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

Rules another office applies inside Beaver Township

Beaver 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 residential construction and alterations on land inside Beaver township that is not within an incorporated town (Newton County Building Department jurisdiction)

  • Structures 160 square feet or smaller are exempt, and repair/maintenance (roofing, siding, etc.) under $10,000.00 is exempt, per the county building department page.
  • Submittal steps include driveway permit, septic and well permits from the health department, completed application, plat or site plan, and building plans.

  exempt structure size: <= 160 sq ft (structures of this size or smaller need no building permit) · exempt repair cost threshold: <= 10000 USD (repair/maintenance (roofing, siding, etc.))

  “building permits are not required for structures 160 square feet or smaller, or for repair/maintenance (roofing, siding, etc.) for which the cost does not exceed $10,000.00”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  New one- and two-family dwelling construction (Class 2 structures and accessory structures) inside Beaver township, Newton County, Indiana

  • Local units of government are statutorily mandated to require compliance with the code, per the circular (citing IC 36-7-2-9).
  • Enforcement is by the local permit-issuing authority (Newton County Building Department for unincorporated land).

  “the 2020 indiana residential code (675 iac 14-4.4) went into effect on december 26, 2019. it applies to all construction on class 2 structures and their accessory structures.”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted construction inside Beaver township, unincorporated Newton County

  • Owner must notify the building department at least 24 hours in advance of inspections.
  • Inspections on work not performed by the homeowner require a contractor registered yearly in Newton County.

  inspection notice: >= 24 hours

  “the owner of a permit is required to notify the building department during working hours, at least 24 hours in advance, when construction is ready for inspection.”

• Local zoningVaries (with conditions)

  Land in unincorporated Newton County, including land inside Beaver township's limits that is not within an incorporated town. This is a county aggregate, not a finding that Beaver township adopted its own zoning ordinance.

  • The county zoning legend shows parcel zoning districts adapted from Newton County Zoning Ordinance 94-1.
  • No official Beaver township zoning ordinance was located; whether Beaver township adopts its own zoning was not verified.
  • Incorporated towns within the township are excluded.

  “*adapted from newton county zoning ordinance 94-1”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts applicable to unincorporated Newton County parcels, including Beaver township

  • Only the district legend is published in the opened document; the full district text is in Ordinance 94-1, not located.

  “zoning legend: a r-1 r-1a r-2 rmh rmha mxd b-1 b-2 i-1 i-2 agricultural district single family residential district”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family dwelling in the R-1 single-family residential district, unincorporated Newton County, including Beaver township parcels zoned R-1

  • Applies only to parcels zoned R-1; other districts (A, R-1a, R-2, rmh, etc.) differ and were not fully extracted.
  • Figure is read from the county zoning legend adapted from Ordinance 94-1; confirm against the ordinance text.

  minimum dwelling ground floor area: 960 sq ft

  “minimum dwelling ground floor area: 960 square feet minimum lot area to allow dwelling: 43,560 square feet”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Lot needed to allow a single-family dwelling in the R-1 single-family residential district, unincorporated Newton County, including Beaver township parcels zoned R-1

  • Applies only to R-1 parcels; the legend lists different lot areas for other districts (e.g., 10,000 and 15,000 sq ft figures for other residential districts) that were not assigned to a district.
  • Subdivision covenants and restrictions may limit or alter requirements, per the legend note.

  minimum lot area to allow dwelling: 43560 sq ft (R-1 district only)

  “minimum lot area to allow dwelling: 43,560 square feet”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal buildings in the R-1 single-family residential district, unincorporated Newton County, including Beaver township parcels zoned R-1

  • Only the side-yard figure was confirmed from the legend text for R-1; front and rear figures for R-1 were not confirmed.
  • Setbacks from wells and septic systems (10 ft minimum distance between well/septics and buildings) are listed in the agricultural block of the legend and were not assigned to R-1.

  side yard minimum: >= 10 ft (R-1 district)

  “side yard 10 ft. minimum right-of-way /property line must be at least 15% of the lot depth, but need not be more than 30 feet.”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  All buildings on an R-1 parcel, unincorporated Newton County, including Beaver township parcels zoned R-1

  • Applies to R-1 parcels only; accessory buildings are separately limited to 40% of the rear yard area per the legend.

  maximum building coverage of lot: <= 45 percent (R-1 district)

  “all buildings may not cover more than 45% of the total lot area.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Buildings in the R-1 single-family residential district, unincorporated Newton County, including Beaver township parcels zoned R-1

  • Heights exclude chimneys, domes, etc. per the legend.
  • Heights are for the R-1 district as read from the legend block; confirm against ordinance 94-1.

  single-family dwelling maximum height: <= 30 ft (excludes chimneys, domes, etc.) · accessory building maximum height: <= 15 ft (excludes chimneys, domes, etc.)

  “single-family dwelling: 30 feet • multi-family dwelling: 35 feet • accessory building: 15 feet”

• Manufactured homesAllowed

  Manufactured home (type I) used as a single-family dwelling on an R-1 parcel in unincorporated Newton County, including Beaver township

  • Applies to R-1 single-family residential district only; other districts were not fully extracted.
  • Definition of manufactured home, type I is in ordinance section 7.00 (not opened).

  “r-1: single-family residential district permitted uses/structures • dwelling, single-family • manufactured home, type i”

• Who permits septicCounty

  Onsite septic systems for homes inside Beaver township, handled by Newton County Health Department

  • The county building checklist sends septic and well permits to the Newton County Health Department (Morocco office).

  “septic and well inspections, septic and well permits, water and”

• Septic permitRequired

  Septic system installation for a home inside Beaver township, Newton County Health Department

  • Mound system, repair, and self-installation permits carry separate fees on the same schedule.
  • Additional septic site evaluations after three are charged separately.

  septic system permit fee: 100 USD (mound system permit is $150.00)

  “septic system permit $100.00 mound system permit $150.00 septic permit for repair $50.00”

• Well permitRequired

  Private water wells for homes inside Beaver township, Newton County Health Department

  • Well permit is listed with the building permit submittal, so a home's building permit needs the well permit number.

  well permit fee: 20 USD

  “subdivision development soil report review $100.00 well permit $20.00”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division of land into lots in unincorporated Newton County, including Beaver township

  • Minor and major subdivisions follow separate primary approval procedures, and subdivision covenants and restrictions also apply.

  “primary approval procedures for minor subdivision primary approval procedures for major subdivision”

• Driveway accessRequired

  New residence with a driveway on land inside Beaver township, unincorporated Newton County

  • Driveway permit is a submittal step before the building permit is issued.

  “driveway permit from newton county highway department [(219) 285-2595]”

• Permit feesPublished

  Health-department septic and well permit fees for homes inside Beaver township, Newton County Health Department

  • Building-permit fees were not located; see the separate unknown claim.

  septic system permit fee: 100 USD · well permit fee: 20 USD

  “septic system permit $100.00 mound system permit $150.00 septic permit for repair $50.00”

Still unanswered

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

• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy approval for new construction inside Beaver township, unincorporated Newton County
• Living in an RV — Occupancy of an RV on private land inside Beaver township
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Beaver township
• Tiny homes — Occupancy of a tiny home inside Beaver township
• Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling unit on a parcel inside Beaver 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.