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

Rules another office applies inside Tippecanoe Township

Tippecanoe 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 zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Unincorporated land inside Tippecanoe township, Kosciusko County, Indiana. Zoning here is the Kosciusko County Zoning Ordinance (Ord. 75-1), administered by the county, not a township ordinance.

  • The ordinance incorporates the zone maps of each township in the county, which includes Tippecanoe township.
  • This does not show that Tippecanoe township itself adopted zoning; the township's own adoption was not verified.
  • The copy opened is revised September 6, 2016; a later amendment may exist.

  “"zone maps" of the incorporated cities or towns and each township in the county are hereby incorporated by reference into this ordinance.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Unincorporated land inside Tippecanoe township under the county zoning ordinance

  • District list is in the ordinance; the township's zone map is filed at the Area Plan Commission office and was not opened.
  • Districts are e, pu, a, aii, r, c, i-1, i-2, i-3.

  “the county is divided into the districts stated in this ordinance as shown by the district boundaries on the zone map.”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Agricultural (A) district, unincorporated land inside Tippecanoe township under the county ordinance

  • Table B values apply to lots without public sewer; Table C governs lots with public sewer and was not opened.
  • Section 2.6 says a single-family residence is permitted on separate tracts if the tract provides adequate area for water and sewage systems.

  minimum lot area, agricultural district: >= 20000 sq ft (Table B, lots without public sewer; additional 10,000 sq ft per family)

  “a 20,000 10,000 100 50 20 aii 1 acre n/a 100 50 20”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Residential (R) district, single-family, unincorporated land inside Tippecanoe township under the county ordinance

    “r 20,000 10,000 100 35 10 c 7,000 +5000** 30 35 10”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Agricultural (A) district, unincorporated land inside Tippecanoe township under the county ordinance

  • Table B applies to lots without public sewer; Table C governs lots with public sewer and was not opened.
  • Rear yard depth is listed in Table B but could not be read reliably from the flattened output, so it is not stated here.

  minimum front yard depth: >= 50 feet (Table B, lots without public sewer) · minimum side yard width: >= 20 feet (Table B, lots without public sewer)

  “a 20,000 10,000 100 50 20 aii 1 acre n/a 100 50 20”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Residential (R) district, unincorporated land inside Tippecanoe township under the county ordinance

    “r 20,000 10,000 100 35 10 c 7,000 +5000** 30 35 10”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles used as a temporary or permanent place of abode outside a mobile home park or designated campground, unincorporated land inside Tippecanoe township

  • Must meet all federal, state and county laws applicable to dwellings.
  • Must have durable skirting installed when used as an abode.

  “mobile homes and recreational vehicles not located in a mobile home park or designated campground, and used as temporary or permanent place of abode shall be subject to the requirements of all federal, state and county laws applicable to dwellings. further "skirting" of a durable material shall be installed upon any mobile home or recreational vehicle so used or occupied as a temporary or permanent place of abode.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile homes used as a temporary or permanent place of abode outside a mobile home park or designated campground, unincorporated land inside Tippecanoe township

  • Must meet all federal, state and county laws applicable to dwellings.
  • Must have durable skirting installed when used as an abode.

  “mobile homes and recreational vehicles not located in a mobile home park or designated campground, and used as temporary or permanent place of abode shall be subject to the requirements of all federal, state and county laws applicable to dwellings. further "skirting" of a durable material shall be installed upon any mobile home or recreational vehicle so used or occupied as a temporary or permanent place of abode.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Onsite septic systems on land inside Tippecanoe township

  • Permits are issued through the Kosciusko County Health Department.

  “county ordinances require property owners to obtain permits for any new septic or well installed in kosciusko county.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New septic systems on land inside Tippecanoe township

  • Also required for repair of an existing septic system.

  “county ordinances require property owners to obtain permits for any new septic or well installed in kosciusko county. this includes any work done for repairing an existing septic system or replacing an existing well.”

• Well permitRequired

  New wells on land inside Tippecanoe township

  • Also required for replacing an existing well.

  “county ordinances require property owners to obtain permits for any new septic or well installed in kosciusko county. this includes any work done for repairing an existing septic system or replacing an existing well.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Unincorporated land inside Tippecanoe township, Kosciusko County

  • Section 2.6 refers to a subdivision control ordinance; its text was not opened.
  • A single-family residence on a separate tract must not conflict with the subdivision control ordinance.

  “a single-family residence is permitted in this district on separate tracts of land, if there is no conflict with the subdivision control ordinance, and if the tract provides adequate area for water and sewage systems.”

• Permit processPartial

  Septic and well permits on land inside Tippecanoe township; no building permit process was found

  • Permit applications are fillable PDFs sent to the health department by email.
  • No building permit, inspection, or certificate-of-occupancy process was located.

  “well permit application: fillable pdf printable completed forms should be emailed to: [email protected] and [email protected] with well permit application in the heading”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new homes inside Tippecanoe township
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Tippecanoe township
• Building code adopted — Building code for new homes inside Tippecanoe township
• Inspections — Building inspections for new homes inside Tippecanoe township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Tippecanoe 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.