Building & Zoning Division
Our responsibility is to review and issue permits, perform inspections, and provide the community with technical assistance on the village’s building codes and ordinances as well as code enforcement activities.
Building Commissioner: Tom Brennan
Building Permits, Zoning, Signs, Occupancy
Building & Zoning Documents
- Apply Online
- Permit Application & Documents
- Codes & Ordinances
- Basement Flooding Prevention
- Commercial Permits
- Construction Benchmarks
Use the links below to Apply for a Permit and/or Schedule an Inspection online. Contractors are required to create an account. Residents may choose to create an account but it’s not required.
Home Improvement Handouts
The Building and Zoning Department has prepared the following handouts to answer many frequently asked questions about the most common types of home improvements:
Zoning Code
Village Sign Ordinance
Village Codified Ordinance
| Helpful Tip | Permit Required |
|---|---|
| Make sure gutters and downspouts are clean and clear of obstruction. Downspouts should direct water at least six feet away from the foundation. | No |
| Make sure the grade slopes away from the foundation. Land tends to settle over time and may slope inward toward the house. It is a good idea to check lot grading annually. | A permit may be required depending on how much regrading is required. Please check with the Building and Zoning Department prior to re-grading |
| Trim dense shrubs and plants next to the foundation so the soil is exposed to sunlight and is allowed to dry as quickly as possible. | No |
| Make sure garden borders, debris, or mulch do not create a condition that holds surface water up next to the foundation. | No |
| Install clear plastic domes over window wells. | No |
| Make sure the sump pump is plugged in and working. It is a good idea to have a battery backup in case of a power failure. | Permit is required for installing a sump pump |
| Make sure interior drains are clear. | No |
| Hire a licensed plumber to install a backwater valve or check valve to sanitary sewer line. | A permit is required |
How to Obtain a Commercial Permit
A frequently asked question at the Building and Zoning Department is how to obtain a commercial permit. The checklist below provides the necessary steps that need to be taken and contact information to streamline the process.
Official Benchmark Data
- Coordinate Units: US Survey Feet
- Distance Units: US Survey Feet
- Height Units: US Survey Feet
- Coordinate System: IL State Plane 1983
- Zone: Illinois East 1201
- Datum: NAD 1983 Continental United States (CONUS)
- GEOID Model: GEOID99 (CONUS)
| Feature Name | Degrees North | Degrees East | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha | 1,906,875.168 | 943,601.576 | 909.617 |
| Bravo | 1,907,928.282 | 946,482.350 | 907.470 |
| Charlie | 1,906,283.957 | 950,275.530 | 873.202 |
| Delta | 1,905,908.852 | 946,816.513 | 896.338 |
| Echo | 1,903,307.832 | 947,247.366 | 841.861 |
| Foxtrot | 1,901,605.899 | 945,894.046 | 839.621 |
| Gulf | 1,900,945.987 | 943,699.129 | 830.500 |
| Hotel | 1,899,895.440 | 946,615.582 | 841.298 |
| India | 1,899,573.417 | 949,297.311 | 812.008 |
| Juliet | 1,894,769.198 | 951,724.129 | 810.324 |
Digging? Call JULIE
Digging responsibly is the only way to dig. The alternative could mean disaster in the form of personal injury or damage to underground lines, property, or the environment.
JULIE serves as a message handling, and notification service for underground utility facility owners, taking information about planned excavation and distributing this information to its membership. It is then the responsibility of each facility owner to mark the location of their underground utility facilities at the excavation site. JULIE, Inc. is a communications link and does not perform any type of locating services.
Illinois Law Enforces JULIE
Illinois law requires anyone digging, regardless of the depth of the project, to call JULIE at 800-892-0123. This notice must be at least 48 hours to two working days prior to the start of excavation, and the project must begin within 14 calendar days from the call.
The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) has the responsibility of enforcing the provisions of this act. For detailed information, including information about the penalties and liability, please see the Illinois Underground Utility Facilities Damage Prevention Act (220 ILCS 50/1 et seq.).
In addition, JULIE member companies ask excavators to physically visit the proposed site to become more familiar with the area, and to indicate the excavation area using white paint or flags before placing their call to JULIE or processing their locate request using Web Remote Ticket Entry (WRTE) or the Fax-A-Locate Program.
The Village of Elburn participates in the JULIE program as required by law.
