Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Goshen, Indiana

Goshen’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New construction, alteration, remodeling, rehabilitation or additions to a building, and placement of a mobile home, inside Goshen city.

  • Residential new construction also needs a zoning clearance form signed by planning/zoning and engineering before a permit issues.
  • Subcontractor electrical, HVAC and plumbing permits are issued separately.

  “the building department issues permits that are required for the construction, alteration, remodeling, rehabilitation, or additions to any building or structure or the placement of a mobile home.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work inside Goshen city, enforced by the Goshen Building Department.

  • The Indiana building code is applied and enforced by the city; the state code itself is not reproduced here.
  • The state energy code also applies.

  “the goshen building department follows and enforces the indiana building code, the city of goshen municipal code, and the state energy code”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside Goshen city limits. Goshen city adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance (Ordinance No. 3011, adopted 1984), administered by its Planning & Zoning Department.

  • Ordinance 3011 has been amended by later council ordinances, including parcel rezonings; current district text must be checked against the latest compiled version.
  • Zoning applies in addition to the sewer, building and health rules listed in other claims.

  “zoning ordinance for the city of goshen, indiana ordinance number 3011 adopted march 6, 1984”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Goshen city zoning districts (A-1 agricultural, R-1, R-1S, R-2, R-3, R-4, business, downtown overlay, industrial, PUD, historic overlay).

  • Published text is the 1984 ordinance as amended, with Article IV dated 3-25-24 on the city site; zoning map amendments are separate ordinances.

  “the following districts are therefore established: a-1 r-1 r-1s r-2 r-3 r-4 b-1 b-2 dd b-3 b-4 m-1 m-2 pud hpd wcsl fcd hd”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Residential dwelling built in the R-1 (Single Family) district inside Goshen city.

  • Figures are occupied floor area required for residential buildings.

  minimum occupied floor area, one-floor dwelling: >= 950 square feet · minimum ground-floor area, two-story dwelling: >= 650 square feet (two-story building)

  “no building shall be erected for residential purposes with less than 950 square feet of occupied space on one floor or 650 square feet on the ground floor for a two-story building.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family detached dwelling in the A-1 (Agricultural) district inside Goshen city.

  • Lots used for agricultural purposes must be a minimum of five acres.
  • Conditional uses must meet section 5200.

  minimum lot area: >= 20000 square feet · minimum lot width at front lot line: >= 100 feet

  “every single family detached dwelling hereafter constructed shall be on a lot having a minimum width at the front lot line of 100 feet and a minimum of 20,000 square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family detached dwelling on a lot in the R-1 (Single Family) district inside Goshen city.

    “every single family detached dwelling hereafter constructed shall be on a lot having an area of not less than 8,000 square feet, and a width at the established front lot line of not less than 66 feet.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Rear yard of a lot in the R-1 (Single Family) district inside Goshen city. Front and side yard setbacks are in section 4140.3(b)-(c) and are not yet extracted.

  • Accessory buildings may sit in the rear quarter of the lot, no closer than 5 feet from the rear lot line.
  • Front and side setbacks remain open (see followups).

  rear yard depth: >= 25 feet (accessory building may be 5 feet from rear lot line)

  “there shall be a rear yard on each lot, the depth of which shall be not less than 25 feet. an accessory building may be erected within the rear quarter of the lot, observing the above side yard requirements and located no closer than five feet from the rear lot line.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Primary residence and accessory buildings on a lot in the R-1 (Single Family) district inside Goshen city.

  • Primary residential use and accessory buildings are counted together.

  maximum building coverage of lot area: <= 35 percent

  “no building shall hereafter be erected, reconstructed or altered so that more than 35 percent of the area of the lot is covered. this shall include a primary residential use and/or accessory buildings or structures, combined.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Residential dwelling in the R-1 (Single Family) district inside Goshen city.

  • Accessory buildings may not exceed the height of the residential dwelling on site.
  • Nonresidential conditional uses: 25 ft, up to 30 ft with added yard setbacks.

  maximum height of residential dwelling: <= 2.5 stories (accessory building not to exceed dwelling height)

  “the maximum height permitted for a residential dwelling shall not exceed two and one-half stories.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  Buildings used for human occupancy inside Goshen city with a public sewer available within 300 feet of the property line.

  • Owner must connect within 90 days after official notice from the city.
  • Connection requires a building sewer construction permit and the sewer connection fee in the city's rate schedule (sections 2.10, 3.04, 3.06).
  • Connection to the public sewer is required when the owner is served by a private system and sewer becomes available (section 2.09).

  distance from public sewer to property line that triggers connection: <= 300 feet (notice from city required)

  “within ninety (90) days after date of official notice to do so from the city, provided that a public sewer is within three hundred feet (300') of the owner's property line.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Water and sewer (with conditions) — Lots and uses in the R-1 (Single Family) district inside Goshen city; the same sentence appears in the A-1 (Agricultural) district at section 4130.10.

    “all lots and uses in this district must be served by city sewer and water. sewer and water main extensions shall be built to city specifications and shall be the responsibility of the developer and not the city.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Goshen city.
• Inspections — Building inspections for work inside Goshen city.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for buildings inside Goshen city.
• Living in an RV — Occupying an RV on private land inside Goshen city.
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Goshen city.

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.