Building Safety

The Building Department is charged with oversight of the development of land and with ensuring that when homes, businesses, factories or other facilities are built in Rock Island County, they comply with national, state and local codes that were written to protect the public's health and safety. The Building Department is the branch of County government that reviews development and building plans, approves how new facilities are tied into existing infrastructure. We also issue permits for building or remodeling homes, businesses and other structures. We also test and register licenses for a variety of trades workers engaged in construction in the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and related fields along with inspections for liquor licenses.

It is illegal to install, place or build within the right-of-way without the prior approval of the appropriate highway authority. Regardless of the type of right-of-way that exists for a given road, the highway authority must approve of any work performed within the right-of-way.

Inspectors

Inspectors are in the office from 8 am to 10 am and 3 pm to 4:30 pm.

No inspections will be scheduled after 10 am for that day.

The two building inspectors split the county:

• Matt Alberts - South of the Rock River and Edgewater addition
• Bill Latting - North of the Rock River and Plumbing Inspections

The Zoning Investigator is in the office from 8 am to 10 am and 3 pm to 4:30 pm.

Codes

Current Codes Being Used (not inclusive of all Federal and State of Illinois Requirements):

• 2012 International Building Code (see Note 1)
• 2012 International Existing Building Code (see Note 1)
• 2012 International Fuel Gas Code (see Note 1)
• 2012 International Mechanical Code (see Note 1)
• 2012 International Property Maintenance Code (see Note 1)
• 2012 International Residential Code (see Note 1)
• 2018 International Energy Conservation Code per Illinois Energy Efficient Buildings Act (20 ILCS 3125/1) (see Note 2)
• 2011 National Electrical Code (see Note 1)
• State of Illinois Plumbing Code (225 ILCS 320)
• Fire Codes - Per Fire Protection District and/or OSFM (2015 NFPA 101)
• Illinois Accessibility Code (410 ILCS 25)
• Rock Island County Subdivision Resolution (Adopted October 18, 1994) (PDF)
• Rock Island County Zoning Resolution (Amended March 16, 2010) (PDF)
• Rock Island County Stormwater Ordinance (PDF)

Note 1: with local amendments (PDF)

Note 2: with State amendments

Rock Island County has copies of these codes available for viewing during office hours. Unfortunately, some of these are copyright protected so we cannot post them on the Internet or make copies.

• The International Codes are available for purchase from the International Code Council (ICC). You can also view multiple versions of the codes for free on their website. You may also find some codes available on this law resource website.
• The National Electrical Code (NEC) is available from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). You may also find some codes available on this law resource website.
• The Illinois Plumbing Code can be viewed at Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).

If you have any questions regarding the information provided on the pages for the Rock Island County Zoning and Building Department, feel free to call our office at 309-558-3771.