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

Rules another office applies inside Grant Township

Grant 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 Grant township (unincorporated Newton County), issued by the Newton County Building Department

  • Driveway, septic and well permits must be obtained first, as the steps list shows.
  • Plat of survey or site plan showing lot dimensions and setbacks from property lines, septic, well and structures is required with the application.
  • Work must be performed by a contractor registered in Newton County under ordinance 96-4, as stated on the application form.

  “a permit shall be obtained before beginning construction or alteration of any building or structure in excess of 160 square feet”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction, alteration and repair of buildings on land inside Grant township, to the extent it is unincorporated Newton County land

  • The ordinance is titled as applying to the unincorporated areas of Newton County, Indiana; Grant township is unincorporated territory of the county, so it is covered by the county code. Confirm with the county that no township-level building agreement applies.
  • The ordinance incorporates by reference building rules, codes and standards required by state law.

  “an ordinance regulating the construction, alteration, repair, location and use of buildings and structures in the unincorporated areas of newton county, indiana”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted construction on land inside Grant township (unincorporated Newton County)

  • Inspections listed on the form: footing, pre-pour foundation, rough-in, insulation, and final.
  • Permit holder must give notice at least 24 hours in advance during working hours.

  advance notice for inspection: >= 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.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Newton County zoning districts that apply to parcels inside Grant township (unincorporated Newton County)

  • The county legend lists the districts: A, R-1, R-1a, R-2, RMH, RMHA, MXD, B-1, B-2, I-1, I-2.
  • The county permit form lists additional codes (R1-A, R1, R2, RMH, RMHA, MXD, B1, B2, I1, I2, PUD, RDD); PUD and RDD are not in the legend.
  • Parcel zoning is shown on the county GIS (Beacon) map per the legend page.

  “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 on land inside Grant township

  • Applies to single-family dwellings under the county zoning legend.
  • Multi-family and other districts have different floor-area figures in the same legend.

  minimum dwelling ground floor area: >= 960 square feet

  “minimum dwelling ground floor area: 960 square feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family dwelling in the agricultural (A) district on land inside Grant township

    “minimum ground floor area: 960 square feet”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Lot for a single-family dwelling in the R-1 district on land inside Grant township

  • Figure is the county's minimum lot area to allow a dwelling in the R-1 block; the R-1a block separates individual and community sewage figures.

  minimum lot area to allow dwelling: >= 43560 square feet

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

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Lot for a single-family dwelling in the agricultural (A) district on land inside Grant township

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

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Principal building in the agricultural (A) district on land inside Grant township

  • Front yard is 100 ft from a state or federal highway (per the county legend).
  • Subdivision covenants and restrictions or corner-lot location may alter setbacks.
  • Rear yard setback for A was not captured in the legend excerpt.

  front yard minimum: >= 35 feet (100 ft if state or federal highway) · side yard minimum: >= 10 feet

  “front yard 35 ft. min. (100 ft. if state or federal hwy)”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Principal building in the R-1 single-family residential district on land inside Grant township

    “35 ft. min. (or 100 ft. from centerline of state or fed. highway)”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  All buildings on a lot in the R-1 single-family residential district on land inside Grant township

  • Accessory buildings may not cover more than 40% of the rear yard area (per the county legend).
  • Coverage limit for the A district was not captured in the legend excerpt.

  maximum building coverage of total lot area: <= 45 percent

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

• Building heightSpecified

  Single-family dwelling in the agricultural (A) district on land inside Grant township

  • Height excludes chimneys, domes and similar features (per the county legend).

  maximum height: <= 30 feet (excludes chimneys, domes, etc.)

  “dwelling, single-family (maximum height of 30 ft.)”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family dwelling in the R-1 single-family residential district on land inside Grant township

    “maximum height (excluding chimneys, domes, etc): • single-family dwelling: 30 feet”

• Manufactured homesAllowed

  Type I manufactured home used as a dwelling on land inside Grant township in the agricultural (A) and single-family residential (R-1) districts

  • Listed as a permitted use in the A district and R-1 district, with the district dimensional rules applying.
  • Type I manufactured homes are the listed category; other manufactured-home types were not addressed.

  “dwelling, single-family • manufactured home, type i”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Septic systems on land inside Grant township (unincorporated Newton County)

  • Septic and well permits are issued by the Newton County Health Department (Environmental Health), 4117 S 240 W, Morocco, IN 47963, per the county's permit form and fee schedule.
  • The health department also reviews subdivision soil reports, per the county fee schedule.

  “septic and well permits from newton county health department [(219) 285-2052]”

• Septic permitRequired

  New septic system or repair on a lot inside Grant township, issued by the Newton County Health Department

  • Mound system, repair and self-installation permits carry different fees from the standard septic permit (see fee claim).

  septic system permit fee: 100 USD (mound system permit $150.00; repair $50.00; self-installation $50.00)

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

• Well permitRequired

  New private water well on land inside Grant township, issued by the Newton County Health Department

  • Well permit number is recorded on the county building permit form.

  well permit fee: 20 USD

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

• Driveway accessRequired

  New access driveway for a building project on land inside Grant township, issued by the Newton County Highway Department

  • Driveway permit is listed as step 1 before the building permit can be obtained.

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

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit fees for construction inside Grant township (unincorporated Newton County)

  • Minimum and maximum fee amounts are listed by type on the form (for example single-family dwelling $200.00 minimum and $400.00 maximum).
  • Reinspection fee of $30.00 applies if a reinspection is required (form text).
  • Multi-family and commercial permits require a $30 fee per inspection, payable upon final inspection.

  residential permit fee rate: 0.2 USD per square foot (minimums and maximums apply by type)

  “residential permits are figured at 20 cents per square foot. commercial permits are figured at 40 cents per square foot.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Published (with conditions) — Septic and well permit fees for land inside Grant township, issued by the Newton County Health Department

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

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit process for construction inside Grant township (unincorporated Newton County)

  • Steps: driveway permit from the county highway department, septic and well permits from the health department, completed application, plat of survey or site plan, and building prints/plans.
  • Plat of survey must show lot dimensions, improvements, structure measurements and setbacks from property lines, septic, well and structures.

  “the following steps need to be completed to obtain a building permit: 1. 2. 3. 4. driveway permit from newton county highway department [(219) 285-2595] septic and well permits from newton county health department [(219) 285-2052]”

Still unanswered

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

• Certificate of occupancy — Whether a certificate of occupancy is issued for a new dwelling on land inside Grant township
• Local zoning — Whether Grant township itself adopts and administers a zoning ordinance for land inside Grant township's limits
• Living in an RV — Occupancy of a recreational vehicle as a residence on private land inside Grant township
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Grant township
• Accessory dwellings — Second dwelling unit on a lot inside Grant 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.