Basement Finishing in Loves Park, IL
Updated
Loves Park in short
- 10,302
- households in Loves Park
- 1986
- median year built (county 1971)
- 41.7%
- of homes built before 1980 (county 63.4%)
- 60.9%
- own their home (county 65.9%)
The local numbers
How old the homes are in Loves Park
Loves Park skews newer than Winnebago County as a whole. 25.8% of its 10,675 homes were built in 2000 or later, against 13.6% county-wide, for a median year built of 1986. Only 41.7% predate 1980 (county: 63.4%), so the permit and code rules below matter more here than the age of the foundation.
Owner-occupied homes make up 60.9% of Loves Park's 10,302 households. The county figure is 65.9%. 57.7% of housing units are single-family detached houses (county: 70.4%), and 4.4% are mobile or manufactured homes.
Loves Park does not use the county for building permits. The City of Loves Park Building Department, 100 Heart Boulevard, (815) 654-5033, issues permits for "all new buildings, structural changes, remodeling projects, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing work," and "Permits are needed for anything that requires inspections." Fees are paid at the City Clerk's office. The permit office's adopted code is the 2021 International Residential Code.
Radon belongs on the checklist. IEMA says to retest if renovations or additions are made, and that homes with elevated levels have been found throughout the state. In Loves Park, with 10,675 homes, that includes a basement you have just closed in with drywall.
We found no Loves Park general contractor registration. The permit application asks for the Illinois plumbing license number and the roofing license number, and requires the permit holder to post the permit visible from the street. Illinois itself does not license general contractors.
Loves Park housing and households vs Winnebago County
| Measure | Loves Park | Winnebago County |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 23,502 | 283,292 |
| Housing units | 10,675 | 125,002 |
| Occupied (households) | 10,302 | 116,014 |
| Owner-occupied households | 6,277 (60.9%) | 76,408 (65.9%) |
| Renter households | 4,025 (39.1%) | 39,606 (34.1%) |
| Median year built | 1986 | 1971 |
| Built before 1940 | 5.7% | 15.5% |
| Built before 1960 | 20.2% | 35.5% |
| Built before 1980 | 41.7% | 63.4% |
| Built 2000 or later | 25.8% | 13.6% |
| Single-family detached | 57.7% | 70.4% |
| Mobile homes | 4.4% | 1.3% |
| In buildings of 5+ units | 9% | 11.4% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year (2020-2024), tables B01003, B25003, B25024, B25034, B25035 and B25038.
Local rules
Permits, codes and egress in Loves Park
Wikipedia says a tiny sliver of Loves Park is in Boone County; the Census figures on this page cover the whole city.
- Permit office
- The City of Loves Park Building Department, 100 Heart Boulevard, (815) 654-5033, issues permits for "all new buildings, structural changes, remodeling projects, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing work," and "Permits are needed for anything that requires inspections." Fees are paid at the City Clerk's office. Under the local amendment, replacing doors and windows at the same size and repairing interior wall or ceiling coverings (50% or less of a room, not in a fire rated assembly, no hazardous structural elements exposed) are exempt. Rough-in and final inspections are done for most work; call (815) 654-5033 to schedule. The same department inspects for the Village of Machesney Park under a cooperative agreement that began October 18, 2017. source 1 source 2 source 3
- Permit fee
- Fee schedule effective 2/15/2018, still the one posted on the building page: the building official may value a finished basement at $60.00 per square foot to compute the fee. The valuation table starts at $40 for $0 to $2,000 of value and rises $5 per band to $90 for $18,000 to $20,000; above $20,000 it is "a rate of $5.00 per each $1,000." Add a $40.00 permit processing fee per permit. Three inspections are included (footing, rough-in, final) and extra inspections are $50 each. Plumbing is $15.00 per fixture opening (a sump pump counts as one), and electrical has its own schedule. Starting before a permit doubles the fee, not less than $250.00. Confirm with the permit office before relying on a dollar figure. source
- Code edition
