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

Rules another office applies inside Washington Township

Washington 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

  New structures, additions, and other permitted work on land in unincorporated Grant County, including Washington township land outside any incorporated town

  • Permits are issued as improvement location permits (ILPs) by the Grant County Area Plan office; the county says ILPs cover both site use and building permits.
  • Per the Area Plan FAQ, a permit is needed for a new principal or accessory structure, an addition, HVAC work, remodel or repair, pools, decks, enclosed porches, and roof replacement.
  • Construction may proceed after the permit is issued.
  • The Area Plan page says the cities of Marion and Gas City issue their own permits, and the FAQ says work inside the listed towns goes through town hall or the county building inspector.

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

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  New construction and alterations on land in unincorporated Grant County, including Washington township land outside any incorporated town

  • Grant County uses the International Residential Code with Indiana amendments for permitted construction, per the Area Plan FAQ.
  • Per the same FAQ, the IRC and IBC form the code basis used by the county in building inspections on permitted projects.
  • Towns within the county (Fairmount, Jonesboro, Matthews, Sweetser, Van Buren, Upland) and the cities of Marion and Gas City handle permits on their own.

  “within the ordinance, it addresses building rules to use for construction that are based on the international residential code book with indiana amendments.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Projects with an issued county permit on land in unincorporated Grant County, including Washington township

  • Inspections are tied to permits issued by the Area Plan office; the FAQ does not list a separate inspection for work without a permit.
  • Work inside the listed towns and the cities of Marion and Gas City is inspected by those jurisdictions.

  “inspect projects associated with all permits issued according to current local and state building codes.”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Swimming pools built on land in unincorporated Grant County, including Washington township

  • The source states this rule for swimming pools only; a general certificate of occupancy for dwellings was not located in the opened pages.
  • Use of the pool before a certificate of occupancy is issued is prohibited, and the county says it will assess fines.

  “your pool will need to be inspected and have a certificate of occupancy allowing you to use it before you use it.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  County areawide zoning districts for unincorporated Grant County, including Washington township land outside any incorporated town

  • The Area Plan FAQ says the ordinance is accessible on the county website, but the zoning ordinance PDF and land use table could not be opened (the guessed URLs returned 404), so district names and standards are not recorded here.
  • The Area Plan office at (765) 668-4765 is the stated contact for current zoning information.

  “the zoning ordinance is the land use guide for the county and can be accessed through this website.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Onsite sewage systems on land inside Washington township, Grant County, Indiana, handled by the Grant County Health Department (countywide authority that applies inside the township)

  • The Grant County Health Department's Environmental Division administers septic permits; the FAQ does not list a township service-area map, so coverage of all of Washington township is inferred from its countywide role.
  • Indiana's administrative code sets the minimum requirement for a septic tank and soil absorption system, quoted under utility_connection.

  “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

  Repairing, replacing, constructing, or altering a septic system on land inside Washington township, Grant County, Indiana (countywide Health Department permit that applies inside the township)

  • Permit is issued by the Grant County Health Department after a certified soil scientist's analysis and the installer's plans are approved.
  • Replacement of the absorption field, and changes beyond 2 feet outside the foundation, require a septic permit per the FAQ.

  new construction septic permit fee: 150 USD · replacement system septic permit fee: 125 USD · repair septic permit fee: 50 USD (repair means repair or replacement of any component other than the soil absorption field (leachfield))

  “permits for new construction are $150. permits for replacement systems are $125.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Residential wastewater disposal for dwellings on land inside Washington township, Grant County, Indiana, not connected to sanitary sewer

  • Under the cited rule, a system must have a septic tank and a soil absorption system that has not failed.
  • The health FAQ says a system that drains to a field tile, drain, creek, stream, side-ditch, or anything other than a leachfield is not legal.

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

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  New dwellings on land inside Washington township, Grant County, Indiana, that are not connected, or cannot be connected, to a sanitary sewer

  • The quoted Indiana Administrative Code rule requires an onsite septic system for dwellings that are not connected or cannot be connected to sanitary sewer; it does not require connection where sewer is available.
  • The opened pages did not state a distance-to-sewer or availability rule, and no township or county sewer-connection mandate was located.

  “any dwelling which is not connected, or cannot be connected, to a sanitary sewage system and which does not utilize a sanitary privy for its residential sewage disposal system shall be provided with a residential sewage disposal system which consists of a septic tank and a soil absorption system, which has not failed.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions into lots on land in unincorporated Grant County, including Washington township

  • The Area Plan enforces the county subdivision ordinance and takes subdivision petitions; the ordinance text was not opened, so its thresholds and exemptions are not recorded.
  • Subdivisions are handled through the Area Plan Commission.

  “enforce ordinances including the zoning and subdivision ordinances, as well as the ordinances for animal feeding operations, wind energy conversions, and wireless facilities.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Area Plan improvement location and building permit fees for work in unincorporated Grant County, including Washington township

  • Fees are from the county-posted Appendix A schedule. The Area Plan FAQ references a fee schedule page, but the 2025 update is not verified here.
  • A county news aggregator reported that Ordinance 15 (October 20, 2025) updated Area Plan fees by 27.8%; that source is not official and the new amounts were not found, so the Appendix A amounts may be out of date.
  • Appendix A also lists a pool fee ($51 above-ground, $83 in-ground), and demolition, roofing and grading fees, not recorded here.

  new home or relocation base fee: 192 USD (plus $.13 per square foot of floor area (maximum $320)) · residential accessory building fee over 120 sq ft: 0.13 USD per sq ft (minimum $32, maximum $320; 0-120 sq ft accessory buildings require no permit)

  “new home or relocation $192 base fee plus $.13 per square foot of floor area (maximum $320)”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  How to obtain an improvement location or building permit for work in unincorporated Grant County, including Washington township

  • Application is through the Area Plan office at 401 S. Adams Street, Marion; the FAQ says some permits, such as roofs and electrical hookups, can be taken by phone.
  • A contractor must provide a contract or owner letter approving them to pull the permit before the county issues it.
  • Work inside the listed towns and the cities of Marion and Gas City goes through those jurisdictions.

  “in short, ilps refer to the way a site is improved or used; a building permit refers specifically to the structure being built or altered.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for dwellings in Washington township, Grant County, Indiana
• Local zoning — Land inside Washington township, Grant County, Indiana: whether the township itself adopts and administers a zoning ordinance
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size for residential districts in unincorporated Grant County, including Washington township
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size in the main single-family residential district and any agricultural or rural-residential district, unincorporated Grant County, including Washington township
• Setbacks — Yard setbacks for the main single-family residential district and any agricultural district, unincorporated Grant County, including Washington township

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.