Bolthole Index

Howard County, Indiana

Building permits, zoning and septic in Town of Greentown, Indiana

Town of Greentown, Indiana requires building permits for new construction and many other projects, with applications submitted to the town Utility Office.12 Greentown has its own zoning; Howard County Health Department Environmental Health handles septic permits separately.34 Most town building permits cost $15, and starting work before obtaining a permit brings a penalty.5

At a glance

Building permits
Required for new construction and listed improvements; submit to the town Utility Office12
Zoning
Town zoning applies inside Greentown limits3
Building permit fee
Most permits cost $15; early starts bring a penalty5
Septic permits
Howard County Environmental Health; soil test and prior approval required46
Water and sewer
Town service depends on main availability and a signed connection contract7
Owner-installed septic
Conditional exemption from installer license fees and insurance; examination and septic approval still required8

Who to call

Building permits

Town of Greentown Utility Office — Building Permit Applications

Town building permit applications and questions about building versus zoning approval

(765) 628-3263

112 N. Meridian Street Greentown, IN 46936

Also useful

Greentown Utilities

Town water and sewer service and connection questions

765-628-3263

[email protected]

112 N. Meridian St Greentown, IN 46936

Septic permits

Howard County Health Department — Environmental Health Office

Septic permits, soil-test review and approval before septic work begins

765-456-2406

[email protected]

120 E Mulberry St Room #210 Kokomo, IN 46901

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 12, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Greentown means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in Town of Greentown, IN?

Greentown requires permits for new construction, additions, accessory buildings, demolition, moving structures, fences, porches, decks, signs and swimming pools.1 Every permit application needs a property diagram, and most permits cost $15.1 The town charges a penalty when a project begins before the permit is obtained.5 For a fence, shed or deck, ask the Utility Office which approval applies: the town also says some projects may require zoning approval even when a building permit is unnecessary.9

Who issues building permits in Town of Greentown?

Submit Greentown’s completed Building Permit Application, required documents and property diagram to the town Utility Office.2 The Utility Office is the town’s contact for questions about whether a project needs building or zoning approval.9 Greentown residential construction is subject to the Indiana Residential Code for one- and two-family dwellings.10 For changes authorized by an improvement location permit, the Administrator or designee must inspect the premises within 10 days after completion.11 We could not confirm a separate Greentown certificate-of-occupancy requirement; ask the Utility Office what completion documents your project needs.9

Does Town of Greentown have zoning and residential setbacks?

Greentown has town zoning, so a buildable layout needs to satisfy the town’s district standards as well as construction requirements.3 In residential and B2 districts, the standard front setbacks are 25 feet on local streets, 30 feet on collector streets and 40 feet on arterial streets, measured from the public right-of-way.12 Local-street front yards also depend on adjoining-yard averaging, and corner lots apply front-yard standards along the street-facing side yard.12 Residential buildings in R1 may cover no more than 25% of the lot.13 Ask the Utility Office to resolve the applicable zoning approval before finalizing a property diagram.9

How do septic permits and sewer connections work in Town of Greentown?

Greentown water and sewer service depend on an available main and a signed connection contract; the customer installs the sewer lateral to town specifications and provides a cleanout within 3 feet of the building.7 For a property using septic, Howard County Environmental Health requires a permit before construction or repair, a soil test in all cases, and approval before any septic work begins.6 Howard County’s soil rating shows only 0.8% rated not limited for conventional drain fields; that county-level figure calls for a site evaluation, rather than proving septic is impossible on a Greentown lot.14

Can you live in an RV, tiny home or mobile home in Town of Greentown?

We could not confirm Greentown’s long-term RV, temporary-camping, tiny-home or accessory-dwelling rules; take the proposed use and property diagram to the Utility Office for a zoning answer before committing to the project.9 Greentown’s verified temporary mobile-home allowance concerns replacement of a damaged single-family home: an improvement location permit and $1,000 cash bond are required, and the mobile home may remain no longer than 1 year, with no extensions.15 Manufactured-home parks and communities must be in R4 and meet that district’s requirements.15

Building a home in Town of Greentown: what are the steps?

