Where can I open a drive-through restaurant in Lake County, IL?
See which Lake County towns allow a drive-through restaurant by right or by special use, the zoning districts and written conditions, and the questions to ask before you buy or lease a pad, an outlot or a closed bank branch.
A restaurant is allowed by right in at least one zoning district in 49 of the 55 cities and villages with land in Lake County, but a drive-through lane for a restaurant is allowed by right in only 10. In 32 more the lane is listed only as a special use, which means a public hearing. In 10 towns the code does not name a drive-through restaurant, and in 3 (North Barrington, North Chicago, and Volo) the answer is unclear. On unincorporated land the County lists restaurants but no food drive-through.
Where a drive-through restaurant is allowed in Lake County
Each of the 55 cities and villages with land in Lake County writes its own zoning code. Tap a town to open its districts in the Zoning Lookup. White space is unincorporated land, zoned by Lake County.
10 towns allow a drive-through restaurant by right
The listed uses need no special use hearing in the listed districts. Round Lake and Wauconda name a restaurant with a drive-through. Gurnee, Mundelein, and Waukegan list a drive-through facility, without naming the business, in districts where restaurants are by right. Round Lake Heights, Round Lake Park, Wadsworth, Winthrop Harbor, and Zion list a drive-in restaurant, a term older codes use; ask the town whether it covers a drive-through window. The conditions are the ones the code writes into the use list.
| Town | District | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Gurnee | C-2, C-3, and C-6Listed as “Drive-Through Facility” Special use in C-1 and C-4 By right in O-1, O-2, and I-1 too, but there a restaurant is allowed only as part of a larger office or industrial development, serving its employees and visitors | The listing names a drive-through without naming the business; restaurants are by right in the same district. |
| Mundelein | C-2, C-3, and C-4Listed as “Drive-Through Facility” Special use in C-1 and C-5-C In O-R, only as an accessory to a development of large office, research or light-manufacturing buildings, serving its employees | The listing names a drive-through without naming the business; restaurants are by right in the same district. |
| Round Lake | C-2, C-3, and C-4Listed as “Restaurant, with drive-through” Special use in C-1 | C-2: A separate drive-through or pick-up window listing is a special use unless otherwise noted; this restaurant listing is by right. District description names drive-through restaurants among C-2 uses. C-3, C-4: A separate drive-through or pick-up window listing is a special use unless otherwise noted; this restaurant listing is by right. |
| Round Lake Heights | B Business DistrictListed as “Restaurants; drive-in or carry-out” | No written condition in the use list |
| Round Lake Park | C-3 and C-4Listed as “Drive-in restaurant” | No written condition in the use list |
| Wadsworth | B BusinessListed as “Restaurant, drive-in” Special use in CR and OR | No written condition in the use list |
| Wauconda | GB General Business ZoneListed as “Restaurant with drive though, no dancing, no entertainment, minimum of 5 vehicle stacking spaces per drive through lane” Special use in RB and LI | No dancing, no entertainment; at least 5 vehicle stacking spaces per drive-through lane. |
| Waukegan | B3 General Commercial DistrictListed as “Drive-Through Facility” Special use in E | The listing names a drive-through without naming the business; restaurants are by right in the same district. |
| Winthrop Harbor | B-2 General Business DistrictListed as “Restaurants and snack shops, including "drive-ins".” | No written condition in the use list My database does not have the Village’s three downtown districts; ask the Village about them. |
| Zion | H-B and H-B(2)Listed as “Drive-in restaurants” | No written condition in the use list |
32 towns list it only as a special use
Here the code lists a drive-through restaurant, a drive-through facility or an accessory drive-through as a special use (some codes say conditional use): a public hearing and a board vote. In 31 of them a restaurant without the lane is allowed by right. Lakemoor is counted here: its by-right listing covers only a planned development of at least 50 acres.
