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

Rules another office applies inside Center Township

Center Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts that apply in unincorporated Center township, Porter County, Indiana, under the county UDO (not inside incorporated Valparaiso or other cities)

  • The UDO excludes land inside incorporated cities and towns.
  • Districts named in chapter 02 include GW, P1, P2, A1, A2, RR, R1, R2, R3, R4.
  • Chapter 02 bears a 2007 consultant copyright notice; confirm current adopted version and amendments on the county UDO page.

  “for the purpose of the unified development ordinance, the county is divided into the following zoning districts for the general purposes as stated: district abbreviation gw p1 p2 a1 a2 rr r1 r2 r3 r4”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single dwellings on land in the A1 general agriculture district, unincorporated Center township, Porter County, Indiana

  • Figure is from the county chapter 02 A1 district table, which carries a 2007 consultant copyright notice; confirm current adopted text.
  • Minimum dwelling size for R1 and RR not confirmed (see dwelling-size-r1-rr-unknown).

  minimum dwelling size: >= 1000 square feet

  “maximum impervious surface coverage: •35% of the lot area minimum dwelling size: •1,000 square feet”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R1 low density single-family residential district, unincorporated Center township, Porter County, Indiana

  • Lot area depends on utilities: 15,000 sq ft with a water utility; 22,500 sq ft without a water utility; 1 acre without sanitary sewer.
  • Chapter 02 bears a 2007 consultant copyright notice; confirm current adopted text.

  minimum lot area with water utility: >= 15000 sq ft · minimum lot area without water utility: >= 22500 sq ft · minimum lot area without sanitary sewer: >= 1 acre

  “minimum lot area: •with water utility: 15,000 sq. ft. •without water utility: 22,500 sq. ft. •without sanitary sewer: 1 acre”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — RR rural residential district, unincorporated Center township, Porter County, Indiana

    “minimum lot area: •1 acre minimum lot width: •160 feet”

  • Specified — A1 general agriculture district, unincorporated Center township, Porter County, Indiana

    “minimum lot area: •10 acres minimum lot width: •160 feet minimum front setback: •50 feet minimum side setback: •30 feet”

• SetbacksSpecified

  A1 general agriculture district, unincorporated Center township, Porter County, Indiana

  • Chapter 02 bears a 2007 consultant copyright notice; confirm current adopted text.

  minimum front setback: >= 50 feet · minimum side setback: >= 30 feet · minimum rear setback, primary structure: >= 30 feet · minimum rear setback, accessory structure: >= 15 feet

  “minimum front setback: •50 feet minimum side setback: •30 feet minimum rear setback: •primary structure: 30 feet •accessory structure: 15 feet”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — RR rural residential district, unincorporated Center township, Porter County, Indiana

    “minimum front setback: •40 feet minimum side setback: •primary structure: 30 feet •accessory structure: 15 feet minimum rear setback: •primary structure: 30 feet •accessory structure: 15 feet”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  A1 general agriculture district, unincorporated Center township, Porter County, Indiana

  • Chapter 02 bears a 2007 consultant copyright notice; confirm current adopted text.

  maximum impervious surface coverage: <= 35 percent of lot area

  “maximum impervious surface coverage: •35% of the lot area”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Residential well and septic permits for land inside Center township, Porter County, Indiana, as run by the Porter County Health Department Environmental Division; the page does not limit this to unincorporated land

  • Commercial systems are handled by the Indiana State Department of Health instead (see septic-authority-commercial-state).
  • Septic permits expire two years from the date of issuance.
  • Plan review by county staff takes three to five days; revisions may be requested.

  “to obtain the well and septic permit, the customer is required to visit the porter county health department's environmental division and make a well and septic permit application.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • State (with conditions) — Commercial well and septic systems in Center township, Porter County, Indiana (not residential)

    “a soil test is required and may be obtained by hiring a private, certified soil scientist. contact indiana state department of health, commercial septic system division at 317-233-1325 and follow their instructions.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New residential septic systems on land inside Center township, Porter County, Indiana

  • A soil test is required and may be obtained by hiring a private, certified soil scientist.
  • A septic/well field investigation report is issued first (about two to four days) and lists requirements for permit issuance.
  • Permit expires two years from issuance.

  “a soil test is required and may be obtained by hiring a private, certified soil scientist.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Off-grid (non-sewer) sanitation on unincorporated land in Center township, Porter County, Indiana, under the RR and R1 residential districts

  • Septic is allowed only where sanitary sewer is unavailable and soil and water table are suitable (RR).
  • Septic is permitted only where sanitary sewer is unavailable (R1).
  • A soil test is required before a septic permit is issued (county health page).

  “sewer: •septic system permitted only where sanitary sewer utility is unavailable and the water table and soil types are suitable”

• Well permitRequired

  Residential private wells on land inside Center township, Porter County, Indiana

  • Site plan must show house, proposed well, and existing septic tank, laterals, or sewer line, drawn to scale.
  • Wells must be at least 50 feet from septic tanks, laterals, and sewer lines.
  • Well permits have no expiration date.

  minimum separation well to septic tank, laterals, or sewer line: >= 50 feet

  “wells must be located at least 50 feet from septic tanks, laterals, and sewer lines.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  New homes on unincorporated land in Center township, Porter County, Indiana, under the county UDO residential districts R1 and RR; not inside incorporated Valparaiso or other cities

  • R1: lot width is 100 feet with a sanitary sewer connection and 160 feet for a septic system.
  • RR: septic is allowed only where sanitary sewer is unavailable and soil and water table are suitable; private well only where water utility is unavailable.
  • The county chapter bears a 2007 consultant copyright notice; confirm it is the currently adopted text.

  “sewer: •septic systems permitted only where sanitary sewer utility is unavailable water: •private well permitted only where water utility is unavailable”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Subdivision of land in unincorporated Center township, Porter County, Indiana

  • Plan Commission action on plat approval is final and is not forwarded to the board of commissioners.
  • Filing deadlines apply before a public hearing is scheduled.

  “in matters regarding subdivision plat approval, the plan commission action is final, and is not forwarded to the board of commissioners.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building permit application process for unincorporated land in Center township, Porter County, Indiana

  • Contractors must register on the county portal before applying for building permits (2023 registration noted on the page).
  • Plan review and septic permits are handled separately (see septic claims).

  “all contractors will need to register for 2023 in the new portal create an account at permitting.schneidergis.com”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption for a home inside Center township, Porter County, Indiana
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption for land inside Center township, Porter County, Indiana
• Inspections — Building inspections for land inside Center township, Porter County, Indiana
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for land inside Center township, Porter County, Indiana
• Local zoning — Land inside Center township, Porter County, Indiana: whether Center township itself adopts and administers a 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.