Lake County, IL Parking Rules: Driveway Rules (2026)

165(F)(2) sets the rule for where residents may park personal vehicles in front of their homes. Parking a car, van, or truck between the principal structure and an improved street is allowed only on an improved pad not exceeding 400 square feet, or on an improved driveway, and in both cases the surface must be gravel, paved, or otherwise improved with hardscape. The code is explicit that these vehicles may never be parked on grass or any other unimproved surface in that front-yard zone. Planning, Building and Development enforces the standard as part of the county's off-street parking regulations, and the rule carves out an exception for nonresidential uses that are permitted within residential zoning districts, which are not bound by this front-yard surfacing requirement.

An accompanying commentary note in the code clarifies the intent: the section is not meant to stop occasional or short-term parking on grass for special events such as family gatherings or parties, so a one-time gathering that spills extra cars onto the lawn is treated differently from routine, day-to-day parking on unimproved ground. 165, also requires that parking areas be kept dust-free and that nonresidential lots between the street and the building be paved, reflecting the county's consistent preference for hard surfaces over bare ground wherever vehicles regularly sit.

Because the rule sits inside the zoning-based off-street parking article rather than a stand-alone nuisance chapter, violations are handled through the county's zoning enforcement process rather than as a separate parking ticket.