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

Rules another office applies inside Madison Township

Madison 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

  New and altered structures inside Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana (land inside the Morgan County UDO jurisdiction, not inside Martinsville, Monrovia, Mooresville, or Morgantown zoning jurisdiction)

  • Covers erection, alteration, or modification of all structures, including primary structures and accessory structures over 200 square feet or with a permanent foundation.
  • Permit is called an improvement location permit (ILP), also known as a building permit.
  • Under the UDO's accessory-structure section, certain minor items (fences, landscaping, slabs/patios, etc.) are installed without an ILP.

  “an ilp, also known as a building permit, shall be required for the erection, alteration, or modification of all structures within the jurisdiction including, but not necessarily limited to”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts applying to land inside Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana, under the Morgan County UDO

  • Districts: AI intensive agriculture, AG agriculture, RR rural residential, R-1, R-2, R-3, B-1, B-2, B-3, I-1, I-2, PUD, plus the I-69 corridor overlay.
  • Land not specifically placed in a district is in the general agriculture (AG) district, except limited-access or interstate right-of-way.
  • Applies only to land not subject to the zoning jurisdiction of Martinsville, Monrovia, Mooresville, or Morgantown.

  “the following zoning districts have been established for all areas within the jurisdictional area”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family dwellings in the R-2 medium-density residential district inside Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana, where R-2 is mapped

  • The 950 sq ft figure is the single-family minimum; two-family and single-family attached dwellings use 700 sq ft.
  • Minimum width of primary structure is 18 feet in the same table.
  • The R-1 low-density district's living-area line was not found in the extracted text; it is not claimed here.

  minimum living area, single-family: >= 950 sq ft (two-family and single-family attached: 700 sq ft)

  “minimum living area 950 sq ft: single-family; 700 sq ft: two-family & singlefamily attached”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family lots in the R-1 low-density residential district inside Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana, where R-1 is mapped

  • Lot size with sewer is 9,000 sq ft; without sewer it is 1 acre, subject to Morgan County Health Department approval (footnote 2).
  • Minimum lot width is 60 feet with sewer and 75 feet without sewer per the same table.
  • Extracted PDF table text is partly garbled; column alignment should be checked against the official table.

  minimum lot area with sewer: >= 9000 sq ft (without sewer: 1 acre, subject to health department approval) · minimum lot area without sewer: >= 1 acre (subject to approval by the morgan county health department)

  “with sewer 9,000 sq ft n/a without sewer2 1 acre 1 acre”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family lots in the rural residential (RR) district inside Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana, where RR is mapped

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

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Structures in the R-1 low-density residential district inside Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana, where R-1 is mapped

  • Front yard setback is 25 feet for residential and 50 feet for non-residential uses.
  • Side and rear setbacks: primary structure 10 feet side / 15 feet rear (residential); accessory structure 5 feet; non-residential primary 25 feet side / 15 feet rear.
  • Column alignment in the extracted PDF table is not fully certain; verify against the official table.

  front yard setback, residential primary: >= 25 feet (non-residential: 50 feet) · side yard setback, residential primary: >= 10 feet (non-residential: 25 feet) · rear yard setback, residential primary: >= 15 feet · accessory structure setback: >= 5 feet (side and rear)

  “minimum front yard setback 25 feet 50 feet primary structure 10 feet 25 feet accessory structure 5 feet 5 feet primary structure 15 feet 15feet accessory structure 5 feet 5 feet”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-1 low-density residential lots inside Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana, where R-1 is mapped

  • Maximum impervious surface coverage is 50% for both residential and non-residential uses.
  • Impervious surface includes buildings, paved areas, and gravel.

  maximum impervious surface coverage: <= 50 percent

  “maximum impervious surface coverage 50% 50%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — RR rural residential lots inside Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana, where RR is mapped

    “maximum impervious surface coverage 50% 50%”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units on land inside Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana that is subject to the Morgan County UDO

  • The accessory dwelling must have water and sewage disposal approved by the health department or the sanitary service provider.
  • Requires lawfully built dwelling units that meet building code requirements.
  • Minimum living area of 220 sq ft; maximum 50% of the primary dwelling or 800 sq ft, whichever is less.
  • Must be behind the front facade of the primary dwelling.

  minimum living area: >= 220 sq ft

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

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Prohibited — Recreational vehicles, travel trailers, motor vehicles, and non-dwelling structures as accessory dwellings inside Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana

    “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”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Onsite sewage (septic) systems on land inside Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana; the Morgan County Health Department administers septic permits there

  • State rule 410 IAC 6-8.3 applies alongside the county septic ordinance, as the county health department page states.
  • Applies to structures served by septic systems for which an ILP is sought.

  “residential onsite sewage systems, in state law 410 iac 6-8-3 morgan county septic ordinance”

• Septic permitRequired

  A structure served by a septic system inside Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana

  • The ILP cannot be issued until the Morgan County Health Department has issued a septic permit, unless the health officer has authorized an approved system.
  • Fee schedule and permit process details were not verified within budget; the health department's septic permit application form and fee page are linked from the septic division page.

  “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”

• Mandatory utility hookupNone

  New homes on AG, RR, and R-1 land inside Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana: public water and sewer connection is not required in these districts

  • Nonmunicipal water and sewer must be approved by the Morgan County Health Department and/or IDOH.
  • Municipal water/sewer is required in the business and industrial districts (B-1 through I-2) and in R-2 and R-3, which this claim does not cover; the availability-distance rule was not found.
  • Applies to the UDO's district utility standards; in-town connection rules for Madison township were not checked.

  “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”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions inside Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana that fall under the Morgan County UDO subdivision chapter

  • Minor residential subdivisions are an expedited process for creating six or fewer lots, including the remnant or parent parcel.
  • Subdivisions that include new public rights-of-way are major residential subdivisions.
  • Other subdivision types (commercial/industrial, etc.) follow their own procedures.

  minor residential subdivision maximum lots: <= 6 lots (including remnant or parent parcel; new public rights-of-way make it major)

  “results in the creation of six (6) or less lots (including the remnant or parent parcel);”

• Short-term rentalsAllowed

  Short-term rentals of single-family dwellings in the agriculture (AG) district inside Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana, where AG applies

  • Listed as a permitted use in the AG district list; the extracted text does not show a separate short-term rental standard or registration rule.
  • Other districts' short-term rental status was not checked.

  “residential uses • dwelling, single-family • short-term rental accessory uses”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Improvement location permits (ILPs) for structures inside Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana, issued by the Morgan County plan commission office

  • Septic permit from the health department must be issued before an ILP for a septic-served structure.
  • Improvements in subdivisions follow a separate ILP step after plat recording.

  “a. authority. 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 Madison Township or Morgan County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for residential construction inside Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption inside Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana
• Local zoning — Whether Madison township, Morgan County, Indiana has adopted and administers its own zoning ordinance

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.