Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Meridian Hills, Indiana

Town of Meridian Hills’s own rules

• Local zoningVaries (with conditions)

  Land inside Meridian Hills town limits. The town's own code reserves only residential development standards (setbacks, yards); general zoning otherwise rests with Indianapolis/Marion County.

  • The town states it is an included town under Unigov and that 'many matters of zoning and planning affecting the town rest with the department of metropolitan development and metropolitan development commission of indianapolis, indiana.'
  • The town's code states the Marion County dwelling district zoning ordinance is generally applicable, with the town's own setback standards overlaid for residential property.
  • The town has not published a statement that it has no zoning ordinance; this claim does not record an absence finding.
  • The 2007 chapter is the most recent town-specific zoning text found; the town code states it contains no amendments after July 2015.

  “recognizes that many matters of zoning and planning affecting the town rest with the department of metropolitan development and metropolitan development commission of indianapolis, indiana.”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Land inside Meridian Hills town originally classed R-1 (main single-family district) under the town's 1946 General Ordinance No. 1 and 1957 zone map, as incorporated by the Marion County dwelling district ordinance. Parcel-level class is not established by this record.

  • Minimum side yard 15 feet in R-1 per the quoted sentence; the R-1 front-yard clause quoted here is the 40 percent-of-average-depth rule, which applies only where the front yard line is not set by the block-frontage rule in subdivision (b)(1).
  • The 2007 source text for the R-1 front-yard cap is garbled ('need to be more than 100 feet'); the cap is not quoted here and needs verification.
  • These standards are stated as minimums ('shall not be less than') and are reserved to the town by the Marion County dwelling district ordinance.
  • Rear yard (general, all residence districts): least dimension at least 15 percent of lot depth, not more than 30 feet required, per the same chapter.

  side yard minimum (least dimension): >= 15 feet (class R-1 district, per 1946 General Ordinance No. 1 sec. 9 as incorporated) · front yard setback: 40 percent of average lot depth (where front yard line not set by block-frontage rule; class R-1 cap not verified) · rear yard least dimension: >= 15 percent of lot depth (all residence districts; need not exceed 30 feet)

  “the least dimension of a side yard shall not be less than 15 feet in a class r-1 district; not less than 12 feet in a class r-2 district; and not less than 10 feet in a class r-3 district.”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Land inside Meridian Hills town originally classed R-2 under the town's 1946 General Ordinance No. 1 and 1957 zone map, as incorporated by the Marion County dwelling district ordinance. Parcel-level class is not established by this record.

    “but such distance back from the street line need not be more than 75 feet”

  • District specific (with conditions) — Land inside Meridian Hills town originally classed R-3 under the town's 1946 General Ordinance No. 1 and 1957 zone map, as incorporated by the Marion County dwelling district ordinance. Parcel-level class is not established by this record.

    “but such distance back from the street line need not be more than 60 feet”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permits for work inside Meridian Hills town limits.

  • The town routes building permits to the Indianapolis Department of Business and Neighborhood Services (DBNS); the town page does not publish the permit steps.
  • The town's note says residents must obtain 'any necessary permits', which does not itself state which work requires a permit.

  “residents are responsible for obtaining any necessary permits through the indianapolis department of business and neighborhood services.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Whether building permits are required for new homes inside Meridian Hills town limits.
• Owner-builder exemption — Whether an owner may build a home without a licensed contractor inside Meridian Hills town limits.
• Building code adopted — Which building code applies to construction inside Meridian Hills town limits.
• Inspections — Building inspections for work inside Meridian Hills town limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Meridian Hills 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.