| Town | District | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Antioch | B-1 and B-2Listed as “Drive-Through Facility” VC, TC, MT, and CEListed as “Drive-through” | B-1, B-2, VC, TC, CE: The listing names a drive-through without naming the business; restaurants are by right in the same district. B-1, B-2: District rule: business activity inside enclosed buildings, with drive-throughs expressly excepted. MT: The listing names a drive-through without naming the business; restaurants are a special use in the same district. |
| Arlington Heights (partly in Lake County) | B-2, B-3, and B-5Listed as “Drive-Through (when used in conjunction with uses otherwise permitted)” | A drive-through that goes with another use; restaurants are a special use in the same district. Ask the Village whether a restaurant can have a drive-through lane. |
| Bannockburn | R Retail DistrictListed as “Drive-through facilities accessory to a carry-out or fast-food restaurant (5812)” R-1 Specialty Retail DistrictListed as “Carry-out and fast-food restaurants, which may include accessory drive-through facilities (5812)” | R: The Board may approve lighting changes with the permit. |
| Barrington (partly in Lake County) | B-4 and B-5Listed as “Restaurants, with Drive-Through Facilities” and “Drive-Through Facilities associated with any use” M-A, M-1, and O-RListed as “Restaurant, Drive-In” and “Drive-Through Facilities associated with any use” B-1 General Business Service DistrictListed as “Drive-Through Facilities associated with any use” | B-1: A drive-through that goes with another use in the same district; restaurants are by right there. |
| Beach Park | B-1 Business District 1Listed as “Restaurant w/ drive thru and/or drive up service” GB/Wads-N, GB/Wads-R, Sheridan-N, and Sheridan-RListed as “Any use with a drive-up service feature or a lane where vehicles queue to be served” and “Restaurant w/ drive thru and/or drive up service” | GB/Wads-N, GB/Wads-R, Sheridan-N, Sheridan-R: Corridor rule: a use with a drive-up or queuing lane, outdoor speakers within 300 feet of homes, or late-night hours within 100 feet of a home needs a conditional use permit. |
| Buffalo Grove | B-2 Business District, General RetailListed as “Restaurant drive-in facilities for window service of prepared and packaged food where such foods are not consumed on the premises and drive-in restaurants or food stands catering to customers with facilities for parking on the premises for consumption of food in motor vehicles” B-4 Business Services and Wholesale DistrictListed as “Restaurant drive-through facilities for window service or prepared and packaged food where said foods are not consumed on the premises and drive-in restaurants or food stands catering to customers with facilities for parking on the premises for consumption of food in motor vehicles” B-5 Town Center Planned DistrictListed as “Bakery operations including production, wholesale and storage uses and drive-through service window facilities in the Commercial/Recreational sub-district” and “Drive-through facilities for retail uses, including restaurant drive-through facilities for window service of prepared and packaged foods, in the commercial/recreational sub-district” | B-2, B-4: Window service of prepared and packaged food not eaten on the premises, and drive-in restaurants or food stands serving customers in parked cars. B-5: A bakery with production and a drive-through window. B-5: Commercial/recreational sub-district of B-5 only. |
| Deer Park | PD Planned Development DistrictListed as “Restaurants with drive-through” | Only within 300 feet of a regional-arterial / local-arterial intersection, on at least 60,000 sq ft with 150-250 ft of frontage, one building of at least 1,250 sq ft (§ 158.30(B)(22)(e)); three stacking spaces per window. |
| Deerfield | C-1 Village Center DistrictListed as “Restaurants of any size with a drive-thru” C-2 Outlying Commercial DistrictListed as “Restaurants, Cafes, Coffee Shops, Tea Shops, Bagel Shops, and Similar Operations of 3,001 square feet in area or greater (including any outdoor seating area); also drive-through facilities accessory to a restaurant with direct signalized access (or an executed signalization agreement authorized by IDOT)” | C-2: Drive-through accessory to a restaurant with direct signalized access (or an executed signalization agreement authorized by IDOT). |
| Fox Lake | D, B-2, B-3, B-4, and B-5Listed as “Drive-through window” and “Restaurants, drive-in or drive-through” | No written condition in the use list |
