DuPage County, IL Ordinances (2026)

DuPage County Code Sections 30-17 and 30-26 (Chapter 30, Solid Waste Management) prohibit the open burning of garbage, debris, refuse, and landscape waste in unincorporated DuPage…

Open dumping of waste anywhere in unincorporated DuPage County is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of $500 to $1,000 per day, with the state's attorney authorized to sue for an injunction…

DuPage County requires new or expanded multi-family and commercial/industrial developments in unincorporated areas to show dedicated, adjacent space for separate refuse and recycling…

New or expanded multi-family and commercial buildings in unincorporated DuPage County must set aside dedicated, marked space for recycling containers next to the trash containers…

In unincorporated DuPage County's R-1 single-family residence district, outdoor trash containers serving any nonsingle-family detached development must be enclosed with fences, masonry…

DuPage County treats a home occupation as an accessory use under Section 37-418.1(A) of the zoning ordinance: it must run entirely inside the residence, only by the resident, cannot…

Unincorporated DuPage County caps home occupation signage at one small nameplate. Zoning Ordinance Sec. 37-418.1(A)(5) limits the sign to two square feet and requires it to sit flat…

Unincorporated DuPage County allows a home daycare for up to 8 kids by right; 9 to 12 kids or a group daycare home needs a conditional use permit.

DuPage County limits how much foot and car traffic a home-based business can draw. Section 37-418.1(A)(7) caps instruction, teaching or counseling at three people at a time, Section…

Beekeeping in DuPage County is governed primarily by the Illinois Bees and Apiaries Act. Every person keeping one or more colonies of bees in DuPage County must register annually with…

DuPage County defines a dog as under "control" only when it is on a leash, confined to its owner's premises, or shut in a crate, cage or vehicle; a leash itself cannot exceed eight…

Unincorporated DuPage County caps household pets at four per dwelling. Zoning Ordinance Sec. 37-700.8(E) states there shall be no more than four pets over four months of age in any…

DuPage County does not require every pet to carry a microchip, but any dog or cat placed under the county's ten-day rabies observation after biting someone must be microchipped at the…

DuPage County bans pet shops from selling dogs or cats at all: retail sale is a public nuisance under Sec. 26-9, with only shelter adoption partnerships allowed.

Pet grooming shops are a permitted, by-right use in unincorporated DuPage County's B-1 Local Business District, so opening one does not require a conditional-use hearing before the…

DuPage County's animal ordinance bars anyone from killing, wounding or taking the nest, eggs or young of a bird protected under federal or state law. The ban tracks the federal…

DuPage County bans keeping lions, tigers, bears, wolves, crocodilians, and poisonous reptiles as pets unless the owner holds a state or federal wildlife permit.

Animal hospitals need a conditional-use permit to open in unincorporated DuPage County: they are not on the permitted-use list in the B-1 or B-2 business districts, so the County Board…

DuPage County bars cats from schools, public playgrounds and swimming pools without written permission from the property owner, and separately requires any cat in heat to be confined…

Horses are allowed on unincorporated DuPage County residential lots only inside a fenced pasture, corral, or paddock, with a minimum 10,000-square-foot area required for each horse…

An inoperable motor vehicle sitting on public or private land anywhere in unincorporated DuPage County is a declared nuisance. The Sheriff can post or mail notice, then tow it after…

DuPage County's zoning ordinance requires commercial, industrial, and institutional developments in unincorporated areas to provide off-street loading berths, with fixed rules on…

Stopping, parking or leaving any vehicle standing on the paved or main-traveled part of a DuPage County highway is illegal at any time, attended or not. Violators are guilty of a…

County-owned EV charging stations at the DuPage County campus are restricted to electric vehicles actively charging, with a per-kWh usage fee and a fine for improper parking or…

Single-family lots in unincorporated DuPage County must keep RVs behind the front wall of the house, out of setbacks, and under a 500 sq ft open-storage cap.

