Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of New Chicago, Indiana

Town of New Chicago’s own rules

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction inside New Chicago town limits

  • Adopts Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission rules (675 IAC) by reference, including the Indiana Building Code, Residential Code, Plumbing, Electrical, Mechanical, Energy, Fire and Fuel Gas codes, with later amendments.
  • Building commissioner and fire department may grant variances (adoption passage before sec. 9-6).
  • The code is the 2017 town code; adoption date not stated in the text read.

  “the rules of the indiana fire prevention and building safety commission as set out in the following articles of title 675 of the indiana administrative code are hereby incorporated by reference in this code and shall include any later amendments to those rules”

• InspectionsRequired

  Work done under a town building permit inside New Chicago town limits

  • Inspections are tied to permitted work; reinspections are required for non-compliant or incomplete work and carry fees under a town fee schedule (sec. 9-41(b)).
  • Fire department assists with fire-suppression inspections (sec. 9-41(c)).

  “(a) after the issuance of any building permit, the administrator shall make, or cause to be made, inspections of the work being done as are necessary to insure full compliance with the provisions of this chapter and the terms of the permit.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Occupancy of buildings or structures inside New Chicago town limits

  • Applies to buildings constructed after adoption of the chapter; a full, partial, or temporary certificate may be issued by the administrator (sec. 9-44).
  • Certificate requirement applies before occupancy; construction may proceed.

  “it shall be unlawful to occupy any thus described building or structure unless a full, partial, or temporary certificate of occupancy has been issued by the administrator.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside New Chicago town limits (Lake County, Indiana): the town's own zoning ordinance, chapter 13 of the 2017 town code

  • The chapter 13 zoning text is in the 2017 town code PDF that the town posts as its code; the PDF file name says 'Proposed Municipal Code for publication' and the amendments list linked from the ordinances page was not opened.
  • Same-name check: the code's water section names the rural areas of Hobart Township, Lake County, Indiana, which confirms the town is the Lake County place.

  “an ordinance to classify, regulate, and limit the height, area, bulk and the use of buildings hereafter to be erected”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside New Chicago town limits

  • Only the table of contents of chapter 13 was read for the district list; the 'a' residence district rules (article 4) were read in other claims. The local business district (article 5) and industrial district regulations were not opened.
  • No zoning map text was opened; chapter 13 article 14 (zoning appendix, sec. 13-151 zoning map) was listed but not opened.

  “article 3 - districts 171 sec. 13-12 - types of districts 171 sec. 13-13 - local business districts 171 sec. 13-14 - industrial district 171”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Dwellings in the 'a' residence district inside New Chicago town limits (main single-family residential district)

  • Stated per dwelling: the text says 'for each family'.
  • Mobile home lots built under chapter 12 are exempt from this section but must comply with chapter 12 of the town code.
  • No separate agricultural or rural-residential district was found in chapter 13 article 3 (districts are 'a' residence, local business and industrial).

  minimum lot area per dwelling: >= 6000 square feet · minimum lot width per family: >= 60 feet

  “(b) no dwelling or group of dwellings shall hereafter be erected or altered to provide less than six thousand (6000) square feet of lot area and sixty (60) feet of lot width for each family.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residence buildings in the 'a' residence district inside New Chicago town limits

  • Front yard setback was not found in article 4 (sec. 13-21 to 13-29 list permitted uses, heights, rear yard, side yard, vision clearance, lot intensity, building size, fences); front setback left unanswered.
  • Vision clearance (sec. 13-26) and fences (sec. 13-29) are separate rules and were not quoted.

  minimum side yard width, each side of residence: >= 10 feet · minimum rear yard depth: >= 20 percent of lot depth (rear lot will not be less than 15 feet) · minimum rear lot yard: >= 15 feet

  “(a) there shall be a side yard on each side of the residence building having a width of not less than ten (10) feet on each side.”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Buildings with accessory buildings in the 'a' residence district inside New Chicago town limits

  • Accessory buildings count toward the coverage limit.
  • Interior-lot and corner-lot limits differ.
  • No lot coverage rule was found for local business or industrial districts (not opened).

  maximum building coverage, interior lot: <= 35 percent of lot area · maximum building coverage, corner lot: <= 40 percent of lot area

  “(a) no building with its accessory buildings shall occupy in excess of thirty-five (35) percent of the area of an interior lot, nor in excess of forty (40) percent of the area of a corner lot.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Buildings in the 'a' residence district inside New Chicago town limits

  • Also: the ground level for new home construction shall not exceed two (2) feet above the height of the street adjacent to the front of the lot (sec. 13-23(b)).
  • Local business district height (sec. 13-44) not opened.

  maximum building height: <= 35 feet · maximum stories: <= 2.5 stories

  “(a) no building shall hereafter be erected or altered to exceed thirty-five (35) feet in height or two and one-half (2 ½) stories.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Trailer courts and trailer parking areas inside New Chicago town limits (expansion restriction); long-term RV occupancy on a single private lot not addressed

  • Trailer courts may not be extended or altered beyond their present status (sec. 13-16(d)).
  • No rule on RV occupancy on a single private lot was found; the claim does not answer that question.
  • Chapter 12 mobile home park rules were not otherwise opened for RV use.

  “(d) there shall be no erection, extension, or alteration of any building, structure, or premises for the following specified trades, industries, or uses beyond their present status in the town of new chicago, indiana, (1) trailer courts and trailer parking areas.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Mobile home parks inside New Chicago town limits; individual manufactured home placement on a single lot not established

  • Parks must be served by central or public sewerage connected to a state-approved treatment plant (sec. 12-60(a)).
  • Individual water wells are not acceptable for parks (sec. 12-59(b)); parks need a special exception and plan approval (sec. 12-? planning commission text, not quoted).
  • Single-lot manufactured home rules were not found in the text read.

  “(a) all parks shall be served by central or public sewerage system connected to a sewage treatment plant approved by the state board of health.”

• Off-grid sanitationProhibited

  Permanent privies (outhouses) on any premises inside New Chicago town limits; other off-grid sanitation not addressed by this rule

  • The ban covers permanent privies only; composting or temporary toilets were not addressed in the sections read.

  “(a) no permanent privy shall be allowed on any premises in the town.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  New homes on premises adjacent to an accepted town sewer inside New Chicago town limits

  • Connection is required where the premises is adjacent to an accepted sewer; a septic tank is not allowed there (sec. 9-162(b)).
  • The distance from a sewer line that triggers connection is not stated in the text read.
  • No mandatory water-connection requirement was found in the sections read.

  “no septic tank shall be allowed on any premises adjacent to an accepted sewer, and in such cases all drains, soil and waste pipes shall be connected with sewers before the job will be approved.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Excavation, fill and construction in the mapped floodway inside New Chicago town limits

  • Requires a state floodway permit from Indiana DNR before a local building permit for activity in the floodway (IC 14-28-1).
  • Nonsubstantial additions or improvements to existing residences in a nonboundary river floodway do not need the DNR permit (IC 14-28-1-26, as cited in the code).
  • Chapter 14 (flood hazard areas) applies to the town; the local floodplain development permit procedure in sec. 14-4 was not opened.

  “under the provisions of ic § 14-28-1 a permit for construction in a floodway from the indiana department of natural resources is required prior to the issuance of a local building permit for any excavation, deposit, construction, or obstruction activity located in the floodway.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for homes inside New Chicago town limits
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside New Chicago town limits
• Tiny homes — Tiny home occupancy inside New Chicago town limits
• Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units inside New Chicago town limits
• Septic permit — Septic system permit for a home inside New Chicago town 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.