Lake County, IL permit planning guide

• Start with the parcel location. County authority can differ inside the same county depending on whether the site is in an incorporated city, village, town, or unincorporated area.
• Use this page as a readiness checklist before any phone calls so you can submit complete, accurate information to the right office.
• Flag overlays early—shoreland, floodplain, roads, drainage, septic, and access approvals can add extra approvals that are easy to miss.
• Gather owner information, a rough site plan, and project scope details before contacting agencies.
• Validate the final office list with Permit Check once your parcel and project context are captured.

1. Confirm the parcel, municipality, project scope, and any county or state overlay before choosing an application.
2. Gather the site plan, project dimensions, ownership information, and any trade or contractor details the office requests.
3. Resolve prerequisite zoning, shoreland, floodplain, sanitary, access, or land-use reviews before the building application when applicable.
4. Submit each approval to the office that issues it and keep the records together through inspections and closeout.

A practical preparation order

1. Confirm the parcel, municipality, project scope, and any county or state overlay before choosing an application.
2. Gather the site plan, project dimensions, ownership information, and any trade or contractor details the office requests.
3. Resolve prerequisite zoning, shoreland, floodplain, sanitary, access, or land-use reviews before the building application when applicable.
4. Submit each approval to the office that issues it and keep the records together through inspections and closeout.

Offices that may be involved

• Lake County Planning, Building & Development (PB&D): Accessory Dwelling Unit Permit (conditional)

Permit triggers

• Zoning / Land-Use Review: A Lake County zoning review under the Unified Development Ordinance (Ch. 151; confirming the AG/RE/E/R1..R6/RR district setbacks, Max ISR, height and use) is performed with the building permit on UNINCORPORATED county land. A Site Development Permit may also apply.
• Building Permit (Deck): A deck requires a building permit (accessory structure). An open deck may encroach <=4 ft into a required setback and must be >=4 ft from all lot lines (§ 151.131); a covered/roofed accessory structure needs >=6 ft side/rear (§ 151.113(C)(2)(a)). Counts toward ISR.
• Fence Registration / Permit: A PERIMETER residential fence is a $35 over-the-counter Registration (not a full permit); an interior/other fence is a fence permit priced by lineal foot. Max height 6 ft (6 ft 6 in if elevated for drainage; up to 8 ft with PB&D Director approval, or between residential and non-residential uses). Permitted in any required setback EXCEPT visibility triangles (§ 151.172); finished side faces outward.
• Building Permit (Shed / Accessory Building): A shed <=100 sq ft is a $35 Registration; a larger shed / any detached garage is a building permit (accessory building). Max 3 accessory buildings per residential lot; total accessory GFA <=1.5x principal GFA (§ 151.113(B)(5)(b),(7)(a)). Accessory height <=25 ft (RE/E/R1-R6/RR) or 30 ft (AG); setback = the district front setback with >=6 ft side/rear (§ 151.113(C)).
• Building Permit (Detached Garage): A detached garage requires a building permit (accessory building). Same § 151.113 accessory bulk/setback rules as a shed (>=6 ft side/rear; height <=25 ft; max 3 accessory buildings; accessory GFA <=1.5x principal).
• Building Permit (Addition): A building addition requires a building permit and must meet the FULL district dimensional standards (setbacks/height/Max ISR, § 151.125); an enclosed addition does not get the open-deck encroachment allowance.

Packet requirements

• Online permit application (Tyler EnerGov CSS): Apply on the Lake County Online Permit ePortal (lakecountyil-energovpub.tylerhost.net) or in person at the Central Permit Facility; pay fees at application (check/cash/credit).
• Three (3) site plans (setbacks of all structures): Three (3) site plans showing the location, dimensions and setbacks of all existing and proposed structures; a grading plan may be required.
• Building-plan sets (2, or 4 in the floodplain): Two (2) complete sets of building plans (four (4) if the parcel is in the floodplain).
• Signed/sealed truss certificate: Truss design drawing with a truss certificate signed/sealed by an Illinois-registered structural engineer or architect.
• C&D recycling report / plan (project >=1,500 sf): Construction & Demolition Debris Recycling Compliance Report + Plan for projects >=1,500 sf GFA, submitted >=10 business days before final inspection.
• Zoning (UDO) compliance review: PB&D reviews UDO compliance (setbacks, Max ISR, use) with the building plan review; a Site Development Permit review is triggered where applicable. Turnaround ~10 business days (residential solar ~3).

Fee schedules

• Fence Registration / Permit: Base fee $35 · minimum $35 · Flat $35 over-the-counter Registration for a perimeter residential fence. An interior/other fence is a fence permit priced by lineal foot (0-299 lf $44 / 300-599 $84 / >600 $127 — not seeded; the flat schema seeds the $35 registration). Height per § 151.113(L).
• Swimming Pool Permit (in-ground): Base fee $175 · minimum $175 · Seeded as in-ground (submerged) $175. Above-ground pool (>24 in deep or >250 sf) $88 is noted here (one flat per permit_id). Plumbing above-ground $94 / below-ground $189; pool-pump electrical alteration $98. Accessory zoning review $67.
• Building Permit (residential): Lake prices building work by VOLUME/valuation formulas the flat schema cannot encode: 1&2-family $78 per 1,000 cu ft (min $98); accessory $34 per 1,000 cu ft (min $44); repairs/alterations $20 per $1,000 est. cost (min $88) — recorded on the deck/shed/addition/basement trigger notes. Do not present $0; confirm the applicable line before quoting.

• Illinois statewide code source

Confirm the current office instructions, application version, and adopted fee schedule before filing.