| Fox River Grove (partly in Lake County) | B1, B2, B4, and B5Listed as “Restaurants, With Drive-Thru Lanes or Drive-In” | B1, B2, B5: District rule: drive-in facilities need a special use. B4: District rule: drive-ins need a special use. |
| Green Oaks | LI Limited Industrial DistrictListed as “Restaurants, with or without drive-up service windows (only within an approved mixed-use development; Route 176 area or abutting Bradley Road)” | Only within an approved mixed-use development, in the Route 176 area or abutting Bradley Road. |
| Hainesville | B-1 and ORDListed as “Drive thrus” | The listing names a drive-through without naming the business; restaurants are by right in the same district. Menu-board, stacking-lane and bypass-lane standards in Sec. 17.04.050; ask the Village for them. |
| Hawthorn Woods | B Retail Business/Commercial DistrictListed as “Drive-through facilities accessory to principal use, as regulated in section 9-11-9, "Drive-Through Facilities", of this title” | A drive-through that goes with another use in the same district; restaurants are by right there. Regulated by section 9-11-9, Drive-Through Facilities; ask the Village for its standards. |
| Highland Park | B1, B1A, B2, B2-RW, B3, B4-4, B4-5, B4-6, B4-BG, B5, and IListed as “Drive-Through Facilities, as an accessory to any use in the table” | A drive-through that goes with another use in the same district; restaurants are by right there. Accessory to any use in the table; special use permit as a conditional use, or part of a Planned Development where Sec. 150.505 applies (Sec. 150.403(B)). |
| Highwood | CX and GXListed as “Drive-Through” | A drive-through that goes with another use in the same district; restaurants are by right there. The drive-through structure must sit behind the building, out of view from the front lot line (Sec. 11-6-20.J.3). My database does not have the City’s B3 district or its planned developments; ask the City about them. |
| Island Lake | B-1, B-2, and B-3Listed as “Drive-in and drive-through establishments” ORI Office, Research, and Industry DistrictListed as “Drive-in and drive-through establishments” and “Drive-in facilities serving retail, restaurants, or financial institutions” | B-1, B-2: The listing names a drive-through without naming the business; restaurants are by right in the same district. B-1: District description: restaurants listed by right have no drive-through. B-3: The listing names a drive-through without naming the business; restaurants are a special use in the same district. ORI: ORIa subdistrict only (lots on US 12). |
| Lake Forest | B-1, B-2, B-3, and B-4Listed as “Drive-up facilities” and “Restaurants, with drive-through” | No written condition in the use list |
| Lake Villa | CBD, CB, SB, and RDListed as “Drive-up sales, rental or service” | The listing names a drive-through without naming the business; restaurants are by right in the same district. Listed as drive-up sales, rental or service; conditional use permit, with standards in subsection 10-4-4B11. Ask the Village for them. |
| Lake Zurich | B-1 Local and Community Business DistrictListed as “Drive-through facilities accessory to permitted eating places, grocery stores, and drugstores and proprietary stores” B-2 and B-3Listed as “Drive-in eating places (5812)” and “Drive-through facilities accessory to permitted eating places, grocery stores, and drugstores and proprietary stores” | B-1: District rule: drive-through facilities (accessory to eating places, grocery stores and drugstores) need a special use; drive-in eating places are not listed for B-1. B-2, B-3: District rule: drive-through facilities and drive-in eating places need a special use. |
| Lakemoor (partly in Lake County) | C-1, C-2, and C-3Listed as “Drive-through establishments” By right in C-3 only within a planned development of at least 50 acres; otherwise a special use | The listing names a drive-through without naming the business; restaurants are by right in the same district. |
| Libertyville | C-2 Downtown Community Commercial DistrictListed as “Drive-in establishments accessory to eating places” and “Drive-in establishments accessory to financial and insurance services and restaurants” C-3 General Commercial DistrictListed as “Drive-in establishments accessory to full service restaurants and limited service eating places” C-4 Shopping Center Commercial DistrictListed as “Drive-in establishment accessory to full service restaurants and limited service eating places” I-3 General Industrial DistrictListed as “Full service restaurants, including outdoor eating areas and drive-in establishments accessory thereto” and “Limited service eating places, including outdoor eating areas and drive-in establishments accessory thereto” | No written condition in the use list |
