Lake County UDO caps residential building height at 35 ft or 2.5 stories in R-1/R-2 districts. Lake Forest limits height to 30 ft in estate zones; Highland Park restricts ravine and lakefront heights to protect view corridors along Lake Michigan.
Lake County UDO Section 8.2 establishes maximum structure heights: 35 ft or 2.5 stories in R-1, R-2, and R-3 residential districts, measured from average finished grade to the midpoint of the highest pitched roof (or highest point of a flat roof). Chimneys, antennas, flagpoles, church steeples, and mechanical equipment screens may exceed the limit by up to 10 ft per UDO Section 8.2.C. Municipal standards vary: Lake Forest Code Ch. 159 limits R-3 residences to 30 ft and R-4 estate lots to 40 ft with strict ridgeline controls; Highland Park Code Ch. 150 caps R-6 at 30 ft with additional bluff-protection overlays for Lake Michigan lots; Libertyville Title 16 allows 35 ft in R-5; Gurnee permits 35 ft in R-1; Waukegan Title 10 allows 35 ft in R-5 but higher limits in commercial and downtown redevelopment zones. Height variances require Zoning Board of Appeals review under 65 ILCS 5/11-13-5.
Exceeding height limit: stop-work order. Correction requires lowering roof or securing variance approval. Fines $100-$1,500 per day of violation. Completed structures exceeding height may be ordered demolished or modified at owner expense.
Lake County, IL
Barking dogs in unincorporated Lake County are addressed as nuisance complaints through the Public Nuisance Ordinance. Lake County Animal Care and Control in...
Lake County, IL
Lake County Public Nuisance Ordinance prohibits sound from amplification equipment audible at 100 feet or more from the source, or exceeding 70 dB(A) at the ...
Lake County, IL
Chapter 94 of the Lake County Code regulates construction hours and noise in unincorporated areas. Standard construction hours apply with enforcement through...
Lake County, IL
Lake County IL regulates amplified music through the UDO noise performance standards and municipal ordinances. Outdoor amplified events require special event...
Lake County, IL
Maximum fence height in unincorporated Lake County is 6 feet. Fences exceeding 6 feet in nonresource zones require a building permit. Sight-obscuring fences ...
Lake County, IL
Illinois Fence Act (765 ILCS 130) governs agricultural boundary fences. In residential unincorporated Lake County, fences must be entirely on private propert...
See how Lake County's structure height limits rules stack up against other locations.
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