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

Yes. Daviess County requires a building permit for any construction, a rule in effect since January 2014, and the county Building & Compliance Department administers it¹. Septic permits and culvert permits are separate approvals¹. The department reviews plans, issues permits and conducts inspections to enforce state and local minimum standards⁷.

Indiana has adopted statewide building and residential codes, but which code provisions apply depends on the type of structure⁸. An agricultural building used only for agriculture on the same land and not for retail trade is outside the state Class 1 design-release category, but that does not exempt it from Daviess County permits, zoning or inspections⁹. Daviess County has not confirmed an owner-builder exemption, so an owner acting as general contractor should ask Building & Compliance what applications and inspections apply before work begins⁴.

The Daviess County Building & Compliance Department is the first call for building permits, plan review, inspections and zoning-related forms; its published phone number is 812-444-5798⁷. The county page links an improvement-location permit application and zoning-compliance forms⁷.

The available county information does not identify the inspection stages, a certificate-of-occupancy rule or a current county fee schedule. Ask Building & Compliance which drawings, approvals, fees and inspections match the proposed structure before ordering materials. Indiana state design-release review may also apply to a Class 1 project, and local permits may still be required even when state filing is not¹⁰. Residential and agricultural inspections remain matters for the local government where a local entity administers them¹¹.

Yes. The Daviess County Advisory Plan Commission administers the county zoning ordinance and makes recommendations on rezoning or ordinance modifications, while the Board of Zoning Appeals hears development applications that may not meet the ordinance standards². Daviess County also publishes zoning districts and an official zoning map that identifies incorporated areas and extraterritorial jurisdictions¹².

A parcel's district matters because the available materials do not confirm district-specific minimum lot size, minimum dwelling size, setbacks, lot coverage or height limits. Ask Building & Compliance to identify the parcel's zoning district and confirm the dimensional standards in writing. If land will be divided outside a municipality, Indiana requires the proper plat and approval process before lots are sold, with plan-commission control where a subdivision-control ordinance applies¹³.

The Daviess County Health Department and its Environmental Health Services staff administer residential and commercial onsite sewage permitting³. A septic application must be made before construction, and installation must be performed by a certified installer under the cited state rules and county septic ordinance³. The Health Department's published contact is 812-254-8666 at 300 East Hefron Street, Washington, Indiana¹⁴.

Where a public sanitary sewer is available within a reasonable distance of the building site, Daviess County prohibits an onsite sewage system and requires a sewer connection¹⁵.

Only about 4.3% of mapped county soils avoid a “very limited” rating for a conventional septic drain field, so make the soil evaluation an early feasibility item rather than assuming a conventional layout will work¹⁶. For a residence that cannot connect to sewer, Indiana generally requires a compliant septic tank and soil-absorption system; drywells and cesspools are not allowed as onsite sewage treatment¹⁷.

Daviess County has zoning, but the available county rules do not confirm residential RV occupancy on a private parcel or a specific tiny-home occupancy standard². Ask Building & Compliance whether the proposed use is allowed in the parcel's district and what building, septic, setback and occupancy approvals would apply.

Indiana's campground rules do not answer the private-land question: those rules address regulated campgrounds rather than residential occupancy on an individually deeded lot¹⁸. West Boggs Park permits temporary RV camping under park-specific stay and return limits, but that policy applies only at the county park and does not establish a right to live in an RV elsewhere in Daviess County¹⁹. A tiny home intended as a dwelling still needs a parcel-specific answer from Building & Compliance and a lawful sanitation plan from the Health Department^1,3.

1. Call Building & Compliance at 812-444-5798 to identify the zoning district, required zoning review, building application, plans and inspection sequence⁷.
2. Confirm the homesite, minimum dimensions and setbacks with Building & Compliance because parcel-specific dimensional standards are not confirmed in the available county information².
3. If the site will use onsite sewage, apply through the Health Department before construction and use a certified installer³.
4. Confirm private-well requirements with the Health Department; Indiana notes that some local health departments require residential-well permits, but the county-specific requirement is unresolved⁶.
5. Obtain permission from the road authority for a driveway connection; INDOT handles state-highway access through its electronic permit system²⁰.
6. Ask whether the site is in a floodway because most Indiana floodway development falls under DNR jurisdiction and may also require local or federal approval²¹.

Start with zoning, septic feasibility, flood status and legal road access. Daviess County zoning can make the parcel's district decisive, while conventional septic suitability is constrained on much of the mapped soil area^2,16. The Highway Department handles county roads and rights-of-way outside incorporated areas and state highways, while INDOT permission is required for access to the state highway system^20,22.

For a private well, ask the Health Department about any local residential permit because the available statewide guidance does not resolve Daviess County's rule^5,6. The county's effective property-tax rate is about 0.7%, and the median annual property-tax bill is about $1,276, useful context rather than a quote for a particular parcel¹⁶. Finally, development in an Indiana floodway commonly requires DNR review, while flood-fringe development may still need local permits even without a state permit²¹.