Unincorporated Greene County, Indiana has no county zoning, and the only county permit required to build, remodel or renovate residential or commercial property is a septic permit12. The Greene County Health Department handles onsite sewage permits and inspections3. Separate state filing or floodway approval may apply depending on the project and site45.
At a glance
- Building permit
- Not required; the only county permit is for septic1
- Zoning
- None; Greene County is not subject to planning or zoning ordinances2
- Septic permit
- Required through the Greene County Health Department before construction36
- Septic permit fee
- $150 for new construction or modification (plus a $500 penalty if you start before the permit issues)7
- Manufactured home occupancy
- Allowed statewide as a suitable, necessary dwelling type8
- RV in a regulated campground
- Limited to one RV per designated campsite9
- Private well permit
- Depends on the local health department; several Indiana counties require one, so confirm before drilling10
Who to call
Septic permits
Greene County Health Department, Environmental Health – Habitation Division
Onsite sewage system (OSS/septic) permits and inspections for new construction, modifications, mobile-home placement, and repairs in Greene County
217 E Spring St., Suite 1, Bloomfield, IN 47424
Also useful
Greene County Auditor's Office (general county government contact)
General Greene County government contact; subdivision plats outside city and town limits go to the county's board of commissioners, reachable through this office
1 E Main St., Bloomfield, IN 47424
Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on September 29, 2026.
Do you need a building permit in Greene County, Indiana?
Greene County states that the only county permit required to plan, build, renovate or remodel residential or commercial property is a septic permit1. Indiana still requires local units to enforce the building and fire-safety laws adopted by the state commission, and project classification determines the inspection authority1112. State filing requirements also depend on the project's classification and exemptions; being exempt from state filing does not by itself answer whether a local permit is required4. In unincorporated Greene County, however, the county's stated permit requirement remains septic only1. We could not confirm a separate owner-builder exemption or a generally applicable certificate-of-occupancy rule; ask the county's general government contact if your project has an unusual use or classification.
Who handles septic and other county permits in Greene County?
For septic, call the Greene County Health Department's Environmental Health – Habitation Division, which permits and inspects every onsite sewage system, new or repaired, in the county13. You can reach that office at 217 E Spring St., Suite 1, Bloomfield, IN 47424, phone (812) 384-4496, email [email protected]13. For anything else that touches county government, including a subdivision plat outside a city or town's limits, the Greene County Auditor's Office at 1 E Main St., Bloomfield, IN 47424 is the general contact point, and it can direct you to the board of county commissioners, who approve subdivision plats under Indiana law1415.
Does Greene County have zoning?
Greene County states that unincorporated areas are not subject to county planning or zoning ordinances2. That means there is no county zoning-permit step for an unincorporated parcel2. It does not establish the rules inside an incorporated city or town, so verify the parcel's jurisdiction before relying on the county answer. We could not confirm separate county standards for minimum lot size, setbacks, building height, lot coverage or minimum dwelling size. For a subdivision plat or an unusual land division, start with the Greene County Auditor's Office, which can direct you to the board of county commissioners14. Floodway jurisdiction is separate from zoning: Indiana DNR approval may be required for construction, fill, excavation or another obstruction in a qualifying mapped floodway5.
How do septic permits work in Greene County?
Every residential and commercial onsite sewage system in Greene County goes through the Health Department's Environmental Health – Habitation Division3. You'll need a certified soil evaluation, a signed application with your parcel ID, and a floor plan for new construction; minimum specifications come back within 15 business days of a complete application, and the permit itself issues within 30 business days once your installer submits an approved design6. The application fee is $150 for new construction or a modification and $50 for a repair, and there's a $500 penalty fee if construction or a mobile-home placement starts before the permit is issued7. Soil is worth taking seriously here: only about 4.4% of Greene County's soils carry no severe limits for a conventional septic drain field, so budget for an engineered or alternative system on much of the county's ground16. Statewide, Indiana bans drywells and cesspools outright and caps a holding tank used as your main disposal method at one year unless you document it's working properly17.
Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in Greene County?