Unincorporated DuPage County bars commercial vehicles from residential lots outright. Zoning Ordinance Sec. 37-700.7(A)(2) lists commercial vehicle among seven vehicle types that…

DuPage County requires residential driveways to be paved from the street to the property line, with 6 inches of aggregate and 2 inches of asphalt (or 4 inches of aggregate and 4 inches…

If an unincorporated DuPage County property owner won't clear garbage or refuse from their land, the county can remove it after 15 days' certified-mail notice and place a lien on the…

The Building Official can declare a DuPage County structure unfit for human occupancy over unsanitary conditions, vermin infestation, missing utilities or fire hazards under Sec…

In the R-5 General Residence District, DuPage County lets developers build one extra dwelling unit for every low- and moderate-income unit provided, up to a 25% increase over the base…

DuPage County's amended Fire Code sprinkler table exempts detached one- and two-family homes, but only if the owner gets a compliance letter from the local fire department before the…

DuPage County's Building Code spells out a full sequence of mandatory inspections, from erosion control before excavation through electrical, plumbing, HVAC, radon, framing and a final…

DuPage County's Building Code requires a carbon monoxide detector within fifteen feet of every room used for sleeping, wired to a 110-volt power source with battery back-up, under Sec…

DuPage County adopts the Illinois Plumbing Code by reference for unincorporated areas, with local amendments on pipe materials, sewer connections, and WaterSense fixtures.

Unincorporated DuPage County requires a permit before you build, alter, demolish, or install most fixed equipment, including water heaters, furnaces, AC units, heat pumps, and EV…

DuPage County's Building Code makes a narrow safety exception for small home daycares. Under Sec. 8-700's amendment to the adopted International Building Code's Section 903.2, a…

Unincorporated DuPage County runs on the 2020 National Electrical Code under Sec. 8-600, but with local teeth: standard Romex sheathed cable and armored cable are not adopted, all…

Anyone who wants to build a driveway, install a utility line, or otherwise occupy DuPage County highway right-of-way must get a permit from the County Engineer before starting work…

While a DuPage County building permit is active, the permit holder, not the county, must keep the abutting street, parkway and sidewalk in a safe condition and clear of building…

DuPage County's building code bars contractors from blocking a public sidewalk during construction and makes it unlawful to store materials, mix mortar or wash equipment on any county…

Any massage establishment operating in unincorporated DuPage County needs a license from the County Clerk before opening. The application costs $125 plus fingerprinting, requires…

Unincorporated DuPage County bans auto repair as a home business outright. Zoning Ordinance Sec. 37-418.1(A)(6) says a home occupation shall not permit the conduct of manufacturing…

Tattoo parlors need a conditional-use permit to operate in unincorporated DuPage County. Section 37-801.2 and Section 37-802.2 both classify them as conditional, not permitted, uses in…

Selling tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, in unincorporated DuPage County requires a $100 annual seller's license from the County Clerk. Sales within 100 feet of a school are…

DuPage County zoning keeps adult business uses at least 1,000 feet from homes, schools, churches and other adult businesses, and Chapter 20 requires a separate $200 county adult…

Pawnshops are a permitted, by-right use in unincorporated DuPage County's B-2 General Business District, so no conditional-use hearing is required to open one. Section 37-802.1 lists…

DuPage County has adopted the Illinois Commercial Relocation of Trespassing Vehicles Law to govern non-consent tows from private lots.

Unincorporated DuPage County treats street fairs, festivals and carnivals as temporary special events that need a permit from the Department of Economic Development and Planning and…

Any parade, run, walk or other event that could disrupt travel on a DuPage County highway or trail needs a special event permit from the County Engineer before it happens. The Division…

DuPage County government owns no park system; county parks and forest preserves belong to the separate Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. What the County Code actually permits…

Every fence and wall in unincorporated DuPage County needs a permit before it goes up. Section 37-407.1(C) of the zoning ordinance requires the issuance of a permit prior to erection…

Property owners in unincorporated DuPage County share responsibility for division fences on their common boundary under the Illinois Fence Act (765 ILCS 130). Each adjoining owner pays…

DuPage County requires grading plans to show retaining wall elevations, and any wall 24 inches or taller needs a licensed Illinois architect or structural engineer's certification.

