Cook County Code Chapter 102 zoning includes the A-1 Agricultural District, but only a small share of unincorporated county remains zoned for agriculture as urbanization and municipal annexation continue.
Cook County Zoning Ordinance, codified at Chapter 102 of the County Code, establishes an A-1 Agricultural District permitting farming, livestock, dairy, nurseries, and farm-related accessory uses, with a five-acre minimum lot size for most residential uses. Applicable parcels lie in unincorporated areas, primarily in northwest and southwest Cook. As suburbs annex outward, A-1 acreage shrinks. Permitted uses include row crops, orchards, riding stables, and farm stands; conditional uses cover commercial greenhouses, sod farms, and processing. Single-family residences are allowed on five-acre minimum lots. Industrial-scale livestock confinement is restricted. Within incorporated municipalities, agricultural zoning depends on the local code, not Cook County's, though township assessors still recognize farm assessments.
Operating non-permitted uses in A-1 zones triggers Cook County Building and Zoning enforcement, with fines starting at $100 per day, plus stop-work orders for unauthorized commercial structures or non-agricultural commercial activity.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Des Plaines, IL
Des Plaines City Code 6-2-7(E) applies its dBA limits to vehicles and equipment on the public right of way (excessive at 65 dBA daytime / 50 dBA quiet hours ...
Des Plaines, IL
Des Plaines City Code 6-2-7(D) makes it unlawful to make or continue any sound determined to be excessive. Outside quiet hours, 6-2-7(E)(5) sets the threshol...
Des Plaines, IL
Des Plaines City Code 6-2-7(F) makes it unlawful to operate any sound-production or amplification device whose sound crosses a property line and raises total...
Des Plaines, IL
Des Plaines City Code Section 7-3-8 prohibits parking on designated streets during declared snow removal operations so that plows can clear the roadway; viol...
Des Plaines, IL
Des Plaines requires fences and the full lot to be properly maintained, including portions of a lot where a fence is not on the property line, and limits fen...
Des Plaines, IL
Des Plaines prohibits barbed-wire and electrically charged fences in residential areas; they are allowed only in nonresidential districts where the Zoning Ad...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Cook County.
See how Des Plaines's agricultural zoning protection rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.