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

Rules another office applies inside Lake Township

Lake 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

  Residential building permits in Newton County, including unincorporated Lake township

  • Permits are not required for structures 160 square feet or smaller, or for repair or maintenance costing $10,000.00 or less.
  • Septic and well permits and a driveway permit are prerequisites to the building permit.
  • Work not done by the homeowner must be done by a county-registered contractor.

  exempt structure size: <= 160 sq ft · repair cost exemption: <= 10000 USD (repair/maintenance such as roofing or siding)

  “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”

• InspectionsRequired

  Permitted construction in Newton County, including unincorporated Lake township

  • Owner must notify the building department at least 24 hours in advance when work is ready for inspection.
  • Inspections listed: footing, pre-pour foundation, rough-in, insulation, final.

  notice before inspection: >= 24 hours (during working 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 as listed by the county building department for parcels in unincorporated areas; applicability inside Lake township is not stated on the source

  • The source is a county summary adapted from Zoning Ordinance 94-1, not the ordinance text.
  • The source does not state the geographic reach of the ordinance, so township-level applicability is unverified.
  • The source is undated; no effective date is stated.

  “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 sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the agricultural (AG) district under Newton County zoning in unincorporated Lake township

  • Applies only where county zoning governs the parcel; township applicability not confirmed on the source.

  minimum ground floor area: >= 960 sq ft

  “single-family dwelling requirements: maximum height (excluding chimneys, domes, etc): 30 feet minimum ground floor area: 960 square feet minimum lot area to allow dwelling: 43,560 square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family dwellings in the R-1 single-family residential district under Newton County zoning in unincorporated Lake township

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

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Agricultural (AG) district parcels under Newton County zoning in unincorporated Lake township

  • Applies only if the parcel is zoned AG under the county zoning ordinance; township applicability not confirmed on the source.
  • Source is a county summary adapted from Ordinance 94-1.

  minimum lot area to allow dwelling: >= 43560 sq ft

  “single-family dwelling requirements: maximum height (excluding chimneys, domes, etc): 30 feet minimum ground floor area: 960 square feet minimum lot area to allow dwelling: 43,560 square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 single-family residential district parcels under Newton County zoning in unincorporated Lake township

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

• SetbacksSpecified

  Agricultural (AG) district under Newton County zoning in unincorporated Lake township

  • Front yard is 100 ft if on a state or federal highway.
  • Source notes that subdivision covenants or corner-lot location may alter setbacks.
  • Accessory buildings have no setback or area requirement in AG per the summary; the 10 ft distance from well/septic to buildings also applies.

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

  “front yard 35 ft. min. (100 ft. if state or federal hwy) principal building side yard 10 ft. minimum 35 ft. min. on all sides”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 single-family residential district under Newton County zoning in unincorporated Lake township

    “principal building 35 ft. min. (or 100 ft. from centerline of state or fed. highway) ponds, pits, excavations 35 ft. min. on all sides side yard 10 ft. minimum”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-1 single-family residential district under Newton County zoning in unincorporated Lake township

  • Accessory buildings may not cover more than 40% of the rear yard area (separate limit in the same district).
  • Lot coverage for AG was not stated in the summary.

  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 dwellings in the R-1 district under Newton County zoning in unincorporated Lake township

  • Height excludes chimneys, domes, etc.
  • Accessory building height limit is 15 ft in the same district.

  maximum height, single-family dwelling: <= 30 ft (excluding chimneys, domes, etc)

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

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family dwellings in the AG district under Newton County zoning in unincorporated Lake township

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

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured home communities in the RMH district under Newton County zoning, unincorporated Lake township only if rezoned to RMH

  • No area of less than 20 acres may be zoned RMH.
  • Subject to ordinance 94-1 sections 7.00 and 7.10, not reviewed.

  minimum RMH district area: >= 20 acres

  “rmh: residential manufactured home district no area of less than 20 acres may be zoned rmh”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Allowed — Manufactured home, type I as a single-family dwelling in the AG and R-1 districts under Newton County zoning in unincorporated Lake township

    “dwelling, single-family (maximum height of 30 ft.) • manufactured home, type i • farm”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory apartments in the MXD mixed use development district under Newton County zoning only

  • Applies only to parcels zoned MXD; the summary does not list accessory apartments in AG, R-1 or R-2.
  • Development-plan approval is required for MXD uses.

  “uses accessory to these are permitted on the same lot with principal uses, including accessory apartments”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Septic permits for homes in Lake township, which are issued by the Newton County Health Department

  • The county health department handles septic and well permits; state rules may also apply.
  • Septic installer registration and the mound system fee are separate items on the fee schedule.

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

• Driveway accessRequired

  Driveway access for a new home in Newton County, including unincorporated Lake township

  • A driveway permit from the county highway department is the first building-permit step.
  • Highway department rules were not opened.

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

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Residential building permit process in Newton County, including unincorporated Lake township

  • Steps are: driveway permit, septic and well permits, a completed application, a plat or site plan, and building plans.
  • Building department contact is (219) 285-8304 per the form.

  “the following steps need to be completed to obtain a building permit”

Still unanswered

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

• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes in Newton County, including unincorporated Lake township
• Local zoning — Whether Lake township (Newton County, IN) adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance
• Living in an RV — Long-term RV occupancy on private land in unincorporated Lake township
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land in unincorporated Lake township
• Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy in unincorporated Lake 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.