Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Honey Creek Township, Indiana

Rules another office applies inside Honey Creek Township

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

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Septic systems on land inside Honey Creek township, administered by the Howard County Health Department environmental health office (Kokomo)

  • The OSS page does not state a township-by-township service boundary; the county health department is the permitting office named for Howard County.
  • Inside the City of Kokomo a sanitary sewer tap permit from the city applies instead of a septic permit, per the 2008 improvement location sheet.

  “prior to construction or repair of an on-site sewage system (septic system), the property owner is required to obtain a permit from the environmental health office.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New or repaired septic systems on land inside Honey Creek township (Howard County Health Department)

  • A soil test is needed in all cases to determine the absorption field area, per the OSS page.
  • System size depends on soil types and number of bedrooms, per the OSS page.
  • Any septic work must receive prior approval before it begins, per the OSS page.
  • The 2008 improvement location sheet lists the health department septic permit phone as 765-456-2403; the current OSS page lists 765-456-2406. Confirm the current contact before relying on either.

  “in all cases, a soil test is needed to determine the area of the absorption field. any work performed on a septic system must receive prior approval before the work begins.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Creating new lots on unincorporated land inside Honey Creek township, under the Howard County Plan Commission

  • Unapproved lots may require subdivision approval before a home permit issues.
  • The Kokomo-HC subdivision checklist (secure.in.gov) indicates separate rules for new lots in agricultural and rural residential districts; not opened within budget.

  “a. verify the property is an approved building lot. unapproved lots may require subdivision approval.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New home driveway access on unincorporated land inside Honey Creek township (Howard County Highway Department)

  • Listed as a companion permit for new homes on the 2/21/2008 sheet, which applies outside the City of Kokomo.
  • The sheet's phone number for the highway department is 765-456-2802; confirm before relying on it.

  “a driveway permit from the howard county highway department (phone: 765-456-2802)”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Howard County improvement location permit fee for work on unincorporated land inside Honey Creek township

  • Minimum fee $15.00; maximum fee $1,000.00, per the 2/21/2008 sheet.
  • An after-the-fact permit carries an additional $10.00 per $1,000.00 surcharge, per the same sheet.
  • The sheet is dated 2/21/2008; the current fee schedule was not verified and should be confirmed with the Plan Commission.

  permit fee rate: 1 USD per $1,000 of estimated or contracted cost (minimum $15.00; maximum $1,000.00)

  “a permit fee which is calculated at $1.00 per $1,000.00 of estimated or contracted cost of the improvement. the minimum fee is $15.00. the maximum fee is $1,000.00.”

• Permit processPartial

  Howard County improvement location permit application for land inside Honey Creek township outside Kokomo

  • The sheet lists the required application items but not the review timeline or inspection steps for county work.
  • The sheet is dated 2/21/2008 and may not reflect the current process.
  • Companion permits also required for new homes: septic system permit (health department), MS4 permit (county surveyor), and driveway permit (county highway department).

  “the following items must be submitted with the application for an improvement location permit:”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for a home built by the owner inside Honey Creek township
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for new construction inside Honey Creek township
• Inspections — Building inspections for new homes inside Honey Creek township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Honey Creek township
• Local zoning — Whether Honey Creek township itself adopts and administers a zoning ordinance for land inside its limits

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.