Waukegan, IL Business Licensing & Operations: Auto Repair on Residential Property (2026)

Table 9.02-1 Principal Uses and Structures lists "Motor Vehicle Repair and/or Service" with a Conditional Use ("C") designation only in the B3 and Industrial (I) columns; every residential column (CR, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5) is left blank. Section 9.02.A.3 spells out what a blank means: "the absence of a letter (a blank space) or the absence of the use from the table indicates that the use is not allowed within the designated zoning district." There is no path to a home-based repair operation anywhere in Waukegan's residential zoning, not even through a conditional use permit.

Where the use is allowed, Section 9.02.B.23 imposes real numbers: a 15,000-square-foot minimum lot, a 10-foot vehicle setback from any public street property line, and repair work confined entirely inside an enclosed building. If a shop sits within 50 feet of a residential district it may operate only between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Disabled or inoperable vehicles awaiting repair can be stored outdoors, but never in the front or corner side yard or the public right-of-way, must be screened from the right-of-way, must look operable, and cannot sit outside for more than 30 days. The City's Zoning Administrator and Development Review Board process any conditional use application under Section 4.08.