McLean County, IL Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Chapter 350, the McLean County Zoning Ordinance, governs unincorporated county land only; the cities of Bloomington and Normal each maintain a separate municipal code with different setback rules. Within the R-1 Single-Family Residential District, § 350-36(F) sets three yard minimums. The exterior setback, the yard facing a public street, is 30 feet for the dwelling and accessory structures, and stays at 30 feet for a building or run sheltering hen chickens; a structure housing any other livestock must sit back 150 feet. Interior side yards run 20 feet on each side, except a lot already in existence on the chapter's effective date that is under 100 feet wide and carries a single-family home may build to within 5 feet of the side line.

The interior rear yard is 40 feet, reduced to 20 feet where the rear line borders a water impoundment within 40 feet of the full pool line. A related rule, § 350-14, requires every lot abutting a street to hold its setback line to the district's front or side-street yard requirement, though where more than 30% of a block face within 1,800 feet is already built out, new construction may instead match the neighbors' average setback, so long as it stays at least 27 feet back.

Every district carries its own numbers: the Agriculture District under § 350-35 and the C Commercial District under § 350-38 set different minimums, so a parcel's zoning classification under § 350-34 determines which figures apply. The Director of Building and Zoning, through the Zoning Enforcement Office created by § 350-16, administers these standards and reviews plans submitted with each construction permit application before work begins.