Kankakee County, IL Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

The Kankakee County Code sets residential height by district rather than by a single countywide number. Section 121-146(h) caps R1 single-family homes at 2½ stories or 35 feet, whichever is lower, and the identical formula appears for the A2 agriculture estate district (§ 121-100(i)) and the R2 high-density district (§ 121-147(i)). The Public Lands district is flatter still: § 121-227(h)(4) bars any building or structure from exceeding 35 feet outright, with no story-count alternative. Detached accessory buildings are held even lower under § 121-281(b)(3), which limits them to one story or 22 feet as measured from grade within a ten-foot radius of the building's walls.

Commercial and industrial buildings run much taller: the C1/C2 commercial districts follow the residential formula, but the I1 and I2 industrial districts allow a 50-foot base height under §§ 121-208(i) and 121-209(i), with a bonus of two extra feet of setback from every property line for each foot of height above 50 feet, up to an absolute ceiling of 95 feet. A homeowner who wants to exceed the 35-foot residential cap, for example to build a tall detached garage or an oversized second story, must apply for a variance through the Zoning Board of Appeals, which forwards its recommendation to the county board for final action under the administration and enforcement procedures in Article II of the zoning chapter.