Building permits, zoning and land rules in Clark County, Indiana

Yes. Clark County's building regulations require a permit before construction, alteration, demolition or repair of any building or structure, including a new home, and the Planning & Zoning Office issues the county's building permits^1,2. Indiana currently uses the Indiana Residential Code based on the International Residential Code, with the applicable version and amendments identified in the reviewed state code material¹¹. Clark County also performs inspections and asks permit holders to give the office advance notice when scheduling them².

An agricultural building is not automatically free of every local rule. Indiana excludes a building used only for agriculture on the land where that activity occurs, and not for retail trade, from the state Class 1 design-release category; the reviewed rule expressly does not settle local inspection, zoning, fire, or permit requirements¹². Clark County's separate agricultural claim concerns continuation of a nonconforming agricultural use, not a blanket building-permit exemption³.

The Clark County Planning & Zoning Office is the county building-permit contact at 300 Corporate Drive Room 208 in Jeffersonville; call 812.285.6287². The office accepts residential improvement and contractor trade applications online, issues permits, reviews applications, and performs inspections². The same department supports the Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals and administers the county zoning ordinance².

Use the office page's online application link for the permit workflow, then contact the office about the inspections that apply to the job². The office page says inspections require advance notice, so put inspection scheduling into the construction timeline rather than waiting until work is ready to cover². The Planning & Zoning Office also supplies the county floodplain contact because its executive director serves as Floodplain Administrator².

Yes, but the jurisdiction matters. Clark County's Unified Development Ordinance applies to unincorporated Clark County and the Town of Borden, and it divides that jurisdiction into zoning districts with district-specific use and development standards³. Do not assume county zoning applies inside every other incorporated community.

For a rural parcel, start by confirming that the parcel is in the county ordinance's jurisdiction and identifying its zoning district with Planning & Zoning². Standards differ by district. In the Intensive Agricultural (AI) district, a single-family lot needs at least 1 acre with sewer and at least 2 acres without sewer, subject to Health Department septic approval³. In the same district, the front setback is 50 feet, side and rear setbacks are 10 feet for the house and 5 feet for accessory structures³. A single-family home there needs at least 950 square feet of living area³. Maximum height is 40 feet for the house and 30 feet for accessory structures³. Impervious surface is capped at 25% for single-family residential use, and agricultural land uses are exempt from that cap³. Other districts have different standards, so ask Planning & Zoning for the table that matches the parcel.

The Clark County Health Department administers residential on-site sewage permits for every address in the county under Indiana's statewide rule, whether the building permit comes from the county or not^4,6. A new home without a functional septic system, or a repair or replacement of an existing system, requires a septic permit through Environmental Health^4,10. The department also requires soil testing for repairs and new installations¹⁰.

Only about 16% of Clark County soils are rated without severe limits for a conventional drain field, so make septic feasibility a purchase contingency rather than assuming a standard system will fit⁵. Clark County requires Board of Health approval and final approval before an on-site sewage system or privy is operated⁷. If a homeowner replaces a structure on an existing system, the department asks for an Existing Septic System Verification form with tank ports or risers exposed, and an additional inspection occurs approximately 90 days after occupancy if initial approval is granted⁴. If an on-site system fails and a public or private sewer is available within 150 feet of a property line, direct connection is required subject to the reviewed exceptions⁷.

Not as a permanent home on ordinary land. In the area under the county zoning ordinance, RVs are not permitted for residential occupancy outside a campground or RV park approved by the Indiana State Department of Health³. The exception is recreational use: one RV per parcel, occupied for recreation only and not more than 14 consecutive days, on site for fewer than 180 consecutive days, fully licensed and ready for highway use, with the parcel meeting the zoning development standards³. A stored RV may not be connected to utilities or occupied³.

While you build, a manufactured home can serve as temporary housing: it needs an Improvement Location Permit, and the permit for the primary residence must be approved first³. Temporary approval lasts 1 year and can be renewed for up to two additional six-month periods if construction has started but is not complete³. A lot with an owner-occupied single-family house may add one accessory dwelling, within 100 feet of the house if detached, on an existing permitted driveway and with approved water and sewage disposal³. We could not confirm a stand-alone tiny-home rule; ask Planning & Zoning how a tiny home would be classified².

1. Confirm whether the parcel is in unincorporated Clark County, the Town of Borden, or another municipality, then ask the responsible planning office for the zoning district and applicable development standards^2,3.
2. Check floodplain constraints with Clark County Planning & Zoning, since many portions of the county lie in the Special Flood Hazard Area and are regulated through the county, the Indiana DNR and FEMA¹³; most Indiana floodway development requires state review, while local rules may still apply in the flood fringe^2,14.
3. Have the Clark County Health Department address soil testing and the septic permit before fixing the house location^4,10.
4. Submit the residential building application through Clark County's online process and confirm the code and required inspections^2,11.
5. If access connects to an Indiana state highway, use INDOT's electronic system for the required driveway permission¹⁵.
6. Schedule county building inspections with advance notice and obtain final septic approval before operating the on-site system; expect a septic inspection about 90 days after occupancy^2,4,7.

First, verify jurisdiction and zoning rather than assuming every Clark County address follows the county UDO; the reviewed county jurisdiction is unincorporated Clark County and the Town of Borden³. Next, make septic suitability part of due diligence because only about 16% of county soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional drain field⁵. Ask Environmental Health whether Clark County requires a private-well permit, because Indiana's statewide guidance says some local departments do but does not identify Clark County^9,10.

Check the flood map and driveway authority before choosing a homesite^2,15. Clark County has about 77% of its land at a slope of 15% or less and about 48% wooded land, but those countywide figures do not replace a survey, soil evaluation, access review, or flood determination for one tract⁵. The effective property-tax rate is about 0.7%, with a median annual bill near $1,566⁵.