Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Garrett, Indiana

Garrett’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Garrett city limits, Indiana. Garrett city administers its own zoning ordinance and zoning map.

  • The city adopted its replacement zoning map by Ordinance 2008-10 on September 16, 2008.
  • City notices cite the Garrett Zoning Ordinance in Chapter 153 (districts at 153.04.1; permitted uses at 153.05.2 and Table 1). The chapter text itself was not retrievable, so district-level rules are not stated in this claim.
  • The city's code page posts a 2010 S-13 supplement and says amendments may not be posted immediately; the current code must be checked with the Clerk-Treasurer.

  “the replacement garrett zoning map was adopted by the garrett common council on september 16, 2008, per ordinance # 2008-10.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts inside Garrett city limits, as named in city zoning notices

  • Only two district names were seen in the opened notice: BG (Business General) and IR (Industrial Reserve). The full district list in Chapter 153 (153.04.1) was not retrieved.
  • The city's zoning-map page links to a 'Garrett zoning ordinance - table of permitted uses' that was not opened.

  “change the zoning designation of the following parcels of real property from "ir-industrial reserve" to "bg-business general"”

Rules another office applies inside Garrett

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

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  Residential on-site sewage systems for dwellings inside Garrett city, Indiana, that are not connected to a sanitary sewer. The state rule is set by the Indiana State Department of Health and administered locally by the health officer.

  • The rule is state-set (410 IAC 6-8.3) and administered by the local health officer, so the authority is mixed.
  • The DeKalb County health office's jurisdiction over Garrett city addresses was NOT confirmed: the county health links page opened says only 'food and septic information, inspections, permitting and complaints' and gives no service-area statement naming Garrett city.
  • The rule allows local ordinances to be more stringent (410 IAC 6-8.3-51(b)).

  “this rule shall be administered by the local boards of health through their health officer and his or her authorized representatives.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Dwellings inside Garrett city, Indiana, that will not be connected to a sanitary sewerage system; the permit is issued by the local health officer.

  • Applies only where the dwelling will not be connected to a sanitary sewerage system (410 IAC 6-8.3-53(a)).
  • Required before the start of construction of a residence, placement of a manufactured, modular or mobile home, and related plumbed outbuildings, repair, or replacement.
  • Local health department must issue or deny in writing within 45 days of a complete application and plan submittal (410 IAC 6-8.3-53(g)).
  • Local ordinances may impose more stringent requirements (410 IAC 6-8.3-51(b)).

  permit decision deadline: 45 days (from receipt of application and plan submittal)

  “for any dwelling or place of residence that will not be connected to a sanitary sewerage system, the owner or agent of the owner shall obtain a written construction permit, signed by the health officer, for construction of a residential on-site sewage system prior to the:”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Garrett or DeKalb County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits for construction inside Garrett city limits
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Garrett city limits
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside Garrett city limits
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Garrett city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside Garrett city limits

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.