| Lincolnshire | B1 Retail Business DistrictListed as “Restaurant, fast food with drive-thru” O and IListed as “Restaurants with drive-thru lanes” R5 Mixed Use General Residence DistrictListed as “Restaurant, fast food with drive-thru facility” | B1: District rule: business inside enclosed buildings except parking, loading, open sales, auto service and drive-thrus where allowed. |
| Lindenhurst | CB and PBCListed as “Eating places — with drive-through” | No written condition in the use list |
| Mettawa | O/R Planned Office/Research DistrictListed as “Drive-Through Facility” | The listing names a drive-through without naming the business; restaurants are by right in the same district. The O/R use table lists restaurants by right, beyond what the district's purpose statement describes; ask the Village. |
| Palatine (partly in Lake County) | B-1, B-2, and B-3Listed as “Drive-Thru” and “Restaurants (with a drive-through or a local liquor license, or operate between 12:00 AM and 6 AM)” B-5 Highway Business DistrictListed as “Drive-Thrus” and “Restaurants (with a drive-through or a local liquor license, or operate between 12:00 AM and 6 AM)” | Special use for a restaurant with a drive-through, a local liquor license, or hours between 12 AM and 6 AM. |
| Park City | C-2, C-3, C-4, C-5, C-6, and IListed as “Drive-in establishments, as defined herein” | C-2, C-3: The listing names a drive-through without naming the business; restaurants are a special use in the same district. Listed as drive-in establishments, as the code defines them; ask the City for the definition. C-4, C-5, C-6, I: The listing names a drive-through without naming the business; restaurants are by right in the same district. |
| Port Barrington (partly in Lake County) | BG and BWListed as “Restaurant, alcoholic beverages – Drive-in” and “Restaurant, no alcoholic beverages – Drive-in” | No written condition in the use list |
| Riverwoods | B-1 Neighborhood Business DistrictListed as “Drive-through facilities” and “Drive-through lanes for a bank or similar financial institution or for a pharmacy or a drive-through lane for a prepared food shop” | Only for banks, pharmacies and prepared food shops, on sites whose address and primary driveway are on Milwaukee Avenue or Deerfield Road; six stacking spaces per cashier (§ 9-5A-6). A second listing, for bank, pharmacy or prepared food shop lanes: only in an approved mixed use planned development, with specific findings by the board (§ 9-5B-2B). |
| Round Lake Beach | C-2B Central Commercial (Mercantile) DistrictListed as “Drive-in facilities, such as drive-in banks, drive-in restaurants, and drive-in cleaners” and “Drive through facilities on the same zoning lot with any other special or permitted usage in the C-3 General Business District” C-3 General Business DistrictListed as “Drive-in restaurants” and “Drive through facilities on the same zoning lot with any other special or permitted usage in the C-3 General Business District” OLCA Commercial Orchard Lane Conservation Area District, Commercial Concept Plan DesignationListed as “Drive-in restaurants” and “Drive through facilities on the same zoning lot with any other special or permitted usage” C-2 Central Commercial DistrictListed as “Drive through facilities on the same zoning lot with any other special or permitted usage in the C-3 General Business District” | C-2: A drive-through that goes with another use in the same district; restaurants are by right there. The drive-through listing in C-2 and C-2B names the C-3 district in its wording; ask the Village which districts it covers. |
| Third Lake | CB and GBListed as “Drive-Through Facility (accessory)” | A drive-through that goes with another use in the same district; restaurants are by right there. |
| Vernon Hills | B-1 General Business DistrictListed as “Restaurants — drive-in, drive-thru” | No written condition in the use list |
| Wheeling (partly in Lake County) | B-1, B-2, B-3, MXC, MXT, and MXIListed as “Restaurant, drive-through” and “Drive-through (as an accessory to an approved principal use)” | No written condition in the use list |
The code does not name a drive-through restaurant (10):
Grayslake lists “Restaurant, Fast Food” by right in its SCB and GB districts and “Restaurant, Non Drive-In” in six districts, without saying whether a fast-food restaurant may have a drive-through; ask the Village.
Unclear (3):
- Volo: the B3 district lists “Restaurant, sit-down and/or drive-through” by right but also lists “Drive-in and drive-through facilities” as a special use. Ask the Village which governs.
