Building permits, zoning and land rules in Pulaski County, Indiana

Yes. Pulaski County requires an Improvement Location Permit for every residential dwelling, manufactured or mobile home, detached residential accessory building, garage or carport, swimming pool, and exterior project that adds to or alters a host structure in county-administered areas¹. Commercial, industrial and institutional buildings are also on the permit list¹. Pulaski County enforces Indiana's adopted building code, and permitted work is subject to inspections during construction as required by the building inspector⁸. The county inspection sequence can include foundation, framing, rough-in, floodplain-compliance and final walk-through stages; the final stage includes a certificate of occupancy, although the reviewed rule does not say that every building type receives one⁹. An agricultural-exempt permit does not include inspections, and the owner must arrange them at additional cost; the published application does not define who qualifies for that exemption⁸.

Pulaski County Building, Planning, and Zoning handles building permits and inspections and staffs both the Advisory Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals⁵. Call 574.946.7858 or email buildinginspector@pulaskicounty.in.gov; the office is in the Pulaski County courthouse at 112 East Main Street in Winamac⁵. A complete application may require town or zoning approval, a Health Department release, driveway and floodplain information, construction documents and a site plan before county submission; a building permit remains effective for one year from its application date, with possible added fees if construction runs longer⁸. Pulaski County publishes its development and inspection fees; a new single-family, duplex or accessory dwelling or addition is charged $0.125 per square foot with a $30 minimum, and the amount for other work depends on the project, so ask the department for the full current schedule¹⁰. Because staff may be conducting inspections, call before visiting⁵.

Yes. The Pulaski County Unified Development Ordinance governs land outside Winamac, Francesville and their extraterritorial zoning jurisdictions; parcels under those municipal jurisdictions follow different rules². The county publishes district-specific use and dimensional tables, so lot area, setbacks, dwelling size and building height depend on the parcel's district and structure type¹. In the R-R Rural Residential District, the cited minimum lot area is 1 acre, reduced to 0.75 acre with a development plan or 0.5 acre on public sewer¹. The same district lists minimum front and rear yards of 30 feet and a minimum side yard of 15 feet¹. Listed dwelling standards include a 950-square-foot minimum for a one-story principal dwelling and 400 square feet for an accessory dwelling, but both are district-specific¹. Subdivision and platting are also regulated under the county ordinance².

Pulaski County requires a written Health Officer permit before a private sewage system or privy is built, altered, repaired or expanded³. A new-system application requires a survey by a state-registered soil scientist, plus the county application, plans and specifications³. The Pulaski County Health Department administers permits and inspections under county rules that incorporate Indiana health standards; call 574.946.6080 or visit 125 South Riverside Drive in Winamac^3,11. Do the soil work early: only 0.7% of mapped Pulaski County soils avoid a severe limitation rating for a conventional septic drain field⁷. The applicant must notify the Health Officer for final inspection before underground portions are covered³. If public sanitary or combined sewer becomes available within 200 feet of a property line serving a residence or business on private sewage disposal, the county code requires a direct connection³.

Pulaski County's long-term RV occupancy rule on private land could not be confirmed, so ask Building, Planning, and Zoning about the parcel, zoning district and proposed use before buying or moving an RV onto the site⁵. Using a travel trailer, camper or similar vehicle as an accessory dwelling unit is prohibited in unincorporated Pulaski County¹. Camping units are otherwise a campground or RV park use, defined as land with two or more campsites occupied or intended for occupancy overnight or longer, and that use is allowed only in zoning districts that list it¹. Indiana's campground rules do not answer that private-lot question because they regulate qualifying campgrounds and distinguish individually deeded lots¹². Tiny-home occupancy is also unconfirmed, but Pulaski County's district tables set dwelling minimums that can prevent some tiny-house plans¹. Listed standards include a 950-square-foot minimum for a one-story principal dwelling and 400 square feet for an accessory dwelling, depending on district and dwelling type¹. Accessory dwellings are permitted in some districts and special or conditional in others¹. A tiny home therefore needs confirmation of both its proposed use and the parcel's district before design or purchase⁵.

1. Ask Building, Planning, and Zoning whether the county, Winamac or Francesville has zoning jurisdiction, then identify the parcel's district^2,5.
2. Check the district's uses, lot area, setbacks, dwelling-size rules and building-height limits before finalizing plans¹.
3. Arrange the state-registered soil scientist's survey and submit the septic application to the Health Department³.
4. Obtain the Health Department's permit for a new or replacement private well before construction begins³.
5. Assemble the approvals, construction documents and site plan required for a complete county building-permit application⁸.
6. If the driveway connects to a state highway, apply through the INDOT Electronic Permit System; other roads fall under the governmental unit with jurisdiction¹³.
7. Schedule the required construction inspections and leave septic components uncovered until the Health Officer completes the final inspection^3,8.

Start with zoning jurisdiction, because the county ordinance does not govern Winamac, Francesville or their extraterritorial zoning jurisdictions². Verify septic feasibility rather than assuming a conventional system will fit: only 0.7% of mapped soils avoid severe conventional drain-field limits, and a new-system application requires a state-registered soil scientist's survey^3,7. Check flood exposure before designing a building because the county application flags work in the 100-year floodplain and identifies floodway situations that may require state approval⁸. Confirm legal road access with the Highway Department for a county road or INDOT for a state highway; the county department covers roads outside town limits that are not state highways^13,14. Pulaski County's effective property-tax rate is about 0.5%, with a median annual bill of about $646⁷.