Waukegan, IL Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- R1-R3 max height
- 45 feet
- R4 max height
- 60 feet
- R5 max height
- 80 feet
- B4 Downtown max height
- 160 feet, 60 ft. min. on Sheridan Rd.
- Entertainment District max
- 220 feet
- L2 point tower exception
- Up to 150 feet, limited number
Summary
Waukegan caps principal residential building height at 45 feet in the R1, R2 and R3 Districts, rising to 60 feet in R4 and 80 feet in R5, per Table 8.10-1. Commercial districts run much higher, up to 220 feet in the Entertainment District.
Table 8.10-1 Residential Zoning District Requirements R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 Bulk Requirements Minimum Lot Area (sf) 40,000 7,200 5,000 5,000 5,000
Minimum Lot Width (ft) (1) Type A: 100-199 Type A: 50-149 Type A: 40-149 Type A: 40-99 Type A: 40-99 Maximum Principal Building Height (ft) 45 45 45 60 80
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 113).
Full Breakdown
10-1 sets the Maximum Principal Building Height for each residential district at 45 feet in R1, R2 and R3, 60 feet in R4, and 80 feet in R5, tracking each district's intended density from low-density single-unit R1 up to the multi-unit R5 District. 07-2 extends the height ladder into the business and industrial districts: 45 feet in B1, 100 feet in B2 and B3, 160 feet in B4 (Downtown), 220 feet in the Entertainment District, 60 feet in Research/Light Industrial, and 80 feet in the Light Industrial District, with no cap listed for H/C.
07-2 requires B4 Downtown development along Sheridan Road to reach at least 60 feet in height, referring builders to the 2005 Design Guidelines for the Waukegan Lakefront-Downtown Master Plan (2003) for preferred placement; and the Lakefront district table separately allows a limited number of point towers in the L2 District to rise to 150 feet and a limited number of L3 structures to reach 120 feet, with structures fronting Pershing and Seahorse Drive capped at 60 feet. Sec. 5 makes the height table binding on any structure erected after the Ordinance's effective date and bars enlarging, altering, reconstructing or relocating an existing building in a way that conflicts with its district's height limit, while Sec. 4 caps accessory structures at no taller than the principal structure on the same lot unless the Ordinance says otherwise.
Violations & Fines
A structure built above its district's Table 8.10-1 or Table 8.07-2 height cap without an approved variance is a zoning violation enforceable by the Building Commissioner and Zoning Administrator; Sec. 8.05.B.5 bars any post-effective-date enlargement or reconstruction that would put an existing building into height nonconformance, and relief requires a variance under Section 4.04 rather than administrative sign-off.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can a house be built in Waukegan's R1 district?
What is the tallest residential district height limit in Waukegan?
Are there height exceptions near the lakefront?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Waukegan
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