- Ordinance 4689-25, adopted February 17, 2025, adopts the 2021 International Residential Code as the city Residential Code. Its amendments cover R105.2 permit exemptions, R105.7 permit posting, R108.6 work before permit, R313 sprinklers (not required in one and two family dwellings, including additions and alterations) and R322 flood elevation. No amendment to R310 egress or R305 ceiling height appeared in the retrieved text. As of April 1, 2025 the city also uses the 2014 Illinois Plumbing Code with 2021 IPC Chapter 11, the 2021 Illinois Energy Conservation Code and the 2020 NEC with amendments. source 1 source 2
- Contractor rules
- We found no Loves Park general contractor registration. The permit application asks for the Illinois plumbing license number and the roofing license number, and requires the permit holder to post the permit visible from the street. source 1 source 2
- Also worth knowing
- The fee schedule has a specific $50.00 "Radon" plumbing permit line, so a radon mitigation system is permitted and inspected as plumbing work. source
About Loves Park. Loves Park is a city in Boone and Winnebago counties, most of it in Winnebago County, with 23,397 residents at the 2020 census. Wikipedia
ZIP codes. 61111 (85% of its land), 61011 (13% of its land), 61114 (2% of its land). Census 2020
Full pricing, the complete service menu, and the rest of the service area are on the basement finishing in Rockford, IL homepage.
Nearby, sharing a ZIP code with Loves Park
Basement work
Basement jobs homeowners ask about in Loves Park
Common questions
Loves Park basement finishing questions
Who issues basement finishing permits in Loves Park?
The City of Loves Park Building Department, 100 Heart Boulevard, (815) 654-5033, issues permits for "all new buildings, structural changes, remodeling projects, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing work," and "Permits are needed for anything that requires inspections." Fees are paid at the City Clerk's office. Under the local amendment, replacing doors and windows at the same size and repairing interior wall or ceiling coverings (50% or less of a room, not in a fire rated assembly, no hazardous structural elements exposed) are exempt.
What building code applies to a basement in Loves Park?
Ordinance 4689-25, adopted February 17, 2025, adopts the 2021 International Residential Code as the city Residential Code. Its amendments cover R105.2 permit exemptions, R105.7 permit posting, R108.6 work before permit, R313 sprinklers (not required in one and two family dwellings, including additions and alterations) and R322 flood elevation.
Does a basement bedroom in Loves Park need an egress window?
Every basement and every sleeping room needs at least one operable emergency escape and rescue opening. A finished basement bedroom needs its own. Net clear opening of at least 5.7 square feet, or 5 square feet for a grade floor or below-grade opening, at least 24 inches high and 20 inches wide, with the sill no more than 44 inches above the floor. These are the model 2021 IRC numbers as reproduced by a state building agency fact sheet; a city or county amendment could change them, so confirm with the permit office.
How much is the permit fee in Loves Park?
Fee schedule effective 2/15/2018, still the one posted on the building page: the building official may value a finished basement at $60.00 per square foot to compute the fee. The valuation table starts at $40 for $0 to $2,000 of value and rises $5 per band to $90 for $18,000 to $20,000; above $20,000 it is "a rate of $5.00 per each $1,000." Add a $40.00 permit processing fee per permit. The permit fee is separate from the build cost; see the cost page for what finishing itself runs.
How old are the homes in Loves Park?
Per the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, the median home in Loves Park was built in 1986 (Winnebago County: 1971). 5.7% of its 10,675 homes were built before 1940 and 41.7% before 1980, against 63.4% county-wide.
What does finishing a basement cost in Loves Park?
No cost guide publishes a Rockford figure. HomeGuide's national guide puts a finish at $30 to $50 per sq ft, Angi's Chicago page $55 to $145 per sq ft, and Angi's national average is $32,000. The full price table shows each source and its date.
Do basement contractors have to be licensed or registered in Loves Park?
We found no Loves Park general contractor registration. The permit application asks for the Illinois plumbing license number and the roofing license number, and requires the permit holder to post the permit visible from the street.
Planning a basement finish in Loves Park?
Tell us the address, the rough basement size and what you want down there. We reply with a price before any work is scheduled.