Greene County has no county zoning ordinance for unincorporated land, but that fact alone does not confirm that full-time RV or tiny-home occupancy is allowed2. We could not confirm a Greene County rule that expressly addresses either use, so ask the Greene County Health Department how the proposed wastewater arrangement would be treated before buying or moving a unit onto the parcel13. Indiana recognizes manufactured homes as suitable dwelling units, subject to applicable health, sanitation, building-code and local requirements8. Indiana's campground limits answer a different question: a regulated campground may have no more than one recreational vehicle or vacation mobile home on a designated campsite, while temporary-campground operation is time-limited918. Those campground rules do not authorize long-term residence in an RV on ordinary private land9.
Building a home in Greene County: the steps, in order
- Confirm that the parcel is unincorporated; Greene County has no county zoning and requires only a septic permit, but municipal rules may differ21.
- Check whether the building site or access work lies in a mapped floodway, because qualifying construction, fill or excavation may need Indiana DNR approval5.
- Get a certified soil evaluation and file the onsite sewage application with the Greene County Health Department, including a floor plan for new construction6.
- Have the septic installer submit the required design cover page and drawing; the county issues permits within 30 business days after receiving that complete package6.
- Give the Health Department at least 24 hours' notice before excavation and 48 hours' notice before covering the system6.
- Confirm whether the project's classification triggers state filing or a particular inspection authority before work begins412.
What to check before you buy land in Greene County
Start with wastewater and flood exposure. Only about 4.4% of Greene County's soils have no severe limits for a conventional septic drain field, even though 73.9% of the land has a slope of 15% or less, so gentle ground does not guarantee an easy septic site1619. In a qualifying mapped floodway, Indiana DNR may require prior approval for construction, fill, excavation or another obstruction; floodplain-fringe work receives no state review, but local floodplain rules and federal flood-insurance requirements may still apply5. Also confirm legal access and ask the appropriate road authority about any driveway approval, because we could not confirm a Greene County-specific driveway rule. For carrying costs, the typical home insurance premium is about $1,534 a year, the effective property tax rate is about 0.7%, and the median annual property tax bill is about $895202122. The nearest city of 100,000 or more is about 65 miles from the county's center23.
Watch-outs
- Only about 4.4% of Greene County's soils carry no severe limits for a conventional septic drain field, so get a soil evaluation from the Health Department early, before you fall in love with a specific tract16.
- Indiana's campground rules do not answer whether full-time RV living is allowed on ordinary private land in Greene County; ask the Health Department about wastewater requirements for the proposed use913.
- Mapped floodway work may require Indiana DNR approval even though Greene County has no zoning permit; check flood status before placing a building, excavating or adding fill5.
Sources
- Greene County, Indiana - FAQ (Planning/Zoning/Permits) (2026 county census)
- Greene County, Indiana - FAQ (Planning/Zoning/Permits) (2026 county census)
- 410 IAC 6-8.3 Residential Onsite Sewage Systems, quoted and re-checked
- DHS: Plan Review Process, quoted and re-checked
- Water: Community Assistance & Information, quoted and re-checked
- Onsite Sewage System (OSS) Permit Instructions, quoted and re-checked
- Onsite Sewage System (OSS) Permit Instructions, quoted and re-checked
- Environmental Public Health: IC 16-41-27 Health Sanitation and Safety: Mobile homes and manufactured homes, quoted and re-checked
- Environmental Public Health: 410 IAC 6-71 Campgrounds, quoted and re-checked
- Recommended Standards For Private Water Wells (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- DHS: Code Enforcement FAQs, quoted and re-checked
- DHS: Code Enforcement FAQs, quoted and re-checked
- Greene County Health Department, Environmental Health – Habitation Division (co.greene.in.us)
- Greene County Auditor's Office (general county government contact) (co.greene.in.us)
- 2023 County Recorders Resource Library (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Share of soils without severe limits for a conventional septic drain field (USDA SSURGO): Bolthole Index county data
- 410 IAC 6-8.3 Residential On-Site Sewage Systems (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Environmental Public Health: 410 IAC 6-71 Campgrounds, quoted and re-checked
- Share of land at 15% slope or less: Bolthole Index county data
- Typical home insurance premium: Bolthole Index county data
- Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
- Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
- Distance to the nearest metro area: Bolthole Index county data
Written September 29, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.