Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Cynthiana, Indiana

Town of Cynthiana’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Cynthiana town limits, regulated by the joint zoning ordinance of the City of Mount Vernon, Town of Cynthiana, Town of Poseyville and unincorporated Posey County

  • Town of Cynthiana town council adopted the joint ordinance on 08/14/2012 (ordinance 2012-8-14.3), effective September 1, 2012.
  • Administered by the Posey County Area Plan Commission; the Posey County Area Board of Zoning Appeals hears variances and special exceptions for the town.
  • Ordinance text was read from a copy hosted by Purdue Extension, not an official county or town site; confirm against the current official version, since a Posey County zoning and subdivision ordinance update was reported as pending.

  “this code shall be in full force and effect and shall apply the all lands the city of mt. vernon, the town of cynthiana, the town of poseyville and unincorporated posey county, indiana.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Multiple-family dwellings in the RM / R-3 multiple family district inside Cynthiana town

  • Minimum livable floor area only for multiple-family dwellings; no general single-family minimum dwelling size was located in the ordinance.
  • Mobile homes under 650 sq ft and manufactured homes under 950 sq ft may not be used as living quarters outside an approved park or A-district special exception (Sec. 153.021(f)).

  minimum livable floor area, efficiency apartment: >= 400 square feet · minimum livable floor area, one-bedroom apartment: >= 500 square feet · minimum livable floor area, two-bedroom apartment: >= 600 square feet · minimum livable floor area, three-bedroom apartment: >= 700 square feet

  “(3) minimum livable floor area for a multiple-family dwelling shall be four hundred (400) square feet for an efficiency apartment, five hundred (500) square feet for a one-bedroom apartment, six hundred (600) square feet for a two-bedroom apartment, and seven hundred (700) for a three-bedroom apartment.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family detached lots in the R-1 / RS single-family detached residential district inside Cynthiana town, where public sanitary sewers are available

  • Applies only to parcels zoned R-1/RS on the official map.
  • Where sewers are not available and disposal is by soil absorption, the one-acre rule applies instead (separate claim).
  • The Posey County Health Department may require a larger lot.

  minimum lot area: >= 7000 square feet (where sanitary sewers are available) · minimum lot width: >= 70 feet (where sanitary sewers are available)

  “the lot area shall be a minimum of seven thousand (7000) square feet with a minimum width of seventy (70) feet (where sanitary sewers are available).”

  2 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • Specified — Single-family lots in the R-1 / RS district inside Cynthiana town where no public sewer is available and disposal is by soil absorption

    “where no public sewers are available and disposal is by soil absorption, the minimum lot area shall be one (1) acre. the posey county health department may require a larger lot.”

  • Specified — Lots in the A agricultural district inside Cynthiana town

    “(b) have a minimum area of one (1) acre with or without public sewers: however, the posey county health department may require a larger lot where public sewers area lacking.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Single-family detached and single-family attached dwellings in the R-2 two-family district (the RT townhouse district uses the same front-yard text) inside Cynthiana town

  • Front yard may be more or less than 25 feet depending on the predominant setback along the blockface.
  • Front-yard depth for the main R-1/RS district was not located in the text read; R-1 setbacks remain open.
  • Side and rear setbacks for these districts were not read.

  minimum front yard (or street side yard) depth: >= 25 feet (may vary with predominant blockface setback)

  “every lot or tract used for a single-family detached dwelling or single-family attached dwelling shall have a front yard (or street side yard) not less than twenty-five (25) feet in depth.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Recreational vehicles used as living or sleeping quarters on private land inside Cynthiana town

  • Allowed only in an approved mobile home park, or by special exception from the Board of Zoning Appeals in the agricultural district.
  • Applies to RVs used for living or sleeping quarters; other RV uses (storage, parking) are governed by separate rules not read.

  “the following may not be used as living or sleeping quarters except when in the confines of an approved mobile home park or approved by special exception in the agricultural district: (1) recreational vehicles,”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Overnight sleeping in recreational vehicles or trailers on private land inside Cynthiana town

  • Same restriction as the RV living-quarters rule: sleeping quarters only in an approved mobile home park or by A-district special exception.
  • No separate tent or camping-ground ordinance was located in the text read.

  “the following may not be used as living or sleeping quarters except when in the confines of an approved mobile home park or approved by special exception in the agricultural district: (1) recreational vehicles, (2) trailers (including travel, storage or construction trailers),”

• Manufactured homesAllowed

  Manufactured or modular home dwellings on lots in the A agricultural district inside Cynthiana town

  • Listed as a use by right in the A district; manufactured homes used as living quarters outside an approved park need at least 950 sq ft of livable floor area (Sec. 153.021(f)).
  • Other districts (RMH mobile home park) were not analyzed for this claim.

  minimum livable floor area, manufactured home used as living quarters outside approved park: >= 950 square feet (A-district special exception or approved mobile home park)

  “(4) use unit 8 - manufactured or modular home dwelling”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land division and platting inside Cynthiana town

  • Platting is required for lots created on rezoned land, per Sec. 153.022(a).
  • Subdivisions are prohibited in the A district except exempt subdivisions under the separate Posey County subdivision ordinance (not opened).

  “(10) other than exempt subdivisions as provided in posey county subdivision ordinance, subdivisions are prohibited within the "a" district.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Cynthiana

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

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  One- and two-family dwellings built inside Cynthiana town (state Indiana Residential Code)

  • Statewide rule; applies inside Cynthiana town without local adoption.
  • Edition of 2020 Indiana Residential Code (2018 IRC base) effective 12/26/2019; the 2005 edition is repealed.

  “675 iac 14-4.4 2020 indiana residential code free access (model code with incorporated amendments) 2018 international residential code for one- and two-family dwellings, first printing currently in effect effective: 12/26/2019”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Onsite sewage disposal systems on lots inside Cynthiana town, administered by the Posey County Health Department (county rule-maker; applies inside the town)

  • Form cites Posey County Ordinance No. 1973-3-4 as amended by 1973-5; the ordinance itself was not opened and may be outdated.
  • State residential onsite rule 410 IAC 6-8.3 is incorporated by counties; current text not confirmed (a 2024 amendment under LSA 22-395 was reported).

  “approval by the posey county health department, mt. vernon, indiana of this proposed.sewage disposal system is not a written guarantee”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Cynthiana or Posey County directly.

• Building permit — New construction permits inside Cynthiana town
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for a home built by the owner inside Cynthiana town
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Cynthiana town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for new dwellings inside Cynthiana town
• Lot coverage — Lot coverage for single-family lots inside Cynthiana town

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.