Unincorporated DuPage County's zoning ordinance bans any fence carrying an electrical charge strong enough to shock, in every zoning district, no exceptions. Barbed wire is off-limits…

In unincorporated DuPage County, residential fences may rise to 4 feet 6 inches in the front yard (and must be at least 50% open) and to 6 feet 6 inches in side and rear yards. The…

Every illuminated sign in unincorporated DuPage County, billboards included, has to use diffused or indirect light that cannot reflect past the zoning lot's boundary or shine more than…

Unincorporated DuPage County caps exposed light sources at one-half foot-candle at residential lot lines and three foot-candles within nonresidential lots, and requires glare shielding…

DuPage County's zoning ordinance makes every exposed light source in unincorporated areas, including yard and security lights, shield its glare from spilling onto neighboring lots…

Unincorporated DuPage County has opted out of recreational cannabis retail. Section 38-201 of the County's Cannabis Prohibition Ordinance bars any adult-use cannabis dispensing…

Unincorporated DuPage County keeps medical cannabis facilities well away from kids and homes. Zoning Ordinance Sec. 37-426.2 sets a 2,500-foot buffer between a medical cannabis…

DuPage County subdivision rules require subdividers to plant shade trees within five feet of the street right-of-way, one tree for every 40 feet of street frontage, under Sec. 31-502.D…

In unincorporated DuPage County, residential swimming pools, spas, and hot tubs require a Building Permit under DuPage County Building Code Chapter 8, Article XIII, which adopts the…

DuPage County permits recreational fires in unincorporated areas only if they use clean, seasoned firewood, are contained in a fire pit or grill, and remain under constant adult…

DuPage County's Building Code requires smoke detectors in every bedroom, outside sleeping areas, in furnace rooms and on every additional story, including basements, under Sec…

Portable and stationary generators are exempt from DuPage County's loud and raucous noise ordinance when they run during a power outage caused by a natural disaster or utility failure…

DuPage County Animal Services bans letting any animal run uncontrolled or harass people and vehicles by chasing, barking or biting so as to threaten public safety. The rule covers…

DuPage County caps sound reaching a residential-zoned property at 71 decibels from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 61 decibels overnight, under the zoning ordinance's noise performance standards…

Outside loudspeakers and public address systems are banned countywide unless the property owner first applies to the Economic Development and Planning Director for approval.

Unincorporated DuPage County bars noisy construction before 7 a.m. or after 9 p.m., and bans it outright on Sundays if it produces loud or annoying noise.

In unincorporated DuPage County, running a sound amplifying device or instrument loud enough to be heard past 100 feet between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. is a public nuisance unless the…

Anyone peddling goods or soliciting orders door-to-door in unincorporated DuPage County without a fixed business location must register their name, and any firm they represent, with…

Door-to-door solicitors in unincorporated DuPage County can only knock or ring a doorbell between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. (7 p.m. during daylight saving time). Residents can also post a…

DuPage County's zoning ordinance doesn't cancel out your subdivision's recorded covenants, but the County won't enforce your HOA's CC&Rs either: if the zoning ordinance is stricter…

DuPage County bans camping outright on its two county trail corridors, the Illinois Prairie Path and the Great Western Trail, treating violators as trespassers under Chapter 23 of the…

Unincorporated DuPage zones data processing and computer centers as a by-right use only in the O-R Office Research District, not commercial, industrial, or residential districts.

Unincorporated DuPage County requires one foot of freeboard above the base flood elevation for any new construction in the regulatory flood plain. New or substantially improved homes…

No development activity in unincorporated DuPage County's flood plain may worsen upstream or downstream flooding, and the regulatory floodway is closed to all but a short list of…

DuPage County's Countywide Stormwater and Flood Plain Ordinance makes it unlawful to undertake development without first securing a stormwater management certification. In the…

Excavating or filling any tract of unincorporated land in DuPage County requires a Building Official permit and an engineer-stamped grading plan before work starts.

