Winnebago County, IL Ordinances (2026)

Winnebago County caps residential fence height at 6 feet in side and rear yards and 4 feet in front yards under the Unified Development Ordinance.

Residential fences in Winnebago County must be built from an approved list of materials, and barbed wire, razor wire, and scrap or salvage materials are left off it entirely.

Winnebago County requires a zoning permit from the Planning and Zoning Officer before erecting any fence, since a fence counts as a "structure" under the UDO's definitions and § 4.7.1…

Winnebago County has no county-wide noise ordinance with fixed quiet hours for unincorporated areas. State law (720 ILCS 5/26-1 disorderly conduct) and Illinois Environmental…

Winnebago County bans habitually barking or howling dogs that disturb neighbors in unincorporated subdivided areas and within 500 feet of them.

Winnebago County bans loud vehicle stereo noise audible past 100 feet at night unless the operator has a county permit.

Winnebago County's noise ordinance sets no decibel-meter standard for the unincorporated county; instead it defines which noise sources fall outside its nuisance rule. Code § 50-300…

Winnebago County bans amplified sound audible past 100 feet during set nighttime hours unless the operator has a county permit.

Winnebago County's noise ordinance exempts construction and repair work from its rules entirely, so there is no county-imposed quiet-hours window for job sites.

Winnebago County levies a 5% hotel tax on room rentals in unincorporated hotels, motels, tourist homes, and rooming houses under Sec. 78-84, on top of the state Hotel Operators'…

Winnebago County requires anyone who operates a massage establishment in the unincorporated county to get a license from the county clerk before opening, under the county's Massage…

Winnebago County bars any adult use, including adult bookstores, cabarets, adult motels and massage parlors, from locating within 1,000 feet of another adult use, a residential…

Winnebago County charges a $150 administrative fee, on top of towing and storage costs, to release a vehicle the sheriff has ordered towed or impounded.

Winnebago County zones a tattoo parlor as a 'Body Modification Establishment' under UDO Sec. 24.4, and bars it outright from the C-N and OP Districts. It needs a special-use permit in…

Winnebago County flatly prohibits motor vehicle and truck service or repair as a home occupation anywhere in the unincorporated county under UDO § 18.3.8(L), grouped with contractor…

Winnebago County law makes it unlawful for a dog owner to let their dog run at large anywhere in the unincorporated county. The animal services department enforces the ban on a…

Winnebago County caps backyard chickens at six birds in the R-A district and three in R-E, bans roosters, and requires coops in the rear yard only.

Winnebago County sets no cap on personal pet ownership, but boarding or fostering more than four animals for someone else -- or breeding more than two to sell -- turns your home into a…

Winnebago County requires every dog and cat adopted from the county animal shelter to be spayed or neutered before release, and charges unaltered pets a higher annual registration fee.

Winnebago County declares dogs "vicious" through a court hearing based on behavior, not breed, then imposes containment, licensing, and signage rules.

Winnebago County allows apiaries only as an accessory use on R-A Subdistrict lots, capped at one hive per 25,000 square feet with mandatory setbacks.

Winnebago County water district customers must keep every service pipe free of leaks. Once the county's water department flags an unmetered leak in writing, the consumer has 48 hours…

Winnebago County zones unincorporated farmland into four Agricultural and Open Space Districts built to keep land in production. UDO Sec. 7.1 states the ordinance is not intended to…

Smoking is banned in every building, vehicle and piece of equipment the county owns, leases or operates, and in front of the main entrance of every county building. Code § 50-316…

Winnebago County bans amplified sound and instrument noise audible beyond 100 feet overnight in unincorporated areas, 10 p.m.–7 a.m. weeknights, 11:59 p.m.–7 a.m. weekends, unless the…

A licensed medical cannabis dispensing organization cannot locate within 1,000 feet of a pre-existing school or day care center, and cannot sit inside a residential dwelling or…

Winnebago County keeps medical cannabis cultivation centers at least 2,500 feet from any pre-existing school, day care center, day care home or residential district under UDO §…

Any construction, fill, grading or land subdivision in a Winnebago County flood hazard area needs written clearance from the county floodplain administrator before work starts. Code §…

New and improved buildings in Winnebago County's floodplain must have their lowest usable space at least one foot above the base flood elevation.

