Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Cedar Grove, Indiana

Town of Cedar Grove’s own rules

• Driveway accessRequired

  Driveways, patios, curbs, walks, retaining walls, and sheds or greenhouses over 150 sq ft built inside Cedar Grove town limits

  • The permit is issued by the town where the work occurs (Cedar Grove), under Ordinance 14-2012 (passed 6/26/2012).

  accessory structure size threshold: > 150 square feet (sheds and greenhouses above this size need a town permit)

  “(i) brookville, oldenburg, mt. carmel and cedar grove; as such, within the designated towns, a permit from the town in which the installation and/or construction is to occur, shall be required before installing any driveways, patios, curbs, drainage devices, walks, retaining walls, storage sheds over 150 square feet, green houses over 150 square feet, or any other structures over 150 square feet. (ordinance # 14-2012, passed on 6/26/2012).”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Cedar Grove

Town of Cedar Grove 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

  New structures and changes of land use inside Cedar Grove town limits under the Franklin County area zoning code, issued by the area plan commission executive director.

  • Agricultural barns and farm buildings are still required to obtain an improvement location permit to confirm agricultural use and zoning compliance.
  • Construction may proceed after the improvement location permit is issued.
  • Town-specific driveway, patio, shed and structure permits from Cedar Grove are a separate requirement (see driveway_access).

  “g. improvement location permits. no structure may be erected, altered or placed, or no use of land may be changed, unless an improvement location permit has been obtained from the executive director by the owner(s) of the property or by his agent.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Residential one- and two-family dwellings inside Cedar Grove town, under the Indiana Residential Code (675 IAC 14-4.4) adopted by the state.

  • Covers residential structures only; commercial building code adoption (675 IAC 13) was not verified in this research.
  • Farm buildings used purely for agriculture are exempt from the building code under the Franklin County code (see agricultural_exemption claim).

  “675 iac 14-4.4 2020 indiana residential code free access (model code with incorporated amendments) 2018 international residential code for one- and two-family dwellings, first printing currently in effect effective: 12/26/2019”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district inside Cedar Grove town, where no public sewer is used

  • Where sewer is used, the R-1 lot minimum is smaller (10,000 sq. ft. per the R-1 table); that figure was not quoted cleanly here.
  • Ordinance 2023-21 (passed 11/1/2023) added the septic-field sizing language.

  minimum lot area without sewer: >= 1 acre (or larger if needed for septic fields)

  “where no sewer is utilized: 1 acre, or larger if needed for 1 2 septic fields (ordinance #2023-21 passed 11/1/2023) where sewer is utilized: 10,000 sq. ft.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — A-1 agriculture district (single-family use permitted) inside Cedar Grove town, where no sewer is utilized

    “1. minimum lot area: 1 acre, or larger if needed for 1 2 septic fields where no sewer is utilized.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles on residential property inside Cedar Grove town under the Franklin County area zoning code

  • Limit is on parking or storage in the open; living in an RV on a residential lot was not separately regulated in the text opened.
  • An RV on a site in a floodplain for more than 180 days is treated as development and must meet floodplain standards.
  • Temporary RV uses are allowed as additional uses under section 80.05.

  recreational vehicles parked or stored in the open on a residential property: <= 2 vehicles (one additional vehicle may be permitted for visitation not to exceed thirty days in any one year)

  “not more than two recreational vehicles will be permitted to be parked or stored in the open on a residential property at any one time; provided, however, that one additional such vehicle may be permitted for visitation not to exceed thirty days in any one year.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed

  Manufactured homes as a permitted use in the R-1 single-family residential district of the Franklin County area zoning code inside Cedar Grove town

  • Subject to the R-1 lot, floor area and yard requirements.
  • Temporary mobile homes during construction or for security purposes are allowed with permit for up to 18 months.
  • Manufactured homes in a special flood hazard area must meet floodplain elevation and anchoring standards.

  “(a) permitted uses. 1. agricultural use. 2. single family dwelling. 3. manufactured home. 4. additional uses set forth in section 80.05”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Floodplain development permit applications for structures with a restroom, kitchen or other wastewater facilities inside Cedar Grove town's special flood hazard areas. This does not establish a general mandate to connect to public water or sewer.

  • Applicants must show a public sewer connection or an approved on-site septic system is available and approved by the regulatory agency.
  • A general requirement to connect to public water or sewer when available was not found.

  “g. verification that connection to either a public sewer system or to an approved on-site septic system is available and approved by the respective regulatory agency for proposed structures to be equipped with a restroom, kitchen or other facilities requiring disposal of wastewater.”

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

  Farm buildings used for commercial agriculture inside Cedar Grove town; farm houses and farm dwellings are not exempt

  • Farm houses and farm dwellings (including the farm owner, operator or assistants) are not exempt.
  • Barns and agriculture buildings remain subject to zoning and floodplain rules and need an improvement location permit.

  “where agriculture is pursued for commercial gain, farming operations are exempt from the restrictions and regulations of the building code. this exemption for farms does not apply to farm houses and farm dwellings which include dwelling for the farm owner, operator or farm assistants.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in special flood hazard areas inside Cedar Grove town, which the code covers jointly with Franklin County and the towns of Brookville, Laurel, Mt. Carmel and Oldenburg

  • Applies to special flood hazard areas only.
  • Violations are punishable by a fine not exceeding $2,500 per day of violation.

  maximum fine per violation day: <= 2500 USD (each day a separate offense)

  “all violations shall be punishable by a fine not exceeding $2,500.00. (1) a separate offense shall be deemed to occur for each day the violation continues to exist.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Cedar Grove or Franklin County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for a home inside Cedar Grove town
• Inspections — Building inspections for new homes inside Cedar Grove town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for a new home inside Cedar Grove town
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area in the R-1 and A-1 districts inside Cedar Grove town
• Setbacks — Yard setbacks in the R-1 and A-1 districts inside Cedar Grove town

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.