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

Rules another office applies inside Franklin Township

Franklin 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

  Building and improvement location permits in Grant County Area Plan jurisdiction, which includes unincorporated Grant County (and so applies inside Franklin township if it is unincorporated)

  • Marion and Gas City issue their own permits, so the county permit does not apply inside those cities.
  • Permit requirement stated as a service the office performs; specific thresholds were not located.

  “issue and maintain improvement location and building permits (the cities of marion and gas city issue their own permits)”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Land in unincorporated Grant County, which appears to include Franklin township unless it lies inside a listed municipality; an inference from the area plan jurisdiction statement, not a direct statement about Franklin township

  • Area plan jurisdiction names Jonesboro, Fairmount, Matthews, Upland, Van Buren and Sweetser plus unincorporated Grant County; Marion and Gas City issue their own permits.
  • Zoning text is the Chapter 153 Area Wide Zoning Ordinance; the district schedule lists ag, rs, r1 through r5 single-family districts.

  “area plan has planning jurisdiction over the communities of: jonesboro fairmount matthews upland van buren sweetser unincorporated grant county”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Published (with conditions) — Single-family districts (ag, rs, r1 through r5) in unincorporated Grant County

    “table § 153.200(a) - single family district requirements requirement ag rs r1 r2 r3 r4 r5”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific

  Single-family dwellings in unincorporated Grant County districts

  • Figures are minimum ground floor building area; two-story minimums are lower in the same table.

  minimum ground floor area, one-story dwelling, ag district: >= 720 sq ft

  “one-story dwelling 720 720 960 960 720 720 720”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific

  Single-family dwelling lots in Grant County zoning districts ag, rs, r1 through r5, unincorporated areas (including Franklin township if unincorporated)

  • Table 153.200(a) gives minimum lot area per unit with sewers and without sewers (43,560 sq ft); ag is the main agricultural district.
  • Section 153.116(b): the minimum lot area for each dwelling unit not served by sanitary sewers shall be subject to approval by the county health department.

  minimum lot area with sewers, ag district: 30000 sq ft · minimum lot area with sewers, rs district: 15000 sq ft · minimum lot area with sewers, r1 district: 12000 sq ft · minimum lot area without sewers, all listed districts: 43560 sq ft

  “with sewers 30,000 15,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 6,000 without sewers 43,560 43,560 43,560 43,560 43,560 43,560 43,560”

• SetbacksDistrict specific

  Single-family lots in Grant County districts, unincorporated areas

  • Front yard depends on road class (arterial vs collector or local); side yard is 10% of lot width, not less than 5 ft nor more than 25 ft. Row labels were not cleanly mapped in the flattened text; verify the printed schedule for rear yard values.

  front yard, arterial road, ag district: 40 feet · front yard, collector or local road, ag district: 30 feet

  “arterial road 40 40 35 30 20 15 15 collector or local road 30 30 25 20 15 10 10 10%”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific

  Single-family lots in Grant County ag and rs districts, unincorporated areas

  • Maximum lot coverage is 20% for ag and rs; other districts 30% to 40% per the same table.

  maximum lot coverage, ag district: <= 20 percent · maximum lot coverage, rs district: <= 20 percent

  “maximum lot coverage in percent of lot area 20% 20% 30% 30% 35% 35% 40%”

• Building heightDistrict specific

  Principal buildings in Grant County single-family districts (ag, rs, r1 through r5), unincorporated areas

  • Height exceptions in section 153.119 for agricultural structures (silos, grain bins or dryers, pole barns or barns used with a farming operation of 20 acres or more).

  maximum building height, ag district: <= 40 feet · maximum building height, rs district: <= 35 feet · maximum building height, r1 district: <= 30 feet

  “maximum building height in feet 40 35 30 30 40 40 40”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Onsite sewage systems in Franklin township, administered by the Grant County Health Department Environmental Division

  • The health department page cites the state onsite sewage rule and says the county ordinance is in effect; the health department, not the township, issues permits.

  “you will need a septic permit, issued by the grant county health department, prior to repairing, replacing, constructing, or otherwise altering your septic system.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Repair, replacement, construction or alteration of a septic system inside Franklin township (Grant County Health Department service area)

  • Construction may proceed after the permit is issued; a soil analysis and health department plan review come first.
  • Septic installers must be registered.

  new construction permit fee: 150 USD · replacement system permit fee: 125 USD

  “you will need a septic permit, issued by the grant county health department, prior to repairing, replacing, constructing, or otherwise altering your septic system.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Dwellings in Franklin township not connected to a sanitary sewer

  • Must have a septic tank and soil absorption system that has not failed; systems draining to field tile, drains or streams are not legal per the health department.
  • The cited rule also refers to sanitary privies; the page does not restate the privy conditions.

  “if your system drains to a field tile, drain, creek, stream, side-ditch, or something other than a leachfield, it is not legal.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for Franklin township
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for Franklin township
• Inspections — Inspections for construction in unincorporated Grant County
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy in unincorporated Grant County
• Local zoning — Whether Franklin township (Grant County, IN) adopts its own zoning ordinance

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.