Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Town of Dana, Indiana

At a glance

Building permits

Required for building changes affecting assessed value; Clerk-Treasurer issues the town permit¹

New-house building permit fee

$25 for single-family principal-building new construction¹

Zoning

We could not confirm Dana zoning, setbacks or minimum home size; ask Town Hall²

Septic approval

County Health Department permit plus town Superintendent approval for private sewage disposal⁵⁴

Public sewer

Connection required within 60 days after public sewer becomes available⁶

RV and tiny-home living

We could not confirm residential occupancy permission; ask Town Hall about the proposed setup²

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 12, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Town of Dana, IN?

Dana’s building-permit ordinance covers erecting, constructing, enlarging, altering, repairing, moving, locating, relocating or converting a building or structure when the work changes assessed property value, including mobile and manufactured homes.¹ Dana applicants must contact the town before work so the town can determine whether a building permit is necessary; required building permits are issued through the Clerk-Treasurer with payment at that time.¹ The town lists a $25 building permit for new single-family principal-building construction.¹ Dana’s building permit becomes void unless work begins within 120 days.¹

Who issues building permits in Town of Dana, and how do you reach them?

The Dana Clerk-Treasurer issues the town’s required building permits and collects the applicable fee.¹ Reach Dana Town Hall at (765) 665-3617 or [email protected] to discuss the proposed work before submitting an application.² For demolition, Dana requires a permit before any building or structure is wrecked or demolished, and an authorized town representative inspects the premises before issuance to protect sewer and water connections.⁷⁸ Dana’s demolition permit fee is $5 plus costs for moving town utility facilities; beginning demolition without the permit triggers a $250 late fee plus those utility costs.⁹

Does Town of Dana have zoning, minimum lot sizes or setbacks?

We could not confirm whether Dana has adopted zoning or what zoning districts, setbacks, lot coverage, building height or minimum dwelling size apply inside town limits; ask Town Hall for the requirements for the parcel and proposed use.² For land outside Dana, use the Vermillion County guide: the county’s published zoning rules apply to unincorporated land, with specified participating municipalities also within the ordinance’s jurisdiction.¹⁰ Dana does have a sewage-related lot-area restriction: a private sewage system using subsurface soil absorption cannot receive a town permit on a lot smaller than 20,000 square feet.¹¹ That threshold concerns the sewage system, rather than establishing a general minimum building lot size.¹¹

How do septic permits and sewer connections work inside Town of Dana?

The Vermillion County Health Department issues septic permits for new systems, additions, repairs and upgrades inside Dana before septic construction begins.⁵ Dana also requires a written Superintendent permit before private sewage disposal construction when public sanitary sewer is unavailable; town approval is not effective until the completed installation satisfies the Superintendent.⁴ Dana requires notice for final inspection before underground portions are covered, with inspection within 24 hours after notice.¹¹ When public sewer becomes available, Dana requires connection within 60 days and abandonment and filling of the private sewage facilities.⁶ County health approval therefore does not replace Dana’s own sewage approval or sewer-connection requirements.⁵⁴

Can you live in an RV, tiny home or manufactured home in Town of Dana?

We could not confirm Dana’s rules for residential RV occupancy, temporary camping, tiny-home occupancy or accessory dwellings; ask Town Hall about the exact structure, duration of occupancy and sewage arrangement before buying or moving onto a lot.² Dana lists a $25 building permit for placement or relocation of a mobile, manufactured or modular home, but that fee schedule alone does not establish permission to occupy every proposed home on every parcel.¹ Indiana’s campground RV rules apply to regulated campsites and do not establish a general authorization for residential RV living on an individually deeded lot.¹² Dana’s private sewage rules still require town approval and prohibit septic-tank or cesspool discharge to a natural outlet.⁴

Building a home in Town of Dana: what are the steps, in order?

1. Contact Dana Town Hall with the proposed building work; the town determines whether a building permit is required and directs the application through the Clerk-Treasurer.¹
2. Ask Dana’s Superintendent about public sewer availability; private sewage disposal is the prescribed route when public sanitary sewer is unavailable.⁶
3. If the project needs septic, obtain county Health Department approval before septic construction and the Superintendent’s written private-sewage permit before installation.⁵⁴
4. Pay the applicable town building-permit fee with the application and begin the permitted work within 120 days to keep the permit valid.¹
5. Notify the Superintendent when private sewage work is ready for final inspection, before underground portions are covered.¹¹

What should you check before buying land in Town of Dana?

For a Dana parcel needing private sewage disposal, verify both sewer availability and usable lot area: the town bars subsurface soil absorption systems on lots under 20,000 square feet.⁶⁴ Vermillion County’s soils data rates only 6.8% of soils “not limited” for conventional septic drain fields; that county-level rating supports a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system, rather than proving septic is impossible on a Dana lot.¹³ Ask the county Health Department whether a residential well permit is required; Indiana’s guidance identifies local permit requirements in some health departments and requires licensed water-well drillers.¹⁴ For a driveway connecting to a state highway, INDOT requires an application through its Electronic Permit System; Dana’s local driveway requirements remain unconfirmed, so ask Town Hall about town-street access.¹⁵²

Watch-outs

• Dana’s 20,000-square-foot threshold applies to private sewage systems using subsurface soil absorption, so a small lot without sewer deserves attention before purchase.⁴
• Dana building-permit fees are nonrefundable once a formal application and plans have been submitted.¹
• We could not confirm Dana’s owner-builder exemption, occupancy-certificate or local floodplain-development requirements; ask Town Hall before committing to construction.²

Sources

1. Dana Clerk-Treasurer — building permits (dana.in.gov)
2. Dana Town Hall / Clerk-Treasurer (dana.in.gov)
3. Vermillion County: Environmental Health (Town of Dana), quoted and re-checked
4. § 51.03 Mandatory Connection (Town of Dana), quoted and re-checked
5. Vermillion County: Environmental Health (Town of Dana), quoted and re-checked
6. § 51.03 Mandatory Connection (Town of Dana), quoted and re-checked
7. § 150.15 Permit Required (Town of Dana), quoted and re-checked
8. § 150.17 Fees, Inspections, and Evidence of Insurance (Town of Dana), quoted and re-checked
9. § 150.17 Fees, Inspections, and Evidence of Insurance (Town of Dana), quoted and re-checked
10. Vermillion County Unified Development Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
11. codelibrary.amlegal.com (Town of Dana), quoted and re-checked
12. Environmental Public Health: 410 IAC 6-71 Campgrounds (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
13. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
14. Recommended Standards For Private Water Wells (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
15. INDOT Driveway Permit Guide 2024 (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 12, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.