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

Yes. Decatur County's building regulations prohibit construction unless it conforms to a valid building permit obtained from the Building Commissioner before construction begins¹. The Area Plan Office serves the county outside Greensburg¹. A complete application includes the required plans, a plot plan, any required state design release and the fee set by the Board of County Commissioners, and occupancy is unlawful without a full, partial or temporary certificate of occupancy¹. The Area Plan page provides online permitting, an Improvement Location Permit, construction standards, a building-inspection requirement and minimum-inspection information³. Indiana also has adopted residential and building codes, including the state-amended residential code and building code applicable according to the type of structure⁸. Start with Area Plan before ordering a structure or beginning site work, because the county's permit process and the state code layer are separate from septic, driveway and floodway approvals. Projects inside Greensburg should be checked with the city because the Area Plan Office's county building-inspector coverage excludes Greensburg¹.

The Decatur County Area Plan Office is the first stop for building and land-use approval. Its office is at 150 Courthouse Square, Suite 117, and its phone number is 812-663-8451³. The official page directs applicants to online permitting, names the Improvement Location Permit, and links building-inspection and construction-standard materials³. Ask the office which permit package fits the proposed use, what plot or construction documents are required, and which inspections must be scheduled. The Board of County Commissioners sets the building-permit fee, and an applicant also pays a $100 deposit that is refunded after the final inspection and certificate of occupancy, less any re-inspection fees⁹. Zoning fees could not be confirmed, so obtain the current fee and submission checklist directly from Area Plan. For a driveway on a county road, the Decatur County Highway Department separately publishes a driveway-permit form and can be reached at 812-663-2682⁷.

Decatur County has zoning, and the county ordinance incorporates a zoning map for each township². The practical answer for a buyer therefore depends on the parcel's mapped district, not simply on the land having a rural mailing address. Residential districts have district-specific development standards; for example, structures in the residential districts covered by the reviewed rule have a 35-foot height limit measured from the highest ground elevation around the structure's perimeter¹⁰. Agricultural zoning does not create a blanket permit exemption: land zoned A-1 or A-2 receives a specific exemption from a 30-foot county-road right-of-way dedication, but that does not waive building, zoning or septic requirements¹¹. On land zoned Agriculture A-1, a single-family dwelling is permitted by right with at least 720 square feet of living space, but only if the parcel's boundaries existed in the public record before November 1, 1996; a parcel created later must be rezoned to A-2 before a residential building permit can be issued⁵. That date matters for anyone buying a newly split rural lot. Ask Area Plan to identify the parcel's district and applicable setbacks before designing the site³.

Decatur County Environmental Health permits and inspects residential on-site sewage systems, while commercial on-site systems require an approval letter from the Indiana Department of Health⁴. Residential sites are inspected before construction and again during installation⁴. The county health department's page lists a septic permit at $600 and a repair, replacement or expansion at $300, and says the fees can be modified by the department⁴. Indiana's statewide rule is administered by local boards of health, with local permit programs reviewed by the state health department¹². Contact Environmental Health at (812) 663-8301 or environmental@decaturcounty.in.gov¹³. Site feasibility deserves early attention: only about 0.6% of county soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so do not assume a standard system will fit a parcel before evaluation¹⁴. A dwelling off sewer still needs a compliant septic tank and soil-absorption system; drywells and cesspools are not allowed¹².

We could not confirm a countywide rule allowing long-term RV occupancy, temporary camping or general tiny-home occupancy in Decatur County. Because Decatur County has zoning, ask the Area Plan Office how the parcel's district treats the proposed structure and use before buying or moving an RV onto the land^2,3. Indiana's campground rule does not answer whether someone may live in an RV on an individually deeded parcel; that rule applies to regulated campgrounds and expressly addresses a different setting¹⁵. A tiny home still has to fit the county permit process and Indiana's applicable construction code^1,8. In an A-1 district, a dwelling must also have at least 720 square feet of living space, which rules out most tiny homes there⁵. Any occupied dwelling without sewer service also needs compliant sewage disposal, so solve septic feasibility rather than treating an RV or small structure as a way around sanitation rules¹².

1. Ask the Area Plan Office to identify the parcel's zoning district, permitted residential use, setbacks and required permit package^2,3. For an A-1 parcel, confirm the lot's boundaries predate November 1, 1996 and that the plan has 720 square feet or more of living space⁵.
2. Confirm water and sewage capacity before finalizing the site plan, because county zoning standards require sufficient capacity for regulated uses, buildings and structures¹¹.
3. Send the soil information to Decatur County Environmental Health and complete the residential septic-permit process; the county inspects before construction and during installation^4,13.
4. Apply for the building and Improvement Location Permits through Area Plan and confirm the inspection schedule^1,3.
5. Apply to the Highway Department for a county-road driveway, or use INDOT's electronic permit system if the entrance connects to a state highway^7,16.
6. Check floodway status; most development in an Indiana floodway requires DNR review, although exemptions can apply¹⁷.

Make septic feasibility the first physical-site test: only about 0.6% of Decatur County soils are rated without severe limits for a conventional drain field¹⁴. Terrain is generally gentle, with about 96.5% of land at a 15% slope or less, but a specific building pad can still differ¹⁴. Confirm the township zoning map, district standards, legal access and whether the road is county-maintained or a state highway before closing^2,7. Check floodway status because Indiana DNR regulates most floodway development, while floodplain-fringe work may instead be governed through local floodplain rules¹⁷. For carrying costs, the county's effective property-tax rate is about 0.6%, with a median annual bill around $1,176¹⁴. Private-well permitting in Decatur County remains unconfirmed, so ask Environmental Health before relying on a well plan^13,18.