Tazewell County, IL Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 157.131 (RR District)
- RR District cap
- 20% of lot area
- R-1/R-2/C-1/C-2 cap
- 30% (bulk chart, § 157.073)
- A-1/A-2 agricultural districts
- No cap (N/A)
- Relief mechanism
- ZBA variance, §§ 157.435-447
Summary
Tazewell County's Rural Residential District caps building footprint at 20 percent of lot area under Zoning Code Section 157.131; the county's bulk chart sets different maximums, up to 30 percent, for its other residential and commercial districts.
§ 157.131 LOT COVERAGE. No more than 20% of the area of the lot shall be occupied by structures. (Prior Code, 7 TCC 1-9(g))
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-7: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. LU-21-12, passed 9-29-2021; and Res. LU-26-09, passed 7-29-2026).
Full Breakdown
130. 073, which lists 'Maximum Lot Coverage %' as one column alongside minimum lot area, frontage, yard setbacks, and height for every zoning district. The same chart shows the county's two agricultural districts, A-1 Agricultural Preservation and A-2 Agriculture, carry no lot-coverage percentage at all (listed as 'N/A'), reflecting that farm buildings on large agricultural tracts are not subject to a coverage cap the way residential and commercial lots are. The R-1 Single-Family Residential, R-2 Multi-Family Residential, C-1 Neighborhood Commercial, and C-2 General Commercial districts each carry a higher 30 percent maximum lot coverage figure in the same chart, while the I-1 Light Industrial and I-2 Heavy Industrial districts allow structures on 40 percent of a lot.
131), rather than only appearing inside the bulk chart, it is the one lot-coverage rule that can be quoted as a standalone provision rather than pulled from a table row. 447. These bulk requirements were codified from the county's Prior Code (7 TCC 1-9(g)) and apply only within unincorporated Tazewell County.
Violations & Fines
A structure that pushes coverage over the applicable district maximum, 20 percent in Rural Residential or higher percentages in other districts per the Section 157.073 bulk chart, is a zoning code violation enforced by the county's Land Use and Community Development Department, and the property owner must obtain a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals before building or must remove/reduce the excess structure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum lot coverage in Tazewell County's Rural Residential District?
Does the 20 percent lot coverage cap apply to farmland in Tazewell County?
What happens if a house exceeds the lot coverage limit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tazewell County
Compare Tazewell County to another location·View the Illinois building setbacks & zoning overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.