How Big Can My Garage Be in DuPage County?

When building a new garage, one of the top desires for homeowners is to make the garage bigger. However, the size of your lot, the existing footprint of your home, and local zoning ordinances must all be taken into account when deciding how big your garage can be.

If you are not sure how big of a garage you want, look at our custom garage image gallery which shows the dimensions of each garage we have built. A two-car garage typically measures at least 22′ x 22′ while the minimum footprint for a three-car garage is 32′ x 22.’ Larger dimensions are preferable if your lot allows.

Detached Garage Sizes in DuPage County

If you live in an unincorporated area of DuPage County, the county’s zoning requirements apply to you. For a single-family home on a lot of 40,000 square feet or less, the maximum size allowed for a detached garage, shed, or accessory building is 650 feet if you have an attached garage already or 850 feet if there is no attached garage. Assuming the 850 square foot limitation, you could build a 36′ wide by 22′ deep garage, enough room for three stalls. The maximum allowed height of the building is 15 feet.

If your lot is over 40,000 square feet, the maximum size allowed for a detached garage or shed is 1.625 percent of the square footage of the property, plus an extra 200 square feet if the house has no attached garage. For example, on a 2-acre lot, which equals 87,120 square feet, you could have a 1,415 square foot detached garage. The maximum allowed size for a detached garage, regardless of how big your lot is, is 2,600 square feet. The maximum allowed height of the building is 24 feet.

Maximum Size for Attached Garages in DuPage County

If you are building a new home in unincorporated DuPage County or replacing or adding an attached garage to an existing home, the maximum allowable size of your home plus the attached garage varies by your zoning category. For example, if your lot is zoned R-1, the maximum allowable footprint of your house plus any detached accessory buildings is the size of your lot x 20 percent, excluding the first 1,000 square feet of any attached garage.

Maximum Size for Detached Garages Within City Limits

If you wish to build a garage on property within the boundaries of a particular city in DuPage County, you will need to refer to the zoning ordinances of that particular city. For example, in zones of Downers Grove designated for single-family residences, you are allowed to cover no more than 32 percent of your lot with buildings, including your home, attached garage, and any accessory buildings. Minimum building setbacks from each property boundary also apply. In single-family residential zones of Wheaton, the footprint of all buildings on a lot, known as the floor area ratio, may go as high as 40 percent.

Builders for Your DuPage County Custom Garage

If you want to build a new garage in DuPage County, Blue Sky Builders, Inc. can do it all, from obtaining the necessary permits to demolition to construction. Call us at 630-852-8485 for a free estimate.

Sources:

https://www.dupageco.org/building/

http://www.downers.us/public/docs/code/Chapter28.pdf

https://www.wheaton.il.us/584/Zoning-Ordinance