  1. Take the proposed layout to the Utility Office and resolve building versus zoning approval, including the applicable residential setbacks.912
  2. Ask Greentown Utilities whether water and sewer mains are available and arrange the required connection contracts; if the property needs septic, obtain Howard County Environmental Health approval before septic work begins.76
  3. Submit the town Building Permit Application, required documents and property diagram to the Utility Office, and obtain the permit before beginning the project.25
  4. Arrange the town’s completion inspection for changes authorized by an improvement location permit.11

For land outside Greentown’s planning jurisdiction, use the Howard County guide: the county zoning ordinance excludes the legally established planning jurisdictions of its cities and towns.16

Watch-outs

  • A homeowner’s Howard County septic exemption covers installer license fees and insurance, requires an examination, and leaves septic permit requirements in place.8
  • We could not confirm Greentown-specific floodplain, driveway-access or minimum-home-size requirements; ask the Utility Office to identify the applicable approvals for the parcel.9

Sources

  1. Building Permit (Town of Greentown), quoted and re-checked
  2. townofgreentown.com (Town of Greentown), quoted and re-checked
  3. Chapter 156: Zoning (Town of Greentown), quoted and re-checked
  4. Howard County: On-Site Sewage Systems, quoted and re-checked
  5. Building Permit (Town of Greentown), quoted and re-checked
  6. Howard County: On-Site Sewage Systems, quoted and re-checked
  7. townofgreentown.com (Town of Greentown), quoted and re-checked
  8. Howard County - Complete Code of Ordinances, 2017 S-13, quoted and re-checked
  9. Town of Greentown Utility Office — Building Permit Applications (townofgreentown.com)
  10. Rules of the Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission (Town of Greentown), quoted and re-checked
  11. § 156.146 Certification of Compliance (Town of Greentown), quoted and re-checked
  12. § 156.054 Standard Setbacks (Town of Greentown), quoted and re-checked
  13. § 156.051 Maximum Lot Coverage, Residential Uses (Town of Greentown), quoted and re-checked
  14. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  15. § 156.039 Mobile Home Parks and Manufactured Home Communities (Town of Greentown), quoted and re-checked
  16. Howard County Zoning Ordinance - 2009-BCCO-21, quoted and re-checked

Written October 12, 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.

Answers from the rulebook for Town of Greentown

Town of Greentown’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    New construction, additions, accessory buildings, demolition, moving structures, fences, porches, decks, signs and swimming pools inside Greentown town limits.

    • A property diagram is required for any permit.
    • Most permits are $15.
    • A penalty is charged if a project begins before obtaining the permit.

    typical permit fee: 15 USD (Most permits; source does not state that every permit has this fee)

    “Permits are required for new construction, additions, accessory buildings, demolition, moving structures, fences, porches, decks, signs and swimming pools. A DIAGRAM OF YOUR PROPERTY IS REQUIRED FOR ANY PERMIT.”
  • InspectionsLimited

    Changes requiring a Greentown improvement location permit.

    • The Administrator or designee must inspect the premises within ten days after completion of the permitted change.
    • A state-registered professional engineer certification is required if §156.148 requires it.

    inspection deadline: 10 days after completion

    “Within ten days after the completion of the change authorized by the improvement location permit, the Administrator or his or her designee shall inspect the premises.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Greentown town limits.

    “CHAPTER 156: ZONING Section Enactment Provisions”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Greentown town zoning districts.

    • The opened dimensional provisions identify R1, R2, R3, R4, B1, B2, A, C1 and industrial (I) districts.
    “Dwelling Type | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | B1 | B2 | A”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    Residential districts and B2 district inside Greentown town limits.

