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

Town of Dayton’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction covered by Dayton's building regulations inside Dayton town limits

  • The quoted text requires an improvement location permit under the unified zoning ordinance before the building section's provisions take effect; the full section 150.007 'permit required' text was not retrieved.
  • The 2019 code also says the building official issues building permits, which may be issued by a county office under the 2012 archived county page; routing not confirmed on a current official page.

  “a permit shall be obtained before beginning construction, demolition, alteration or repair of any building or structure, using forms furnished by the building commissioner.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Construction inside Dayton town limits under the building regulations in Dayton's code, chapter 150

  • The 2019 S-6 code supplement is the copy reviewed; later amendments were not verified.
  • The quoted list is the one- and two-family dwelling code provision; the Indiana building code and its standards are also listed in the same adoption section.

  “article 14-one- and two-family dwelling code (675 i.a.c. 14-4)”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Dayton town corporate limits. Dayton has adopted and amends the Tippecanoe County Unified Zoning Ordinance (Ordinance No. 97-11) as its own zoning ordinance.

  • The unified zoning ordinance originated as a Tippecanoe County ordinance; rezonings inside Dayton are first approved by the Tippecanoe County Area Plan Commission and then adopted by the Dayton town council.
  • Dayton's Planning & Zoning Commission reviews proposed zoning amendments, site plans and plat applications and advises the council.
  • Dayton's own Planning & Zoning page states the information is still being added, so the district text was not retrieved from Dayton's site.

  “that ordinance no. 97-11 being the unified zoning ordinance of tippecanoe county, is hereby amended as follows”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts applied inside Dayton town limits under the Tippecanoe County UZO

  • Dayton's own site does not yet publish the district list; the district codes shown in the amendment (r1u, nbu) are the only ones confirmed.
  • The full district schedule is in the UZO and was not opened.

  “please check back as we will be adding this information soon”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential zoning districts inside Dayton town limits (lot coverage in the UZO)

  • The numeric lot-coverage and greenspace percentages were not retrieved; they are in the UZO amendment text.

  “ordinance 226-19 uzo amendment #128 -omnibus covering changes to lot cover and greenspace percentages in residential zoning districts”

• Who permits septicMixed (with conditions)

  Private sewage disposal systems (septic) for property inside Dayton town limits

  • The town superintendent issues the written permit for a private system.
  • The type, capacity, location and layout must follow state board of health and county board of health recommendations.
  • The 2019 code also ties soil-absorption permits to the then-current Tippecanoe unified zoning ordinance lot-area requirement.

  “the type, capacities, location and layout of a private sewage disposal system shall comply with all recommendations of the state board of health and the board of health of the county.”

• Septic permitRequired

  Construction of a private sewage disposal system where no public sanitary sewer is available, inside Dayton town limits

  • Applies only where a public sanitary sewer is not available under section 53.02.
  • No permit may issue for subsurface soil absorption where the lot is smaller than the then-current unified zoning ordinance requirement of the county and the town.
  • The permit is signed by the town superintendent before construction begins.

  “before commencement of construction of a private sewage disposal system, the owner shall first obtain a written permit signed by the superintendent.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Private sewage disposal system construction inside Dayton town limits

  • Text before the quoted sentence refers to inspection before underground portions are covered; the full subsection was not read in full.
  • The inspection is made by the town superintendent within 24 hours of notice.

  inspection response time: 24 hours (after receipt of notice by the superintendent)

  “the inspection shall be made within 24 hours of the receipt of notice by the superintendent.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Privies, septic tanks and cesspools inside Dayton town limits

  • Allowed only as provided in the sewer chapter: a private system is used where no public sanitary sewer is available, after a permit.
  • Once a public sewer becomes available, the private system must be abandoned in favor of a direct connection.

  “except as hereinafter provided, it shall be unlawful to construct or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool or other facility intended or used for the disposal of sewage.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  Houses and buildings inside Dayton town limits that abut a street with a public sanitary sewer

  • The owner must connect within 90 days after official notice when the public sewer is within 200 feet of the property line.
  • When a public sewer becomes available to a septic-served property, a direct connection must be made.
  • Water connection requirement was not verified.

  distance from property line to public sewer: <= 200 feet · connection deadline after official notice: 90 days

  “to connect the facilities directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with the provisions of this subchapter, within 90 days after date of official notice to do so, provided that the public sewer is within 200 feet of the property line.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Division of land inside Dayton town limits

  • Dayton's code includes a subdivision regulations chapter (151); its text was not opened.
  • The planning commission reviews plat applications.

  “chapter 150. building regulations 151. subdivision regulations 152. zoning regulations”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit application process in Dayton town

  • The table of contents lists application, permit, review and inspection sections; their text was not opened.
  • Sidewalk and right-of-way permits are separate processes.

  “150.006 application for permits 150.007 permit required 150.008 other regulations”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built construction inside Dayton town limits
• Inspections — Construction inside Dayton town limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new buildings inside Dayton town limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Single-family dwellings inside Dayton town limits
• Minimum lot size — Single-family residential lots inside Dayton 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.