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

Rules another office applies inside Hamblen Township

Hamblen 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

  Erecting, constructing, altering or repairing any building or structure in Brown County, including land inside Hamblen township, through the county building department.

  • The bulletin lists exemptions, including lawn and garden tools, playhouses and livestock shelters up to 120 square feet, retaining walls, fences, interior finish work, re-roofing of single-family dwellings, siding, window and door replacement, and water heater replacement.
  • Separate plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits may be required for exempt items.
  • Construction may proceed after the permit is issued.

  “in brown county, a person, firm, or corporation cannot erect, construct, alter, or repair any building or structure without first obtaining a building permit.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Building permit plans in Brown County, including land inside Hamblen township, must conform to the Indiana building code.

  • The county building department applies the state code; the bulletin does not name the code edition.
  • Source is the county bulletin, which refers to the state code.

  “plans and specifications must be drawn to scale on substantial paper and must indicate location, nature, and extent of the work proposed, and show in detail that it will conform to the adopted indiana building code.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted construction in Brown County, including land inside Hamblen township.

  • The bulletin describes four required county inspections, including a setback inspection; only the first is read.
  • Two business days or 48 hours notice is required for each inspection.

  “it is the responsibility of the permit holder to call for inspections at the proper time.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Hamblen township that is unincorporated Brown County. The zoning rule is the Brown County Indiana Zoning Ordinance, a county ordinance. No Hamblen township zoning ordinance was found.

  • This is the county's zoning, not a Hamblen township ordinance.
  • The ordinance covers unincorporated areas only. Hamblen is treated as unincorporated based on secondary sources; the official boundary was not checked.
  • Zoning maps are not verified here; see zoning_districts.

  “brown county indiana zoning ordinance an ordinance for the development through zoning of unincorporated areas of brown county indiana.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts that apply to unincorporated land in Brown County, including Hamblen township

  • The ordinance lists the district kinds (flood plain, flood-way, flood fringe, residential, business, forest reserve, and others). Map boundaries were not verified.
  • Maps are not verified on an official page; the Planning Department was described as not posting zoning maps online, but that came from a search snippet and was not opened.

  “the unincorporated areas of the county are divided into the following districts”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Dwellings on unincorporated land in Brown County, including Hamblen township, by district (r1, r2, lr, fr, gb, ab)

  • The table has one value per district column, but the extracted text does not show the cell alignment. Verify the one-story and two-story single-family columns against the PDF before use.
  • The minimum is ground-floor area in square feet.

  “no dwelling may be erected or changed so that its ground floor size, in square feet, is less than that prescribed by the following table”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family dwelling in the fr (forest reserve, rural) district of unincorporated Brown County, including Hamblen township, with individual sewage disposal.

  • Table value is 3 acres per dwelling unit for fr with individual sewage disposal.
  • The table is in acres; the text says square feet.

  minimum lot area per dwelling unit, single-family with individual sewage disposal, fr: >= 3 acres (excludes any portion of the lot under a body of water)

  “single-family with individual sewage disposal system 3 3* 3*.50.50.50”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family dwelling on a lot served by a community sewage disposal system in the r1 district of unincorporated Brown County, including Hamblen township.

    “single-family with community sewage disposal system 2 1 1.16.16.16”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Buildings on unincorporated land in Brown County, including Hamblen township, measured from road centerlines.

  • Setback is measured from the front line of a building to the road centerline.
  • Rules for side and rear setbacks and for each district were not read.
  • The text continues with a 25 percent block exception for residence and business districts.

  front setback from centerline, State Road 46: 110 feet · front setback from centerline, State Road 135 and State Road 45: 75 feet · front setback from centerline, all other roads including private roads: 50 feet

  “the minimum distance between the front line of a building and the centerline of: state road 46 is 110 feet. state road 135 and state road 45 is 75 feet. all other roads, including private roads, is 50 feet.”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential buildings on unincorporated land in Brown County, including Hamblen township, by district.

