Common Code Enforcement Requests

Property is to be maintained so grass / weeds do not exceed eight (8) inches in height.

It shall be the duty of the owner and occupant of every single-family and multiple-family dwelling structure in the City to cause every principal building or structure to post figures on said building or structure. Said figures shall be in Arabic numbers which shall be at least 3 inches in height, be of contrasting color, and be easily read.

• All vehicles shall be parked on an impervious hard surface such as a driveway or concrete pad. The parking surface must be continuous, extending the full length and width of the vehicle.
• Vehicles cannot be be parked on grass, including within City owned parkways.
• New gravel parking surfaces are not permitted. Existing gravel parking surfaces may continue to be utilized for parking, however the gravel areas cannot be expanded in any manner.

Except as provided for in Title 17 of the St. Charles Municipal Code, any type of motor vehicle, including any auto, bus, truck, van, motorcycle, trailer, RV or boat, shall not be parked, kept, stored or tarped outside of an enclosed building or structure on any premises, if:

• The motor vehicle cannot be lawfully driven or used upon the public streets, for reasons including but not limited to being unlicensed, unregistered, wrecked, abandoned, in a state of disrepair, or incapable of being moved under its own power for motor vehicles, or
• In the case of a boat, the boat is incapable of being used as a means of transportation on water and/or not currently registered in accordance with the boat registration and safety act, 625 ILCS 45/1 et seq., as amended, or
• The engine, wheels or other parts have been altered, damaged or otherwise so treated that the vehicle is incapable of being driven, or
• The motor vehicle is in a state of major disassembly, disrepair or in the process of being stripped or dismantled.

Exceptions under Title 17 (Zoning Ordinance) are limited to the following business use categories defined in Title 17:

• "Motor Vehicle Service and Repair, Major" (subject to 45-day time limit per vehicle per Title 17)
• Motor Vehicles that are unlicensed or unregistered at the following business uses: "Motor Vehicle Sales and Leasing Establishments",  "Temporary Motor Vehicle Storage", "Permanent Motor Vehicle Storage"

Up to six (6) domestic chickens may be kept on properties zoned and occupied for single-family residential use only:

• Roosters are prohibited within the corporate boundaries of the City of St. Charles.
• Chickens shall be in an enclosure and/or fenced area at all times.
• All chickens and enclosures shall be kept in the rear yard.
• All areas where hens are kept shall be maintained in a neat and clean manner, free of undue accumulation of waste, such as to cause odors that are detectable on adjacent properties.
• No person and/or property owner shall be allowed to violate Section 6.12.060 "Nuisance" of the St. Charles Municipal Code.
• The enclosure and adjacent fenced area shall be set back:
  • No closer than five (5) feet to any property line; and
  • Screened with year round landscaping, walls and/or fencing so as not to be visible from any public street or adjoining lot when viewed from an observation height of five (5) feet above grade. 

Home Occupations are permitted in any dwelling unit, subject to the definition and standards listed below.

Home Occupation definition:
The conduct of a business or profession within a dwelling unit by one or more members of the family residing therein, which is incidental and secondary to the residential use. Home Occupation includes, but is not limited to, the following: the practice of medicine, dentistry, law, engineering, architecture, and accounting; brokerage; business offices; instruction in or the practice of art, photography, music, language, or dance; computer services; hair cutting and styling; and day care homes. The following occupations, as well as others which do not have a character similar to those listed above, are specifically excluded from the definition of home occupation: restaurants, bed-and-breakfast establishments, nursing homes, mortuary establishments, and retail sales establishments with stock displayed and/or sold on the premises.

Home Occupations standards:
The purpose of home occupation standards is to allow home occupations to be conducted in a manner which is compatible with the neighborhoods in which they are located and which do not interfere with the rights of the surrounding property owners to enjoy the residential character of the neighborhood. Home occupations shall conform to the following standards, which are intended to preserve the residential character of neighborhoods:

1. The home occupation shall be incidental to the residential use of the dwelling unit.
2. A home occupation shall not be established prior to the member(s) of the family conducting the home occupation taking possession of, and residing in, the dwelling unit.
3. The home occupation shall be conducted entirely within the dwelling unit and shall be limited to the lesser of five hundred (500) square feet or twenty-five percent (25%) of the gross floor area of the dwelling unit, including any basement and attached garage.
4. Only one (1) person who does not reside on the premises may be employed to work at the home occupation, with the exception that day care homes may have more than one (1) non-resident employee, to the extent required by State of Illinois licensing requirements.
5. Exterior building signs shall be permitted only as authorized by the sign regulations for the district.
6. No exterior storage or display of business equipment, materials, merchandise, inventory or heavy equipment shall be permitted.
7. A home occupation shall not generate noise, vibration, glare, fumes, odors or electrical interference discernible at the property line.
8. The home occupation shall not generate vehicular or pedestrian customer traffic between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.
9. The receipt or delivery of merchandise, goods, or supplies for use in a home occupation shall be limited to the U.S. Postal Service, similar parcel delivery service, or private passenger automobile.
10. The use of an accessory building for a home occupation shall be permitted provided the occupation is conducted wholly within the accessory building and the use does not exceed five hundred (500) square feet in area.
11. There may be more than one (1) home occupation permitted per dwelling unit; however, the total combined home occupations for any single dwelling unit shall not exceed any of the standards set forth in this title.
12. No home occupation shall cause the rate of water usage (gallons per minute) to exceed the maximum rate capable of being produced by the existing water service.