV exceptions.

    front yard: >= 25 ft (existing building line) · side yard: >= 6 ft (narrow lots of record) · rear yard: >= 30 ft or 20% of lot depth, whichever is smaller

    “there shall be a front yard having a depth of not less than 25 feet, unless 30 percent or more of the frontage is improved with buildings”
  • Living in an RVTemporary only (with conditions)

    Living, sleeping or housekeeping in a parked RV on private residential property inside Glasford village

    • Requires a use permit from the police chief; fee per village fee schedule.
    • Police chief must find no adverse effect on public safety.
    • No more than two permits per location or vehicle in any 12-month period.
    • RV storage conditions: behind front building line, not over 40 ft long or 8 ft wide, hard surface, screened, owned by resident or family.

    maximum permitted continuous use: <= 30 days · permits per 12 months: <= 2 permits

    “it is unlawful for any person to use any parked or stored recreational vehicle for living, sleeping or housekeeping purposes on any private residential property located within the village without a valid use permit issued by the village police chief as provided in this division.”
  • Accessory dwellingsLimited

    Dwelling use of accessory buildings inside Glasford village

    • Accessory building may not be built before the main building is commenced.
    • Dwelling use limited to domestic servants employed on the premises.
    “no accessory building shall be used for dwelling purposes other than by domestic servants employed on the premises.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Building permits inside Glasford village

    • Apply to the building inspector; permit expires six months from issuance unless construction commenced.
    • Application forms and detailed steps not found.
    “any building permit shall expire six months from the date of its issuance unless within that period construction of the permitted building has commenced.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Glasford village
  • Inspections — Inspections inside Glasford village
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Glasford village
  • Minimum dwelling size — B Residential District
  • Lot coverage — B Residential District
16 more unanswered
  • Building height
  • 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
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

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 Glasford publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Peoria County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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