McLean County, IL Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Under § 350-19, the owner or an authorized agent must obtain a construction permit before physically beginning any excavation, construction, erection, extension, addition, relocation or substantial improvement covered by Chapter 350. The application goes to the Department of Building and Zoning with plans, specifications and any supplementary information needed to show compliance, including certification that a road access permit has been granted by the appropriate road authority. Where state or county law requires sewage disposal facilities, the McLean County Health Department must certify the proposed system before the permit issues.

New public or commercial buildings must be designed to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Illinois Accessibility Code, with plans sealed by a registered architect or engineer. Projects disturbing more than 5,000 square feet, or any residence, detached building or addition, must install erosion and sediment control measures at the stake-out inspection, keep them in place through construction, and maintain final vegetative cover before removing silt fences or straw bales; agricultural uses are exempt. Lots larger than one acre, other than residences and their accessory buildings, must also meet the stormwater retention and detention design standards in Chapter 317, Article VI.

The Director of Building and Zoning reviews the application and issues the permit once it and its required certifications show the project complies with Chapter 350. The exemption list is narrow: buildings and uses Illinois statutes exclude from the chapter, driveways serving eight or fewer off-street parking spaces, open fences of four feet or less, sidewalks, light standards, birdhouses, flagpoles and similar accessory structures, and berms or retaining walls under 36 inches that do not affect drainage on neighboring land. The fee schedule is set in the McLean County Fee Ordinance rather than in § 350-19 itself.