Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Columbus Township, Indiana

Rules another office applies inside Columbus Township

Columbus 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

  Construction, alteration or repair of buildings costing more than $300 on unincorporated land in Columbus township (Bartholomew County building code)

  • Applies under the Bartholomew County building code as stated on the county code enforcement page; the page says the code is administered by the Department of Technical Code Enforcement of Columbus/Bartholomew County.
  • Inside City of Columbus limits, the City of Columbus building code applies instead.
  • Construction may proceed after permit issuance.

  construction cost threshold for permit: > 300 USD (permit required for work whose cost exceeds this amount)

  “a permit shall be obtained before beginning construction, alteration or repair of any building or structure, the cost of which exceeds three hundred dollars ($300.00), using the forms furnished by the department of technical code enforcement”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction on unincorporated land in Columbus township under the Bartholomew County building code

  • The county code enforcement page names both the Bartholomew County building code and the City of Columbus building code; the City code governs inside city limits.
  • Specific code edition and year not stated in the excerpt.

  “the "building code of bartholomew county, indiana", and the "building code of the city of columbus, indiana", both state:”

• Local zoningVaries (with conditions)

  Land inside Columbus township, Bartholomew County, Indiana, outside City of Columbus limits. The joint Columbus and Bartholomew County zoning ordinance administered by the Columbus planning department applies there.

  • The sources reviewed show the joint ordinance covers the Bartholomew County jurisdiction and the Edinburgh/Bartholomew/Columbus joint district, and do not show Columbus township adopting its own zoning ordinance.
  • Inside City of Columbus limits, city zoning applies instead.
  • Aggregates county and municipal zoning; this is not a township-adopted ordinance.

  “the zoning ordinance for the city of columbus and bartholomew county is provided below”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts for unincorporated Bartholomew County land in Columbus township

  • Article 3 lists districts including Agriculture: General Rural (AG), Residential: Rural (RR), Residential: Single-Family 1 (RS1) and others.
  • Districts apply under the joint ordinance; City of Columbus districts apply inside city limits.

  “the rr district should only be applied in instances where it can be demonstrated that”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Residential: Rural (RR) district, unincorporated Bartholomew County land in Columbus township

  • Figure is the minimum living area per dwelling in the RR district lot-standards table as extracted from the PDF.
  • Manufactured homes are subject to a separate section 6.7(a)(2)(a) cross-reference stated on the same line.
  • Other districts (including RS1) not established by this claim.

  minimum living area per dwelling: 1000 square feet (see section 6.7(a)(2)(a) for manufactured homes)

  “minimum living area per dwelling • 1,000 square feet (see also section 6.7(a)(2)(a) for manufactured homes)”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Residential: Rural (RR) district, unincorporated Bartholomew County land in Columbus township

  • Minimum side and rear setbacks for RR: 5 feet for primary structure and 5 feet for accessory structure, as extracted from the district table.
  • Front setbacks not established by this claim.
  • Joint ordinance; City of Columbus limits governed by city zoning.

  side and rear setback, primary structure: 5 feet · side and rear setback, accessory structure: 5 feet

  “minimum side & rear setback • primary structure: 5 feet • accessory structure: 5 feet”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Onsite (septic) wastewater systems for residences on land in Columbus township, Bartholomew County, Indiana

  • The county health department's onsite sewage page and the code enforcement page both reference the county health department role; the state onsite rule (410 IAC 6-8.3) was not opened in this research.
  • The county code enforcement page requires a health department release for septic systems where applicable.

  “permit application for on site wastewater disposal system”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit process for unincorporated land in Columbus township, Bartholomew County

  • The code enforcement page lists required submittals but says the specific items depend on the project and to contact the office.
  • Items include construction plans, site plan, health department release for septic where applicable, driveway permit where applicable, and a zoning compliance certificate from the planning department.

  “please contact our office for the specific items required for your project.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction on unincorporated land in Columbus township
• Inspections — Inspections for new construction on unincorporated land in Columbus township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes on unincorporated land in Columbus township
• Minimum lot size — RR and RS1 districts, unincorporated Bartholomew County land in Columbus township
• Lot coverage — RR and RS1 districts, unincorporated Bartholomew County land in Columbus 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.