DuPage County's R-1 single-family district caps building height at 36 feet under Sec. 37-701.4(A), but a lot of 40,000 square feet or more can add a foot of height for every foot all…

In DuPage County's unincorporated R-5 General Residence District, Sec. 37-705.8(B) caps ground coverage by buildings and structures at 40% for single-family detached homes, 50% for…

Unincorporated DuPage County's R-1 single-family district requires a 40-foot front yard, 20-foot interior side yards, a 40-foot corner side yard, and a 50-foot rear yard. Zoning…

Developers in unincorporated DuPage County must replant any preserved tree that dies or is destroyed, matching its caliper with new trees of the same minimum size.

Unincorporated DuPage County adopted the International Property Maintenance Code but struck its weeds section entirely, so property owners there face no county mowing or…

DuPage County's public water utility bans unrestricted lawn sprinkling from May 15 through September 15, limiting outdoor watering to before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m. on an odd/even…

Open alcohol is banned on every part of DuPage County's trail system, including the Illinois Prairie Path, the DuPage Parkway and the Great Western Trail. Violators face up to a $1,000…

In unincorporated DuPage County, the property occupant who knowingly allows a loud party or noisy gathering is on the hook for the same fine as whoever is actually making the racket.

In unincorporated DuPage County, the property owner, not the County, is on the hook for water leaks past the curb stop. Code Sec. 36-344 requires the owner to fix leaking pipes or…

DuPage County's subdivision street-tree rule, Sec. 31-502.D, expressly bars Ailanthus altissima, Tree of Heaven, from the shade trees subdividers plant along new streets, alongside 13…

DuPage County's landscape regulations bar developers from using certain weak-wooded or invasive species to satisfy required screening and parking-lot landscaping. Sec. 8-129.9 lists 26…

DuPage County Health Department requires an annual mobile vendor permit for food trucks, with the fee set by risk category under the county fee schedule.

Selling food or goods from place to place along county streets, alleys, or sidewalks makes you a "peddler" under county law, and you must register your name and any firm you represent…

DuPage County allows one accessory dwelling unit per single-family lot, but only as a conditional use capped at 1,000 square feet and gated behind a County Board-approved permit.

Any shed, garden building, workshop or livestock shelter built in unincorporated DuPage County needs a building permit under Code § 8-112.1, and Sec. 8-315(D) forces it to meet the…

DuPage County lets signs permitted under the state Highway Advertising Control Act of 1971 stand near interstates and federal-aid highways, but only if they also meet the county's own…

Temporary window signs in DuPage County business districts cannot cover more than 25% of a show window's surface area, while permanent window signs are treated as wall signs and must…

DuPage County bars any electronic display sign within 500 feet of an interstate highway or state tollway, and everywhere else caps LED and digital signs at a 10-second static image…

DuPage County lets temporary political signs go up in any zoning district starting 60 days before an election and requires removal within 7 days after, capping total copy area at 10…

DuPage County bans garage-sale signs on utility poles and trees and bars them from the public right-of-way unless the road agency allows it.

Unincorporated DuPage County rentals must meet the adopted Property Maintenance Code: 68°F minimum heat in habitable rooms each winter, and structures lacking heat, sanitation, or…

DuPage County exempts residential garage sales from the special-event application process required for other temporary uses, but still caps them at four sales a year and two…

Unincorporated DuPage County residents report a public nuisance by complaining directly to the chairman of the County Board, who must notify the sheriff or another designated county…

Unincorporated DuPage County bars anyone under 17 from public places overnight without an adult, with set curfew windows for weeknights and weekends.

DuPage County's Building Code names solar panel arrays outright among the equipment installations that need a formal permit before work starts. Ordinary re-roofing over existing…