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

Rules another office applies inside Brown Township

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

• Building permitRequired

  Erection, alteration or modification of structures on land inside Brown Township outside city zoning jurisdictions (Morgan County improvement location permit, called a building permit in the UDO)

  • Permit is issued by the Morgan County plan commission office (administrator) under the UDO.
  • Construction may proceed only after the ILP is issued.
  • Temporary use permits are limited to 90 days or the duration of construction, whichever is greater.
  • Accessory structures of 200 square feet or less without a permanent foundation do not need an ILP (UDO chapter 4 accessory permit list).

  “an ilp, also known as a building permit, shall be required for the erection, alteration, or modification of all structures within the jurisdiction”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  One- and two-family dwellings and accessory structures inside Brown Township (state residential code, 2020 Indiana Residential Code)

  • Code is the 2018 IRC model as modified by Indiana state amendments (675 IAC 14-4.4).
  • Local units of government must require compliance with the code under IC 36-7-2-9.

  “there are no jurisdictions or locations in the state in which the code is not in effect.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts in the Morgan County UDO that apply to land inside Brown Township outside the zoning jurisdiction of Martinsville, Monrovia, Mooresville and Morgantown. This is county zoning, not a Brown Township ordinance.

  • Districts listed in the UDO: intensive agriculture (ai), agriculture (ag), rural residential (rr), low-density residential (r-1), medium-density residential (r-2), high-density residential (r-3), neighborhood commercial (b-1), general commercial (b-2), regional commercial (b-3), light industrial (i-1), heavy industrial (i-2), planned unit development (pud); i-69 corridor overlay (i69-o).
  • Property not specifically included within a district is in the general agriculture (ag) district.
  • UDO effective as of January 1, 2022.

  “the udo shall apply to all land within the jurisdiction of the morgan county advisory plan commission”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family lots in the rural residential (rr) district on land inside Brown Township outside city zoning jurisdictions

  • Lot area 20,000 sq ft with sewer for residential use; 1 acre without sewer, subject to Morgan County Health Department approval (footnote 2). The source table is flattened, and the residential/non-residential column order was inferred from the printed layout.
  • Minimum lot width 90 feet and minimum street frontage 90 feet (maximum 1:8 depth-to-width ratio) per the rr lot standards.
  • Effective January 1, 2022.

  minimum lot area, single-family, with sewer: >= 20000 sq ft · minimum lot area, single-family, without sewer: 1 acre acre (subject to Morgan County Health Department approval; flattened table, confirm mapping)

  “with sewer 20,000 sq ft 1 acre without sewer2 1 acre 2 acres”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Impervious surface coverage on rural residential (rr) lots inside Brown Township outside city zoning jurisdictions

  • Maximum impervious surface coverage 50% for residential and non-residential uses (rr table).
  • Gravel areas count as impervious surface coverage under the UDO definitions.
  • Effective January 1, 2022.

  maximum impervious surface coverage: <= 50 %

  “maximum impervious surface coverage 50% 50%”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles used for occupancy on land inside Brown Township outside city zoning jurisdictions. The UDO regulates RV occupancy through campgrounds and RV parks and through the accessory dwelling rule; a home RV-occupancy rule for single-family lots was not located.

  • Campground and RV park is a special exception use in the agriculture (ag) and rural residential (rr) districts.
  • Campground and RV park minimum lot area is 10 acres, with campsites of at least 900 sq ft and maximum density of 25 campsites per acre.
  • Campgrounds with 10 or more tents, recreational vehicles or campsites are subject to state standards under 410 IAC 6-7.1; development plan approval and ILPs are required.
  • Storage of unoccupied recreational vehicles is prohibited in campgrounds.
  • A recreational vehicle, travel trailer or similar structure is not permitted as an accessory dwelling.

  minimum campground / RV park lot area: >= 10 acres (campground and RV park standards) · maximum overnight stays per 12 months in campground: <= 180 overnights

  “a recreational vehicle, travel trailer, or similar structure; a motor vehicle; or any structure not designed for permanent human occupancy is not permitted as an accessory dwelling”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Temporary camping in campgrounds and RV parks on land inside Brown Township outside city zoning jurisdictions

  • Occupants may not exceed 180 overnight stays within twelve consecutive months.
  • Campground and RV park is a special exception use in the ag and rr districts; campsites may not have permanent or semi-permanent structures.
  • Structures, RVs, trailers, camping units, tents and belongings must be removed from the campsite when it is not occupied.

  maximum overnight stays in 12 consecutive months: <= 180 overnights (campground and RV park)

  “occupants shall not exceed one hundred and eighty (180) overnight stays within twelve (12) consecutive months.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes on land inside Brown Township outside city zoning jurisdictions

  • A manufactured home is permitted as an accessory dwelling only if the accessory dwelling standards are met.
  • Manufactured home park is listed as a special exception use in the rural residential (rr) district; park standards apply.
  • Permanent occupancy of a single manufactured home on a standard lot was not separately confirmed.

