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Waukegan, IL Accessory Structures: Tiny Homes (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Tiny home rules in Waukegan, IL, covering tiny houses on wheels (THOWs), park model RVs, and tiny home on foundation builds, determine where they are legal and how they get permitted.

Key Facts

Wheeled/towable units
Barred as ADUs
Governing section
UDO Sec. 9.03.C.1.d
ADU size cap
900 sq ft (Sec. 9.03.C.1.c)
Design match
Must match principal dwelling exterior

Summary

Waukegan's accessory dwelling unit rule flatly bars axels or wheels on the structure, closing the door on towable tiny homes and park-model trailers being used as detached ADUs under UDO Section 9.03.C.1.d.

d.Design. An accessory dwelling unit must be designed to be clearly secondary to the principal dwelling unit on the site. The exterior materials of the accessory structure in which the dwelling unit is in must be compatible with the primary dwelling unit, including siding and trim materials, window design, roof shape, roof pitch, and roof material. Accessory dwelling units may not have axels or wheels. Accessory dwelling units may not be larger than the principal structure.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 113).

Full Breakdown

d, the ADU "Design" standard, requires an accessory dwelling unit to be designed as clearly secondary to the principal dwelling, with exterior materials, siding, trim, windows, roof shape, pitch, and roofing material compatible with the main house, and then states directly that accessory dwelling units may not have axels or wheels. a. The same subsection also bars an ADU from being larger than the principal structure on the lot. b, but a mobile or towable unit cannot.

Violations & Fines

Placing a wheeled tiny home, travel trailer, or park-model unit on a lot as an accessory dwelling unit violates the no-axels-or-wheels standard of Section 9.03.C.1.d and does not qualify for ADU site plan review approval under Table 9.03-1.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I put a towable tiny house in my backyard as an ADU in Waukegan?
No. Section 9.03.C.1.d explicitly states accessory dwelling units may not have axels or wheels, which rules out towable tiny homes, travel trailers, and park-model units as ADUs regardless of size.
Can a permanently foundationed tiny home qualify as a Waukegan ADU?
It can, if it has no axels or wheels, stays within the 900-square-foot cap, sits in the rear yard, and matches the principal dwelling's siding, trim, windows, and roof design under Section 9.03.C.1, and it still needs site plan review approval.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Waukegan

ADU RulesSome RestrictionsShed & Carport RulesSome RestrictionsLandscaping Rules: Water RestrictionsSome RestrictionsParking Rules: RV & Boat ParkingSome RestrictionsADU Owner OccupancySignificant RestrictionsParking Rules: Commercial & Oversized VehiclesSignificant RestrictionsParking Rules: EV ChargingSome RestrictionsAnimal Ordinances: Veterinary Clinic ZoningSome RestrictionsAnimal Ordinances: Pet Groomer RulesSome Restrictions

All Waukegan rules

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