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

Town of Hudson’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erection, reconstruction, enlargement or moving of buildings and dwellings inside Hudson town limits

  • Improvement location permit issued by the Hudson building commissioner.
  • Permit is issued only if the work conforms to the zoning ordinance and the Hudson building ordinance (sec. 10-64 b).

  “no building, structure or dwelling shall be erected, reconstructed, enlarged or moved until an improvement location permit has been applied for, in writing, and subsequently issued by the hudson building commissioner.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Occupancy, use or change of use of buildings and land inside Hudson town limits

  • Issued by the Hudson building commissioner after written application.
  • Per sec. 10-65 b, if the use conforms to the ordinance the certificate is to be issued within three days of application.
  • Applies to buildings erected or enlarged, change of use of existing buildings, occupancy of vacant land except for raising crops, and changes to a non-conforming use.

  “a. no occupancy, use or change of use shall take place until a certificate of occupancy shall have been applied for in writing and issued by the hudson building commissioner, in the following cases:”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Hudson town limits: the town adopts and administers its own zoning ordinance (Hudson Development Ordinance, zoning and subdivision regulations)

  • The town-hosted PDF is undated 1990-era text (ordinance history cites 3-26-90) with reserved sections and an editor note saying the most recent zoning regulations are needed; the current adopted version is not confirmed.
  • Zoning map and current district text were not reviewed in this pass.

  “the hudson development ordinance: the zoning, subdivision and manufactured housing regulations of the town of hudson, indiana”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  A agriculture district inside Hudson town limits

  • Permitted principal uses include detached one-family dwellings and agricultural uses; conditional uses and dimensional limits for the A district were not read.

  “a. intent - to establish districts which permit a full range low density residential development and other uses customarily conducted in agricultural areas.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Published (with conditions) — R-1 single-family residential district inside Hudson town limits

    “a. intent - to establish and preserve quiet single family home neighborhoods, free from other uses except those which are compatible with and convenient to the residents of such a district.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Residential buildings constructed inside Hudson town limits after adoption of the ordinance

  • Applies to all residential buildings constructed after adoption of the ordinance, as stated in the 1990-era text; current version not confirmed.

  minimum floor area of residential building: >= 950 square feet

  “all residential buildings within the town of hudson constructed after the adoption of this ordinance shall have a minimum floor area of nine hundred fifty (950) square feet, as prescribed by the hudson comprehensive plan.”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Type 1 manufactured housing as a permitted principal use in the R-1 single-family district inside Hudson town limits

  • Only in the R-1 district as listed among permitted principal uses; other districts and the MH manufactured housing district (sec. 10-29) have separate rules not read in this pass.
  • Subject to the R-1 district text and the dwelling size rule (sec. 10-49).

  “b. permitted principal uses - detached single family dwellings, and accessory buildings thereto, and type 1 manufactured housing.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division of land into subdivisions inside Hudson town limits; Article 3 of the Hudson Development Ordinance

  • Primary and secondary plat approval is processed through the Hudson Plan Commission (Division III and VI).

  “before preparing a subdivision primary plat, the applicant should discuss with the plan commission the procedure for adoption of a subdivision plat”

• Permit processPartial

  Improvement location permits for construction inside Hudson town limits

  • Applications are made in writing by the owner, owner's agent, or superintendent or contractor (sec. 10-64 c).
  • Permit is issued only after conformance check with zoning and the Hudson building ordinance.
  • Fee and full step-by-step process (sec. 10-68 and related) not verified; the building ordinance itself was not located.

  “applications for improvement location permits shall be made by the owner(s) of the real estate on which the improvement is to be, or has been, located, or their agent, or the superintendent or contractor in charge of the work,”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Hudson town limits
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for construction inside Hudson town limits
• Inspections — Building inspections for construction inside Hudson town limits
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot area for R-1 and A districts inside Hudson town limits
• Setbacks — Front, side and rear yard setbacks for R-1 and A districts inside Hudson town limits

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.