    • For local residential streets, front-yard depth is the average of adjoining front yards; if adjoining lots are undeveloped, the depth is considered 25 feet.
    • Front-yard depth may not exceed one-third of lot depth or 40 feet.
    • Corner lots apply the front-yard setback standards to side yards abutting a public street.
    • A lot not abutting a street requires a 25-foot front yard from a designated lot line.

    local-street front setback: 25 feet (Subject to adjoining-yard averaging and maximum-depth rules) · collector-street front setback: 30 feet · arterial-street front setback: 40 feet (Front-yard depth may not exceed one-third of lot depth or 40 feet)

    “In residential districts or B2 districts, the minimum building setback or front yard depth for a lot abutting a street shall be 25 feet for local streets, 30 feet for collector streets and 40 feet for arterial streets as measured from the public right-of-way.”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    Residential buildings in A agricultural district.

    maximum residential building coverage: 25 percent of total lot area

    “Residential buildings on any lot may not exceed in coverage the following percentages of the total lot area.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Building heightSpecified

    Structures in R1, R2, R3, R4, B1, B2 and A districts.

    • Agricultural structures other than residences may be any height necessary for operation.
    • Spires, church steeples, cooling towers, water storage towers, electrical transmission towers and similar structures may be erected to any height not otherwise prohibited.
    • Fences, walls and hedges are limited to seven feet and remain subject to setbacks.

    maximum structure height: 35 feet (Agricultural structures other than residences and listed special structures)

    “Except as otherwise provided by this section, no structure may be erected or changed so as to make its height greater than 35 feet in R1, R2, R3, R4, B1, B2 or A districts.”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    Manufactured or mobile homes inside Greentown town limits.

    • Manufactured-home parks or communities must be in R4 and comply with R4 lot-size, height, setback and other requirements.
    • A mobile home used to replace a damaged single-family home requires an improvement location permit.
    • The replacement mobile home may remain no longer than one year; no extensions are permitted.
    • A $1,000 cash bond is required for the temporary replacement mobile home.
    • The mobile-home section does not apply to approved mobile-home parks or manufactured-home communities.

    maximum temporary replacement duration: 1 year (No extensions permitted) · cash bond: 1000 USD (Returned without interest after removal and certificate of compliance)

    “Mobile homes shall be permitted as temporary uses within the jurisdiction of the municipality.”
  • Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

    Residences and businesses inside Greentown town limits where a water main or sewer main is available.

    • Water service requires signing a connection contract.
    • Sewer service requires signing a connection contract.
    • The customer installs the sewer lateral according to specifications and provides a cleanout within three feet of the building.
    • The source states availability of the main as the condition.

    cleanout distance: <= 3 feet from building

    “The Greentown Water Works will provide service, providing a water main is available, to each residence or business signing a connection contract with our office.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Manufactured-home parks and manufactured-home communities inside Greentown town limits.

    • MHP/MHCs are considered major subdivisions.
    • They are subject to the chapter's submittal and approval procedures and the town's subdivision control ordinance.
    • Plans require Advisory Plan Commission approval at a public hearing before required permits issue.
    “MHP/MHCs shall be considered a major subdivision and shall be subject to the submittal and approval procedures as outlined in this chapter and the town’s subdivision control ordinance.”
  • Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

    Greentown town permits covered by the town's Building Permit page.

    • The page says most permits are $15, not all permits.
    • A penalty applies if work begins before the permit is obtained.

    most permit fees: 15 USD (Most permits)

    “Most permits are $15. and are ready within a week or so. A penalty will be charged if you begin a project before getting your permit.”
  • Permit processPublished (with conditions)

    Building permit applications inside Greentown town limits.

    • Applicants print and complete the Building Permit Application, bring required documents and a property diagram, and submit them to the utility office at 112 N. Meridian St., Greentown.
    “We have provided you with a Building Permit Application form that you can print out, complete, and bring along with all required documents including a diagram of your property to the utility office, 112 N. Meridian St., in Greentown.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Greentown

Town of Greentown does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

  • Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

    One- and two-family residential construction inside Greentown town limits, subject to local administration.

    • The 2020 Indiana Residential Code incorporates the 2018 International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings.
    • Effective date stated by the source: 12/26/2019.
    “675 IAC 14-4.4 | 2020 Indiana Residential Code | 2018 International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings, First Printing | Currently in Effect Effective: 12/26/2019”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemptions from construction permitting inside Greentown town limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificate-of-occupancy requirements inside Greentown town limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size inside Greentown town limits.
  • Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy inside Greentown town limits.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping inside Greentown town limits.
11 more unanswered
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Town of Greentown publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Howard County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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