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

Rules another office applies inside Noble Township

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

• Local zoningVaries (with conditions)

  Zoning for land in Jay County, including unincorporated land in Noble township; the county ordinance aggregates township and municipal zoning and does not show that Noble township itself adopted an ordinance

  • Jay County zoning (Dec 2019 ordinance) applies to land not covered by the ordinances of Portland, Dunkirk, Bryant, or Redkey.
  • Whether all of Noble township's non-Redkey land falls outside the town ordinances was not verified in the opened sources; Redkey's location relative to Noble township is not confirmed here.
  • Noble township-specific zoning adoption not found (see local-zoning-noble-township-unknown).

  “this ordinance shall apply to all land within jay county not covered by the ordinances of portland, dunkirk, bryant, or redkey, indiana.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  County zoning districts applicable to unincorporated land in Noble township

  • The county districts listed in the table of contents include AR (agricultural residential), RR (rural residential), commercial, industrial, environmental protection, and flood plain districts.
  • The zoning map is kept on file at the Jay County Recorder and Plan Commission offices.
  • Municipal districts in Portland, Dunkirk, Bryant, and Redkey are separate.

  “these ordinance maps shall be kept on file and available for examination at the offices of the jay county recorder and the jay county plan commission.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Rural/residential (RR) district lots in unincorporated Noble township served by public or other approved community sewer

  • Applies only where the lot is served by public or other approved community sewer systems; well-and-septic lots use the 2-acre minimum.

  minimum lot size (public or community sewer): >= 5000 square feet (well-and-septic lots require 2 acres)

  “served by public or other approved community sewer systems -- 5,000 sq. ft.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Rural/residential (RR) district lots in unincorporated Noble township

  • Rear yard depth and side yard width are stated in the district table; the front-yard figure is quoted here.
  • Roadway setback is measured from the road right-of-way.

  front yard depth from road-side property line: >= 15 feet · side yard width (each side): >= 5 feet · rear yard depth: >= 5 feet · roadway setback from road right-of-way: >= 30 feet

  “roadway setback regulation: 30 feet from the road right-of-way front yard limits**: each lot shall have a front yard with a minimum depth measured from, and parallel to, the property line adjacent to the road of 15 feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Agricultural/residential (AR) district lots in unincorporated Noble township

    “roadway setback regulations: 30 feet from the road right-of-way, unless otherwise stated in this ordinance. yard setback regulations: 5 feet from property lines, unless otherwise stated in this ordinance”

• Building heightSpecified

  Rural/residential (RR) district structures in unincorporated Noble township

  • Accessory buildings may exceed 16 feet only with Board of Zoning Appeals approval.
  • Small wind energy towers have separate rules in Section 218.

  maximum height, primary structures: <= 30 feet · maximum height, accessory buildings: <= 16 feet (Board of Zoning Appeals approval)

  “maximum height: 30 feet 16 feet small wind energy tower – private”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Occupying a recreational vehicle on private land in Jay County, including unincorporated Noble township, outside an approved campground

  • The limit applies outside an approved campground.
  • Continuous occupancy limit of twelve weeks; occupancy beyond that is not allowed under this section.

  continuous occupancy limit: <= 12 weeks (approved campground)

  “recreational vehicles shall not be occupied continuously for longer than twelve (12) weeks in any county location other than approved campground.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Temporary camping with a recreational vehicle on private land in Jay County, including unincorporated Noble township

  • Camping in campgrounds follows Section 307 (campgrounds need at least 5 acres and approved sanitary sewer).
  • The Section 306 limit covers continuous RV occupancy outside an approved campground; other temporary-camping rules were not reviewed.

  continuous occupancy limit: <= 12 weeks (approved campground)

  “recreational vehicles shall not be occupied continuously for longer than twelve (12) weeks in any county location other than approved campground.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivisions of land in unincorporated Noble township under the Jay County Zoning & Subdivision Ordinance

  • Major and minor subdivisions require plan commission approval; the board of commissioners must be notified before secondary approval.
  • Subdivision rules were only partly reviewed.

  “b. secondary approval for record: the commission shall approve the secondary plat for record only after it has determined that the secondary plat meets the minimum requirements of this ordinance and all applicable ordinances in the county”

• Driveway accessNot required

  Driveways on unincorporated land in Noble township under the county building permit list

  • This is the county building and zoning permit checklist; it does not address road-access or culvert permits from the county highway department or the state.
  • Driveway rules from the highway department were not reviewed.

  “sidewalks - no driveways - no permit application form is available for download.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in floodways and flood plain areas of unincorporated Noble township

  • Floodways and floodplains are regulated by Portland, Jay County, Indiana DNR and FEMA; the county flood plain district (Section 205) has its own development standards that were not fully reviewed.
  • Municipal flood rules apply inside Portland and other towns.

  “floodways and flood plain areas are regulated by portland, jay county, the indiana department of natural resources (dnr) and fema.”

• Permit feesNot published (with conditions)

  Building and zoning permit fees for projects in Jay County, including unincorporated Noble township

  • Fees are set by the county's official fee schedule and must be obtained from the department before the permit issues.
  • Fee amounts were not found online; the department says fees vary by project.

  “permit fees vary depending on the project and are not published online.”

• Permit processPartial

  Permit process for new homes and other improvements on unincorporated land in Noble township

  • A permit application form is available for download; the fee schedule is not published online.
  • Approvals from the health department (septic and wells) and floodplain review may be needed before the permit issues.

  “permit application form is available for download. permit fees vary depending on the project and are not published online.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Whether an owner-builder exemption exists for permits on unincorporated land in Noble township
• Building code adopted — Which building code applies to new residential construction in Noble township
• Inspections — Whether building inspections are required for new homes on unincorporated land in Noble township
• Certificate of occupancy — Whether a certificate of occupancy is issued for new homes on unincorporated land in Noble township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area for a new home on unincorporated land in Noble 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.