Kendall County, IL Home Business: Signage Rules (2026)

Kendall County Code Section 36-972(2) allows an agricultural home occupation, a home business run from a dwelling or accessory building on land zoned A-1 Agricultural, to post one identification sign of up to eight square feet, provided it is unlit and meets the district's sign setback requirements in Article VI of Chapter 36. Section 36-973(2) draws a stricter line for a residential home occupation: it bars any sign, display or activity visible from outside the dwelling that would reveal the property is used for anything other than a residence, except for whatever sign regulations otherwise apply to that zoning district.

In practice a home-based consultant, tutor or online seller in the county's R-1 through R-7 districts cannot post a client-facing sign at all, while a home occupation on agricultural acreage, such as a farm-stand office or equipment repair business, gets the eight-square-foot allowance. Both categories share the same underlying test: the home occupation must be conducted by a family member residing in the dwelling and remain clearly incidental and secondary to residential use, so a sign large or lit enough to function as standalone business advertising defeats that test regardless of district.

The Planning, Building and Zoning Department reviews sign placement against the setback standards in Article VI when an agricultural sign permit is sought, and the Zoning Administrator determines whether a residential home occupation's exterior signage crosses the line into a prohibited commercial display.