- North Chicago: my database has only the City’s industrial and office districts (M1, M2, M3 and OR), and none of them lists a restaurant. Ask the City about its business districts.
- North Barrington: the B-2 district lists restaurants excluding drive-in restaurants; my database does not have the Village’s B-3 district. Ask the Village about it.
Unincorporated Lake County. The County’s code lists “Restaurant or coffee shop” as permitted in its GO, LC, RC, GC, LI, and II districts and names no drive-through for food. Ask the County how it treats a drive-through lane before you rely on the listing. Lake County Planning, Building & Development: (847) 377-2600.
What approval means for a drive-through
A special use goes to a public hearing, usually before the plan commission or zoning board. The commission makes a recommendation, and the village board or city council votes. The steps and names vary by town; the Lake County Commercial Zoning Guide explains how they work across the county.
In 25 of the 42 towns in the by-right and special-use tables, the drive-through listings carry none of the written conditions below. Stacking rules can sit in another part of the code, and conditions can also come with the special use approval. These conditions come from the use listings and district rules:
| Condition in the code | Towns |
|---|---|
| Stacking spaces in the listing5 per lane in Wauconda, 3 per window in Deer Park, 6 per cashier in Riverwoods; Hainesville cites stacking-lane standards in another section | 4 · Deer Park (PD), Hainesville (B-1 and ORD), Riverwoods (B-1), Wauconda (GB, RB, and LI) |
| Road access and lot sizeDeer Park: within 300 ft of an arterial intersection, at least 60,000 sq ft, 150-250 ft of frontage; Deerfield: signalized access; Lakemoor: a 50-acre planned development for by right | 3 · Deer Park (PD), Deerfield (C-2), Lakemoor (C-3) |
| Only in part of the town or inside a developmentA sub-district, a road, or an approved mixed-use or planned development | 5 · Buffalo Grove (B-5), Green Oaks (LI), Island Lake (ORI), Lakemoor (C-3), Riverwoods (B-1) |
| Lane behind the buildingOut of view from the front lot line | 1 · Highwood (CX and GX) |
| Speakers and hours near homesSpeakers within 300 ft of homes or late-night hours within 100 ft of a home need a conditional use permit | 1 · Beach Park (GB/Wads-N, GB/Wads-R, Sheridan-N, and Sheridan-R) |
| Late-night hoursPalatine lists a restaurant open between midnight and 6 AM as a special use | 1 · Palatine (B-1, B-2, B-3, and B-5) |
| LightingThe board may approve lighting changes with the permit | 1 · Bannockburn (R) |
| Standards in another section of the codeAsk the town for them | 8 · Beach Park (GB/Wads-N, GB/Wads-R, Sheridan-N, and Sheridan-R), Deer Park (PD), Hainesville (B-1 and ORD), Hawthorn Woods (B), Highland Park (B1, B1A, B2, B2-RW, B3, B4-4, B4-5, B4-6, B4-BG, B5, and I), Lake Villa (CBD, CB, SB, and RD), Park City (C-2, C-3, C-4, C-5, C-6, and I), Riverwoods (B-1) |
A bank drive-through is not a restaurant drive-through
Many codes list a bank lane and a food lane separately. In 5 towns a bank drive-through is allowed by right while a restaurant drive-through needs a special use, and in Volo the restaurant lane is unclear. For a closed branch, the bank’s lane does not answer the restaurant question:
- Deer Park: PD, listed as “Banks and financial institutions (including drive-in facilities)”
- Fox Lake: D, B-2, B-3, B-4, M-1, and M-2, listed as “Financial institutions, including drive-in facilities”
- Green Oaks: O, listed as “Financial institution, bank or savings and loan, including drive-up tellers”
- Libertyville: O-2, listed as “Financial and insurance, including indoor and outdoor automatic teller machines and drive-in establishments”
- Lincolnshire: B1, O, and I, listed as “Bank and financial institution, with up to one drive-thru lane” and “Banks and financial institutions with up to one drive-thru lane”
- Volo: B2 and B3, listed as “Banks and other financial institutions, with or without drive-through facilities”
In Kildeer, Lake Bluff, and Old Mill Creek, a bank drive-through is a special use and the code does not name one for a restaurant.
