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

Rules another office applies inside Troy Township

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

• Building permitRequired

  Accessory structures (sheds, garages, barns, pole barns) on unincorporated Troy township parcels. Permit requirement for a new primary dwelling was not verified.

  • The accessory structure must comply with the development standards of its zoning district.
  • Permit issued under the county UDO; the county does not appear to require a permit for uses listed as not requiring one, but that was not checked.

  “permits are required for the construction of an accessory structure and the accessory structure shall comply with all development standards for the subject zoning district.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Troy township (unincorporated DeKalb County, Indiana) is covered by the county Unified Development Ordinance. This is county zoning, not an ordinance adopted by Troy township.

  • Applies to all land within county limits except the legally established planning jurisdiction of cities and towns; Troy township is not a city or town.
  • Whether Troy township adopted its own zoning ordinance was not found; see the township-scoped unknown local_zoning claim.
  • The zoning district of a given parcel must be read from the official zoning map, which was not opened.

  “this unified development ordinance applies to all land within the county limits of dekalb county, indiana, excluding the legally established planning jurisdiction of the cities and towns within dekalb county.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts in the county UDO applying to unincorporated land in Troy township

  • District development standards are published for each district in Article 2 (for example R1, A1, RE, R2, R3, M1, M2, MP), but the official zoning map was not opened, so parcel-to-district mapping is not confirmed.

  “low density residential (r1) district 2.14 r1 district development standards”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  R1 Low Density Residential district parcels in unincorporated Troy township

  minimum dwelling size: >= 1500 square feet

  “minimum dwelling size: • 1,500 square feet”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R1 Low Density Residential district parcels (main single-family district) in unincorporated Troy township

  • Lot area excludes dedicated rights-of-way and recorded easements.
  • The 15,000 square foot figure applies only with municipal sanitary sewer.

  minimum lot area: >= 2 net acres (15,000 square feet with municipal sanitary sewer) · minimum lot width: >= 200 feet (100 feet with sanitary sewer) · minimum lot frontage: >= 80 feet

  “minimum lot area: • 2 net acres (not including any dedicated rights-of-way and recorded easements) or 15,000 square feet with municipal sanitary sewer minimum lot width: • 200 feet or 100 feet with sanitary sewer minimum lot frontage: • 80 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — A1 Conservation Agricultural district parcels in unincorporated Troy township

    “minimum lot area: • 2 net acres (not including any dedicated rights-of-way and recorded easements) • 1 acre if connected to municipal sanitary sewer minimum lot width: • 160 feet”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R1 Low Density Residential district parcels in unincorporated Troy township

  minimum front yard setback (primary and accessory): >= 35 feet · minimum side yard setback, primary structure: >= 25 feet · minimum side yard setback, accessory structure: >= 10 feet · minimum rear yard setback, primary structure: >= 25 feet · minimum rear yard setback, accessory structure: >= 10 feet

  “minimum front yard setback: • 35 feet for primary and accessory structures minimum side yard setback: • 25 feet for primary str”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — A1 Conservation Agricultural district parcels in unincorporated Troy township

    “minimum front yard setback: • 50 feet for primary and accessory structures minimum side yard setback: • 30 feet for primary structures • 10 feet for accessory structures”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R1 Low Density Residential district parcels in unincorporated Troy township (impervious surface coverage)

  • Limit is a percentage of lot area for impervious surface.

  maximum impervious surface coverage: <= 35 percent of lot area

  “maximum impervious surface coverage: • 35% of the lot area”

• Living in an RVProhibited

  Using a recreational vehicle as living quarters on land in unincorporated Troy township

  • The sentence appears in the UDO definition of recreational vehicle.
  • The UDO separately bars recreational vehicles from use as accessory structures.
  • Short-term camping and campground rules were not verified.

  “a recreational vehicle shall not be used as living quarters.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured and mobile homes as dwellings, where the parcel is in the MP Manufactured Home Park district in unincorporated Troy township

  • MP district is for lease-lot housing developments and must follow state requirements cited in the UDO.
  • Use tables for other districts (e.g., dependent housing special exception) were not fully verified.
  • A manufactured home or mobile home may not be used as an accessory structure.

  “residential permitted uses • child care, home • dwelling, manufactured home • dwelling, mobile home”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  A second residence (dependent housing) on a parcel in unincorporated Troy township

  • Dependent housing is for a property owner's aged, disabled, or dependent relative or similar.
  • It is incidental to the primary residence and is placed only during that occupancy.
  • A special exception is required in the specified zoning district.
  • Detailed use standards (UDO section 5.09, DH-01) were not read.

  “a special exception is needed for approval of the dependent housing in the specified zoning district.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions and subdivisions in unincorporated Troy township under the county UDO

  • Subdivision control is Article 6 of the UDO; design standards are in Article 7 and procedures in Article 9, per the UDO's structure.
  • Lot standards in the UDO apply to subdivisions within the county jurisdiction.

  “article 6 is exclusively a subdivision control ordinance component.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for home construction in unincorporated Troy township
• Building code adopted — Which residential building code governs new homes in unincorporated Troy township
• Inspections — Building inspections for new homes in unincorporated Troy township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes in unincorporated Troy township
• Building height — Maximum building height on unincorporated Troy township parcels

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.