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

Rules another office applies inside Washington Township

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

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Washington township that is outside any incorporated town (unincorporated Brown County). County zoning applies there, not a township ordinance; this claim is county zoning, not a Washington township ordinance.

  • Applies only where Washington township has not adopted its own zoning ordinance; no township ordinance was found in the searches run.
  • Land inside the Nashville town limits, if any part of Nashville lies in this township, is governed by town rules, not this ordinance.
  • Ordinance is administered by the zoning inspector appointed by the Brown County Area Plan Commission.

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

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Unincorporated Brown County, including unincorporated land in Washington township

  • Districts named in Chapter 2 include flood plain (fp), flood-way (fw) and other residence, business and agricultural districts; numeric limits are set per district in Chapter 4.
  • Current map and district boundaries were not confirmed in this research.

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

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Dwellings on land in unincorporated Washington township, by district, number of stories and dwelling type

  • Section 4.3 sets ground-floor minimums in a table by district (R1, R2, LR, FR, GB, AB) for one-story and more-than-one-story single-family, two-family and multi-family dwellings; the extracted table text is garbled, so no square-foot figure is claimed here.
  • Multi-family minimum is the two-family figure plus 400 sq. ft. per dwelling unit, per the ordinance.

  “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)

  Dwellings on land in unincorporated Washington township, by district and by type of sewage disposal (community or individual system)

  • Section 4.4(a) table sets acreage per dwelling unit by district (FR, R1, R2, LR, GB, AB) and separately for single-family and two-family dwellings with community or individual sewage disposal; the extracted table text is garbled and the numeric values were not transcribed, so no acreage figure is claimed here.
  • Lot area under a body of water is excluded from the calculation.
  • Section 4.4(c): a single-family dwelling may be located on a lot below minimum width or area if the lot was in single ownership or in a subdivision on record with the county recorder when the ordinance passed.

  “4.4 minimum lot sizes: residential uses a. a lot on which a dwelling is erected or changed may not be smaller in area, in square feet per dwelling unit, exclusive of any portion of the lot which is under a body of water”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Buildings on land in unincorporated Washington township, front setback measured from road centerline

  • State Road 46: 110 feet from centerline. State Road 135 and State Road 45: 75 feet. All other roads, including private roads: 50 feet (section 4.6(a)).
  • Where 25 per cent of lots in a residence or business block are occupied by buildings, the minimum setback for the block is the average setback of those buildings.
  • Residential rear yard: 15 feet in a GB or AB district and 25 feet in any other district where the use is permitted (section 4.6(b)).
  • Side and accessory-building setbacks are in section 4.6(c) and were not extracted.

  front setback, State Road 46: 110 feet (measured from road centerline) · front setback, State Road 135 and State Road 45: 75 feet (measured from road centerline) · front setback, all other roads including private roads: 50 feet (measured from road centerline; block-average rule applies in residence or business blocks)

  “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.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

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

  • Installation must follow state rule 410 IAC 6-8.1, as the SOP states.
  • No township-level statement assigning septic to the health department was found; the service-area basis is the county health department's countywide SOP.

  “brown county health department steps on how to obtain a septic permit”

• Septic permitRequired

  New onsite sewage systems on land inside Washington township, permit issued by the Brown County Health Department

  • Permit is issued to the homeowner after the environmental health specialist approves the application/affidavit, warranty deed, floor plans, plot plan, installer system design and site evaluation.
  • All septic work performed after (behind) the tank requires a permit; work at the tank may also require one, so the health department should be checked first.
  • Source is the SOP revised August 2024 (procedures dated 7/01/23); current version not confirmed.

  “the following documents, on the appropriate forms, are required prior to issuance of a septic permit.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Installation of septic systems on land inside Washington township

  • Health department installation inspections check trench length, width and depth, lateral levelness and fall, and end caps; findings are recorded on the inspection form.
  • Trench depth limits are 10 to 36 inches and no trench may exceed 100 feet, per the SOP.

  “per state code, minimum trench depth is 10 inches maximum is 36 inches, and no trench shall exceed 100 feet in length. the square footage is calculated by multiplying trench width by trench length. record inspection finding on the inspection form.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Septic permit fees for land inside Washington township; no building-permit fee schedule was confirmed for this area

  • Fees are stated in the SOP; the SOP is a revised procedures document, so confirm the current fee with the health department.
  • Building-permit filing fees appear on the county Building Department site as a linked document (effective 1.1.2022) that was not opened.

  septic permit fee, pipe/gravel: 150 USD · septic permit fee, Presby or mound: 250 USD

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

• Permit processPartial

  Septic permit process only, for land inside Washington township; the general building-permit process was not established

  • Steps: soil analysis by a registered soil scientist, health department spec sheet, installer quotes, then permit application with documents; allow about 1 to 2 business days for review.

  “allow approximately 1 to 2 days for the documents to be reviewed by ehs.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for construction in unincorporated Washington township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for a home in unincorporated Washington township
• Building code adopted — Adoption of residential building code for unincorporated Washington township
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction in unincorporated Washington township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new construction in unincorporated Washington 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.