  • Table columns are fr, r1, r2, lr, gb, ab. The extracted row has seven numbers for six columns, so the percentage for each district is not confirmed here; verify against the PDF.
  • Percentages of total lot area.

  “the residential buildings on a lot may not exceed in coverage the following percentages of total lot area: district percentage of coverage fr r1 r2 lr gb ab 10 30 30 30 25 25”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Onsite sewage (septic) systems on land inside Hamblen township, administered by the Brown County Health Department (environmental health).

  • The SOP is written for the whole county and cites the state rule 410 IAC 6-8.1; a Hamblen-specific service-area statement was not opened.
  • Permit and inspection rules come from the county health department under state code.

  “brown county health department standard operating procedures septic”

• Septic permitRequired

  New septic systems and septic work on land inside Hamblen township, through the Brown County Health Department.

  • Application requires a soil analysis, a plot plan, a deed, house plans, and an installer layout.
  • Building permits for new homes are not issued until the health department confirms the septic system is adequate.
  • Work behind the septic tank requires a permit; work at the tank may require one.

  septic permit cost, pipe/gravel system: 150 USD · septic permit cost, presby or mound system: 250 USD

  “the cost of a permit is $150 for pipe/gravel and $250 for presby or mound.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Septic installations on land inside Hamblen township, inspected by the Brown County Health Department.

  • Trench depth limits and the other installation checks are in the SOP's installation inspection section.
  • Trench depth may not vary more than 4 inches from the permit depth.

  trench depth: 10 to 36 inches (Trench depth may not vary more than 4 inches from the depth required on the permit)

  “the trench depth shall not vary more than 4 inches from the depth required on the permit. per state code, minimum trench depth is 10 inches maximum is 36 inches”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New residential construction on land inside Hamblen township that accesses a county, state, or Town of Nashville public road.

  • The permit comes from the Brown County Highway Department, INDOT, or the Town of Nashville, depending on the road.
  • Must be obtained before the building permit application.
  • Driveway-permit rules for private roads were not read.

  “for new residential or commercial construction, a driveway permit is required for county, state or the town of nashville public maintained streets or roads.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Construction on land in a flood plain or geologic hazard area in Brown County, including land inside Hamblen township.

  • Approval from the planning department is needed for construction in a flood plain or geologic hazard area.
  • The zoning ordinance has a flood plain (fp) and floodway (fw) district; those rules were not read.

  “you will need approval from the planning department if the property is located in a flood plain, geologic hazard area.”

• Permit feesPublished

  Building permit fees for residential work in Brown County, including land inside Hamblen township

  • Residence fee is $125 plus $.07 per sq ft. Additions and remodeling are $250 plus $.07 per sq ft.
  • Accessory structures are $65 plus $.07 per sq ft. Swimming pools are $50 above ground ($65) or $125 in ground.
  • Electric upgrade is $35.
  • Fees are as printed in the bulletin dated 11/2023; no later schedule was found.

  residence building permit fee base: 125 USD (plus $.07 per sq ft)

  “fees residences duplexes additions, remodeling accessory structures swimming pools electric upgrade $125 + $.07 per sq ft $250 + $.07 per sq ft $65 + $.07 per sq ft $50 $65 above ground - $125 in ground $35”

• Permit processPublished

  Building permit application process in Brown County, including land inside Hamblen township

  • Application needs ownership proof, a site plan, zoning and flood plain approval, health department approval for septic, a driveway permit, and plans.
  • Two sets of plans are needed for residential buildings.
  • Inspections are scheduled by phone at 812-988-5490.

  “other brown county departments or other outside agencies may need to review your plans before a permit can be issued.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder work in Brown County, including land inside Hamblen township
• Building height — Building height on unincorporated land in Brown County, including Hamblen township
• Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on private land in unincorporated Hamblen township
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land in unincorporated Hamblen township
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy on private land in unincorporated Hamblen 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.