New development in unincorporated Winnebago County can't release stormwater runoff faster than the land could naturally drain before it was built on. County Code § 50-247(a)(2) caps…

Winnebago County requires a surface water management permit before any grading, clearing, excavating, or filling on unincorporated land covered by the ordinance.

Winnebago County limits where RVs, boats, and trailers can sit on a residential lot and bars them from the rear yard if you're driving a motor home.

Winnebago County's zoning code bans parking in front yards for single-family and two-family homes but allows it inside a driveway, as long as the vehicle doesn't block the right-of-way.

An inoperable vehicle left on public or private property for more than seven days is a nuisance the sheriff can order removed.

Winnebago County bans stopping, standing, or parking anywhere official signs prohibit it on county highways, with narrow traffic-safety exceptions.

Winnebago County caps recreational vehicles and trailers in residential subdivisions at 22 feet and two per lot, bars motor homes from rear yards, and limits right-of-way RV parking to…

Commercial and industrial buildings in unincorporated Winnebago County must build dedicated off-street loading docks sized and placed to a fixed county standard.

Every unincorporated Winnebago County household must dispose of its garbage in an approved metal or plastic container with fitted covers and have it removed at least once a week, under…

Unincorporated Winnebago County allows open burning of dry landscape waste only on specific spring and fall weekends, with strict time and distance limits.

Winnebago County requires garbage to be kept in a metal or plastic container with a fitted cover and hauled away at least weekly.

Winnebago County bans dumping garbage, filth, offal or rotting refuse on any unincorporated property, and bans placing garbage or rubbish in streets, alleys or roadways, under Code of…

Any refuse or recycling dumpster serving a commercial, industrial or multi-family site in unincorporated Winnebago County must sit behind a five-foot screen enclosure on three sides…

Detached sheds and other accessory buildings in Winnebago County are capped at 20 feet tall, must sit 2.5 feet off rear and side lot lines, and can't cover more than 40% of the…

Winnebago County requires every swimming pool to meet Building Code permit standards, with in-ground pools enclosed by a fence or wall at least four feet high and all pools set back at…

Winnebago County requires a fence or wall at least four feet high around every in-ground swimming pool in unincorporated areas, keeps pools clear of overhead electrical lines, and sets…

Operating a food truck or pushcart in unincorporated Winnebago County requires a Category II or Category III health permit and a fixed commissary base. County Code § 50-217 requires…

Winnebago County requires every mobile food unit and pushcart to operate from a licensed commissary for cooking, water, supply restocking, and waste disposal under the county health…

Winnebago County lets residents hold garage and yard sales without any permit, capped at three consecutive days and three sales per lot each year.

Winnebago County requires a permit before any electrical work begins in the unincorporated county, issued under the 2014 National Electrical Code as locally amended. Fees follow the…

Winnebago County requires a building permit from the county building official before you construct, enlarge, alter, demolish, or change the occupancy or use of a structure in…

Winnebago County adopts the 2014 Illinois State Plumbing Code by reference for all plumbing work, with local amendments and permit fees under the county building code.

Winnebago County requires every dwelling unit in the unincorporated county to have a carbon monoxide detector, mandated under the county's adopted International Property Maintenance…

Owners who leave garbage or debris on their property face county removal and a lien for the cost under Sec. 70-7.

Winnebago County's zoning ordinance expressly refuses to enforce private HOA covenants, easements, or agreements, leaving disputes between homeowners and their association out of…

A child day care home in Winnebago County is its own zoned use, not a home occupation, and must keep the dwelling's residential character.

