Zoning, building permits and septic rules in St. Marys Township, Indiana

Rules another office applies inside St. Marys Township

St. Marys Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Building permitRequired

  New residential construction and remodels in the rural (unincorporated) areas of Adams County, which include land inside St. Marys township

  • Construction may proceed only after the county building permit is issued.
  • The county page says the department's jurisdiction is the rural areas plus the towns of Geneva and Monroe. Land inside any incorporated municipality is outside this county claim.
  • Fees and application details were not published on the page opened.

  “issue building permits for all new construction and remodel projects on both residential and commercial buildings”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  New one- and two-family dwellings built in St. Marys township under the state residential code, which local government must enforce

  • The 2020 Indiana Residential Code is based on the 2018 International Residential Code, first printing, with Indiana amendments.
  • The state code is enforced locally by the county building department in the rural area (see the building permit claim).

  code edition: 2020 Indiana Residential Code

  “675 iac 14-4.4 2020 indiana residential code free access (model code with incorporated amendments) 2018 international residential code for one- and two-family dwellings, first printing currently in effect effective: 12/26/2019”

• InspectionsRequired

  Construction in the rural (unincorporated) areas of Adams County, including land inside St. Marys township

  • Inspections are made by the county Building & Planning department to enforce state and local building codes.
  • The page does not list an inspection schedule or inspection fee.

  “inspect projects in all phases of construction to insure the state and local building codes are upheld and enforced”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside St. Marys township outside any incorporated town, where the county (not the township) administers zoning; this is the county rule that applies if the township has not adopted its own zoning. The county zoning ordinance text was not opened from an official source.

  • The official county page confirms county zoning decisions, location permits and flood-map checks for the rural areas. It does not state the ordinance's district list or dimensional standards.
  • The Adams County, Indiana Land Use Ordinance of 2005 (Ordinance 2005-01) is the county zoning ordinance named in third-party copies; that title was not confirmed on an official county page.
  • The county page does not say whether St. Marys township has adopted its own zoning, so this claim is limited to the county's unincorporated-area zoning.

  “issue location permits for any new construction ensuring it is in compliance with zoning and flood map parameters”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  New one- and two-family homes in St. Marys township: an onsite sewage system is the state-program route only where the home is beyond the reach of sanitary sewers

  • The state page limits onsite systems to one- and two-family dwellings beyond the reach of sanitary sewers.
  • The state page also says: if a sanitary sewer is available within a reasonable distance of the proposed facility, installation of an onsite sewage disposal system is prohibited. That sentence is stated for facilities and camps; whether it applies to a single home was not confirmed.
  • Public water availability and any connection distance rule for St. Marys township were not found.

  “the onsite sewage disposal program promotes the use of technologically correct onsite sewage disposal methods for one and two-family dwellings beyond the reach of sanitary sewers”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  New construction in mapped flood zones in the rural area of Adams County, including St. Marys township

  • The county keeps and maintains flood zone maps and checks location permits against flood map parameters.
  • The page does not state the floodplain permit or elevation requirements; those were not opened.

  “we keep and maintain current flood zone maps”

• Permit processPartial

  Building and location permit process for new construction in the rural area of Adams County, including St. Marys township

  • The page lists the services and the office (313 W Jefferson Street, Suite 338, Decatur) but not the step-by-step process.
  • Permit application forms and processing times were not on the page opened.

  “issue location permits for any new construction ensuring it is in compliance with zoning and flood map parameters”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask St. Marys Township or Adams County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for a homeowner building in the rural area of Adams County
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes in the rural area of Adams County, including St. Marys township
• Zoning districts — Zoning district list for the rural area of Adams County, including St. Marys township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in the main single-family residential district and any agricultural district of the rural area of Adams County, including St. Marys township
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size in the main residential and agricultural districts of the rural area of Adams County, including St. Marys township

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.