Yes, with one thing to plan around. Septic will likely cost more, because rock or a hard layer sits about 45 inches down.
What the land says
Rain
Rain helps, but plan on a well for most of your water and on watering the garden in dry months.
About 38 inches a year (PRISM, 1991 to 2020 average)
Wells
Deep wells. Get a driller's quote before you offer.
The typical well here is about 340 feet deep; a well typically runs $14,000 to $31,000
Growing season
Enough for most vegetables. Start tomatoes and peppers indoors.
About 169 frost-free days, USDA zone 5b; last frost about April 28, first about October 15
Sun
Good sun. Size the array and battery bank for winter.
About 4.6 hours of full sun a day, averaged over the year
Flood
Flood zones run along creeks and rivers here. Look up the parcel on FEMA's flood map.
FEMA maps flood zones in places
Wildfire
Low wildfire risk.
U.S. Forest Service wildfire hazard map: Very Low here
Storms
Hurricanes and strong tornadoes are rare here.
NOAA: no hurricane-strength storm within 50 miles since 1975; about 0.8 strong (EF2 or stronger) tornadoes a decade within 25 miles
Terrain
Flat to gentle, easy to build on.
Slopes average about 2%, about 760 feet above sea level
Soil
Expect a costlier septic system, because rock or a hard layer sits about 45 inches down. The county's soil test decides.
Silt loam, moderately well drained (USDA soil survey). A mound, sand filter, or treatment unit typically runs $10,000 to $20,000
Road
Paved roads are close by.
Nearest paved road usually within about 0.1 miles (OpenStreetMap)
Check an Illinois parcel, or plan the one you own
Get a free 0-100 off-grid score.
A step-by-step build plan, sizing your solar, water, garden, septic, heat, and buildings.
Is it legal here?
Zoning
DuPage County zones land outside its towns and publishes its zoning map. Our free lookup shows the district for any address.
Building code
Illinois does not require counties or cities to adopt a building code, and where a county has none there is no county building permit for a house. Since January 1, 2025, any local code that is adopted must be at least as strong as the International Residential Code on structural design.
Rainwater
Collecting it is allowed.
Composting toilets
Allowed with a permit and an approved unit.
Water rights
Owners of land along a creek or lake can make reasonable use of its water.
Drilled to about 340 feet, with pump and pressure tank
Septic
$10,000 to $20,000
Mound, sand filter, or treatment unit
Solar and batteries
$18,000 to $34,000
Sized for a modest household
Road or driveway
$3,000 to $8,000
From the nearest road to a house site
Clearing
$1,000 to $4,000
A house site, solar, and garden
Total
$47,000 to $97,000
Before the house
Before you make an offer on land here
Well cost
Get a driller's quote.
Wells here run near 340 feet, so the well is a large cost.
Soil test
Get a soil test before you count on septic.
Rock or a hard layer sits about 45 inches down, which can rule out a standard system.
Flood map
Look up the parcel on FEMA's flood map.
Flood zones run along creeks and rivers here. Building in one means flood insurance and extra permits.
Nearby counties
921,213 people live in DuPage County, about 2810 per square mile. It ranks 100th of the 102 Illinois counties we scored, and Illinois ranks 11th of 50 states.