Winnebago County allows home occupations in a dwelling or a small accessory building, but bans retail sales, outside employees, and a long list of trade-shop businesses.

A home occupation in unincorporated Winnebago County cannot increase vehicular traffic or on-street parking beyond what the neighborhood already sees, under UDO § 18.3.8(F). Only…

A home occupation in unincorporated Winnebago County may display exactly one nameplate sign, mounted on the wall or a window, capped at 2 square feet and never internally illuminated…

Window signs are exempt from a sign permit as long as all of them combined cover no more than 40% of the total window area.

Winnebago County exempts garage and yard sale signs from a sign permit, but caps size, count, and how long they can stay up.

Electronic billboards are permitted only in CG and Industrial districts, need a special use permit in CC and OP districts, and are banned everywhere else in unincorporated Winnebago…

Winnebago County's zoning code bans unshielded outdoor light fixtures countywide and requires non-residential light poles to use fully shielded luminaires, with height caps to limit…

Outdoor lighting on private property in unincorporated Winnebago County must use fully shielded, downward-directed fixtures. Unshielded string lighting is banned outright, and pole…

Winnebago County allows private solar panels by right in every zoning district, but roof-mounted arrays over 15 feet or ground-mounted systems over 3 feet in front and side yards need…

Any work on a utility, sidewalk, or facility placed within a Winnebago County highway right-of-way requires a permit from the county engineer before work starts.

Winnebago County bans placing any structure or object in a public roadway right-of-way, with daily fines for each day the obstruction stays in place.

Winnebago County sets minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks that vary by residential zoning district, from R-1 through R-4.

Winnebago County's Unified Development Ordinance limits impervious surface on single-family lots in the AG, A-1, and A-2 districts to 40% of lot area, with non-residential uses allowed…

Winnebago County caps most residential buildings in the R-A through R-2 and R-MH Districts at 35 feet or 2½ stories under UDO Table 8.2, rising to 40 feet/3 stories in the R-3 District…

Unincorporated Winnebago County treats outdoor dining as a standalone zoning use: it must stay on private property, clear of parking and pedestrian access, and needs a special use…

Food vendors at Winnebago County street fairs and festivals must get a special event permit from the health department before serving the public.

Winnebago County bans open burning of most materials, allowing only farm burns, state-permitted burns, campfires, and seasonal weekend landscape-waste fires.

Winnebago County requires every rooming house unit to have a working smoke detector near the sleeping area, plus a hallway smoke detector system in any rooming house with more than…

Winnebago County allows outdoor fireplaces and fire pits as accessory features but requires them to sit at least 6 feet from any lot line under the zoning code's encroachment table.

Winnebago County classifies whole-house vacation rentals as a distinct zoning use that needs a special use permit and is barred outright from every residential district except R-A.

Winnebago County requires every rooming house operator to hold an annual health department license, tying renewal to compliance with the International Property Maintenance Code for…

The county water district can ban all lawn sprinkling and outdoor irrigation during shortages, with no fixed schedule until the director lifts it.

Winnebago County requires developers to replace any preserved credited tree that dies within three years of construction, one-for-one, under the Unified Development Ordinance's…

Winnebago County requires noxious weeds and mosquito-breeding vegetation to be cut down at least three times each year on a set schedule, or the county cuts it and bills the owner.

Winnebago County requires every structure in the unincorporated county to be kept free of insect and rodent infestation, and mandates that any infestation found be exterminated by a…

County code requires every dwelling unit to have working hot and cold running water, a toilet, and a kitchen sink, and bars owners from cutting off required utilities.

Winnebago County declares a housing unit "substandard" under Code Sec. 18-236 whenever it has any of thirteen listed defects, from inadequate sanitation and structural hazards to a lot…

Winnebago County's noise ordinance exempts industrial noise, including data center equipment, from its nighttime sound limits once it carries 100 feet or more from the source, and it…