What to look for in a drive-through site
Questions to ask the town and your engineer before you make an offer or sign a lease. They are not engineering or legal advice.
Is the lane allowed in this district?
Check the district, not just the town. In Wadsworth, for example, a drive-in restaurant is by right in the B district, but in CR a bank drive-in is by right and a drive-in restaurant is a special use.
How many cars fit in the lane?
Ask your engineer how many cars fit between the order point and the street or drive aisle, and ask the town for its stacking requirement. Wauconda writes 5 per lane into its restaurant listing; other towns may set it elsewhere in the code or in the approval.
How big is the lot, and how do cars get in and out?
Ask about lot size, frontage and access: a full-access driveway or right-in, right-out only, and whether a traffic signal is needed. Deer Park, for example, requires a site of at least 60,000 square feet with 150 to 250 feet of frontage near an arterial intersection, and Deerfield asks for signalized access in its C-2 district.
How close are the nearest homes?
Ask about conditions on speakers and late hours near homes. In Beach Park’s corridor districts, outdoor speakers within 300 feet of homes or late-night hours within 100 feet of a home need a conditional use permit.
Is the existing drive-through approved for food?
If the site already has a lane, ask the town how it was approved and whether a restaurant or coffee lane needs a new approval. Get the ordinance or letter that says so.
Common questions
Which Lake County towns allow a drive-through restaurant by right?
Gurnee, Mundelein, Round Lake, Round Lake Heights, Round Lake Park, Wadsworth, Wauconda, Waukegan, Winthrop Harbor, and Zion. In each, a restaurant drive-through, a drive-in restaurant or a drive-through facility is allowed by right in at least one zoning district, with no special use hearing; the table on this page lists the districts and the conditions written into the listing. Ask the town which permits and site plan review apply to your plan.
Can I open the restaurant by right but not the drive-through?
In 31 towns, yes: a restaurant is allowed by right in at least one district, while a drive-through for one is listed only as a special use. Several codes list restaurants without a drive-through as one use and restaurants with a drive-through as another.
Can a closed bank branch become a drive-through coffee shop or restaurant?
A bank drive-through and a restaurant drive-through are separate listings in many codes. In 5 towns (Deer Park, Fox Lake, Green Oaks, Libertyville, and Lincolnshire) a bank lane is allowed by right while a restaurant lane needs a special use, and in Volo the restaurant lane is unclear. Ask the town what approval a food lane needs at that address before you sign.
How many cars must the drive-through lane stack?
Only a few use listings state it: 5 cars per lane in Wauconda, 3 per window in Deer Park and 6 per cashier in Riverwoods. In other towns, look for it in another part of the code or in the special use approval, and ask the town for its stacking requirement before you lay out the site.
How long does a special use take?
It varies by town. The schedule depends on the town's application deadlines, the public notice before the hearing, and how often its plan commission and board meet. Ask the town for its calendar before you set a closing or lease date, and make the purchase or lease contingent on the approval.
What if the town's code does not name a drive-through restaurant?
That is the case in 10 towns. Ask the town's zoning office how it treats a use its code does not name: whether it can be treated as similar to a listed use, or needs a code amendment. An existing drive-through may also continue as a legal nonconforming use. Ask before you spend money on a site.
Looking for a drive-through site? Tell me what you need.
Tell me which towns you’re considering, the lot and building size you need, how many cars your lane must stack, and whether you want to buy or lease. I’ll check the zoning, find the sites that fit, and tell you what approvals to expect before you sign.
Own a pad, an outlot or a closed bank branch?
Only 10 Lake County towns allow a drive-through restaurant by right. Tell me about the property and I’ll tell you what its zoning means for its value.
Jason Bitton is a commercial real estate broker with RE/MAX Commercial in Libertyville, IL — #1 RE/MAX Commercial Broker in Illinois (2022, 2024, 2025) — serving Lake County, the North Shore, the O’Hare corridor, and the Chicago suburbs.