  “a manufactured home is permitted as an accessory dwelling”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units on lots inside Brown Township outside city zoning jurisdictions

  • Accessory dwelling is listed as a permitted accessory use in the agriculture (ag) district; other district eligibility not confirmed.
  • Allowed only in lawfully-built dwelling units that meet building code requirements.
  • Minimum living area 220 sq ft; maximum living area 50% of the primary dwelling or 800 sq ft, whichever is less.
  • Must be located behind the front facade of the primary dwelling; water and sewage must be approved by the health department.

  minimum living area: >= 220 sq ft · maximum living area: <= 800 sq ft (or 50% of the primary dwelling unit, whichever is less)

  “minimum living area 220 sq ft maximum living area maximum of 50% of the primary dwelling unit or 800 sq ft, whichever is less.”

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  Onsite sewage systems on land inside Brown Township: Morgan County Health Department permits, with state rules (IDOH) also cited on the county health page

  • Septic permits come from the Morgan County Health Department (septic division).
  • The county health page cites residential onsite sewage rules in state law 410 IAC 6-8-3.
  • Nonmunicipal water and sewer must be approved by the Morgan County Health Department and/or IDOH (UDO rural residential utility standards).

  “procedures to obtain septic permits in morgan county”

• Septic permitRequired

  Structures served by a septic system on land inside Brown Township

  • Permit is issued by the Morgan County Health Department; the UDO makes it a precondition to the ILP.
  • Septic permit application forms (conventional, trench, sand-lined, Presby or mound) are on the county health department site; fees and timing were not verified.

  “no ilp shall be issued for a structure that is served by a septic system unless a septic permit has been issued by the morgan county health department”

• Off-grid sanitationAllowed (with conditions)

  Onsite water and sanitation on rural residential land inside Brown Township outside city zoning jurisdictions

  • Allowed only when the Morgan County Health Department and/or IDOH approves the water and sewage system.
  • Campgrounds and RV parks require sanitation facilities approved by the county health department, state health department or sewer provider.

  “all nonmunicipal water and/or sewer shall be approved by the morgan county health department and/or idoh”

• Mandatory utility hookupNone

  New homes in the rural residential (rr) district on land inside Brown Township outside city zoning jurisdictions

  • Municipal water and sewer are not required for this district.
  • Nonmunicipal water and sewer must be approved by the Morgan County Health Department and/or IDOH.
  • Availability-based connection distance rule was not found in the UDO sections reviewed.

  “municipal water and sewer are not required for this district, but all nonmunicipal water and/or sewer shall be approved by the morgan county health department and/or idoh.”

• Agricultural exemptionConditional

  Agricultural land uses on land inside Brown Township outside city zoning jurisdictions

  • Agriculture land uses are exempt from one dimensional standard in the district tables (footnote 1); this is not a general exemption from ILP or building permit requirements.
  • Development plan approval is not required for agricultural uses (excluding confined feeding operations), single-family or two-family residential uses.
  • ILPs still apply to construction under the UDO.

  “agriculture land uses are exempt from this standard”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land inside Brown Township outside city zoning jurisdictions

  • Minor residential subdivision (six or fewer lots including remnant or parent parcel, no new public right-of-way) uses an expedited process.
  • Subdivisions with new public rights-of-way are major residential subdivisions.
  • Plat approval and recording and improvement location permits follow the UDO chapter 7 procedures.

  “the minor residential subdivision process is an expedited process for residential subdivisions that”

• Permit processPublished

  ILP process for construction on land inside Brown Township outside city zoning jurisdictions

  • Administrator issues ILPs under IC 36-7-4-800 series.
  • Development plan approval is required for non-agricultural, non-single-family and non-two-family development.
  • Septic permit must precede ILP for septic-served structures.

  “the administrator, or their designee, shall be responsible for the issuance of ilps in accordance with the ic 36-7-4-800 series.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for homes inside Brown Township
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Brown Township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Brown Township
• Local zoning — Land inside Brown Township, Morgan County, Indiana: whether the township itself adopted and administers a zoning ordinance
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum living area of a primary dwelling inside Brown 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.