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

Rules another office applies inside Washington Township

Washington 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 primary and accessory structures on unincorporated land inside Washington township, under the Morgan County UDO (not land within Martinsville, Monrovia, Mooresville, or Morgantown zoning jurisdiction)

  • The permit is an improvement location permit (ILP) under the county UDO, not a state building permit; the state building code permit process was not researched.
  • The UDO applies to land under the Morgan County advisory plan commission that is not subject to the zoning jurisdiction of the governmental units of Martinsville, Monrovia, Mooresville, and Morgantown; the county advisory plan commission jurisdiction includes the incorporated towns of Bethany, Brooklyn, and Paragon.

  “an ilp is required for the construction of all primary and accessory structures”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  County zoning districts that apply to unincorporated land inside Washington township, Morgan County

  • The UDO applies to land under the county advisory plan commission outside the zoning jurisdiction of Martinsville, Monrovia, Mooresville, and Morgantown; within those cities, their own zoning applies.
  • Districts named in the use lists include agriculture (ag), rural residential (rr), and an AI district; the district map and the official zoning map were not opened.

  “chapter 3: zoning districts & use development standards page 23 morgan county unified development ordinance”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwellings on unincorporated land inside Washington township

  • Accessory dwellings have their own additional development standards in chapter 4 (TOC page 60), which were not opened; numeric limits are unknown.
  • The county UDO lists accessory dwelling among uses with additional development standards.

  “uses with additional development standards 1. accessory dwelling”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Onsite (septic) sewage systems on land inside Washington township, Morgan County (the county health department program covers this township as part of Morgan County)

  • The Morgan County Health Department runs the septic permit program for the county; this claim applies inside Washington township as part of Morgan County.
  • The county health department page cites Indiana state law 410 IAC 6-8-3 for residential onsite sewage systems; the state rule applies alongside the county program.
  • Land inside Martinsville or other incorporated cities may be under city utility rules; this claim does not cover city limits.

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

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Nonmunicipal sewer or on-site sanitation on unincorporated land inside Washington township

  • Nonmunicipal water and/or sewer must be approved by the Morgan County Health Department and/or IDOH.
  • Septic permitting and state rule 410 IAC 6-8-3 are listed on the county page (see septic claims).

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

• Mandatory utility hookupNone

  New homes on unincorporated Agriculture (AG) district land inside Washington township; the AI district utility text is the same in substance

  • Nonmunicipal water and/or sewer must be approved by the Morgan County Health Department and/or IDOH.
  • The extracted text states no public water or sewer connection requirement for this district; it does not state a distance or availability rule for connecting when public sewer is available.
  • Residential (RR) district utility text was not isolated and is not covered by this claim.

  “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”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Septic permit fees for land inside Washington township, Morgan County

  • The county page links a fees for septic permits page; the amounts were not opened.
  • The UDO contains a fee schedule chapter (TOC page 215); its amounts were not opened.

  “procedures to obtain septic permits in morgan county general information on septic systems fees for septic permits”

• Permit processPartial

  Septic permit process for land inside Washington township, Morgan County

  • Only the septic permit procedure link was located; the zoning improvement location permit procedure and any building-permit process were not opened.

  “procedures to obtain septic permits in morgan county”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for a home built by the owner inside Washington township, Morgan County
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for construction inside Washington township, Morgan County
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Washington township, Morgan County
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Washington township, Morgan County
• Local zoning — Whether Washington township itself adopts and administers a zoning ordinance for land inside its 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.