Vigo County, Indiana requires an Improvement Location Permit for construction that adds square footage1. The Area Planning Department enforces the Unified Zoning Ordinance countywide2. A home not connected to sanitary sewer also needs a written septic construction permit from the local health officer, followed by a final inspection345.
At a glance
- Building permit
- Required for any construction adding square footage (Improvement Location Permit)1
- Zoning
- Countywide, under the Vigo County Unified Zoning Ordinance, enforced by the Area Planning Department2
- Septic
- Written construction permit and final inspection required through the local health authority345
- Owner-builder exemption
- Not confirmed on the county's permitting pages; ask Building Inspections directly6
- Ag buildings
- Exempt from Indiana's state Class 1 design-release review, but the county's own building-code enforcement is a separate matter from that state exemption78
- Zoning permit timeline
- Area Planning has 5 business days under the zoning ordinance to grant a permit, though the Building Inspections or Health Department review can add time9
- Wells
- No general state permit for a high-capacity well outside Indiana's Great Lakes Basin; ask the county about local rules10
- Floodway development
- Indiana DNR approval required before regulated work in a state-waterway floodway11
Who to call
Building permits
Vigo County Building Inspections Department
Building, electrical, plumbing and demolition permits and construction inspections for Vigo County
151 Oak St, Terre Haute, IN 47807
Planning & zoning
Vigo County Area Planning Department
Zoning determinations and Improvement Location Permit applications under the Vigo County Unified Zoning Ordinance, including flood-zone screening
159 Oak St, Terre Haute, IN 47807
Septic permits
Vigo County Health Department (Environmental Health Division)
Environmental health review, including on-site septic system sign-off as part of the county's Improvement Location Permit
147 Oak St, Terre Haute, IN 47807
Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on September 29, 2026.
Do you need a building permit in Vigo County, Indiana?
Yes: Vigo County requires an Improvement Location Permit for construction that adds square footage1. Vigo County's Building Inspections Department enforces the county building-code ordinance, issues building, electrical, plumbing and demolition permits, and inspects construction12. Indiana has adopted the residential code for one- and two-family dwellings, while those homes fall under local-government jurisdiction138. Indiana's state design-release exemption for a qualifying agricultural building applies when the building is used only for agriculture on that land and not for retail trade, but it does not establish an exemption from Vigo County permits or inspections7. Ask Building Inspections before treating a barn or shed as exempt.
Who is the Vigo County building department and how do you reach them?
The Vigo County Building Inspections Department, at 151 Oak St, Terre Haute, handles building, electrical, plumbing and demolition permits and inspects all construction in the county; call (812) 462-336512. Getting an Improvement Location Permit for new square footage is a three-step process that also runs through the Area Planning Department (159 Oak St, phone 812-462-3354, email [email protected]) and the Vigo County Board of Health129. Electrical, HVAC and plumbing-only permits go through Building Inspections directly, while Area Planning is the first call for questions about which application to file9.
Does Vigo County have zoning?
Vigo County has zoning countywide: the Area Planning Department enforces the Vigo County Unified Zoning Ordinance and reviews every Improvement Location Permit application for zoning compliance before the Building Inspections Department and Board of Health weigh in29. Under the zoning ordinance, Area Planning is allowed five business days to grant a permit once an application is complete, though the building and health department reviews inside that same application can take longer9. Because zoning is a countywide, single ordinance here rather than a patchwork of township rules, setbacks, minimum lot requirements and use questions for RVs, tiny homes or accessory structures all run through this one office rather than a separate municipality2.
How do septic permits work in Vigo County?
Vigo County's local board of health administers Indiana's residential on-site sewage rule through its health officer, and local ordinances may be stricter than the state baseline3. A home that will not connect to sanitary sewer needs a written septic construction permit before residence construction, system installation, repair, replacement or specified related work begins4. The application requires a soils evaluation and written plans, and the local health department must issue or deny it within 45 days after receiving the application and plans4. When installation is ready, notify the health officer under local procedures—or at least 48 hours or two working days before covering subsurface work if no procedure is published—and obtain final approval5. Only 3.8% of Vigo County soils are rated free of severe limits for a conventional drain field, so complete the site evaluation before committing to a house location14. Off-grid sanitation does not avoid this requirement: a dwelling without sewer service must have a septic tank and a nonfailed soil-absorption system15.
Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in Vigo County?
Indiana's state RV rules are written for regulated campgrounds, meaning an area where campsites are leased or rented and set up for ten or more RVs, and those rules explicitly exclude land divided into individually deeded lots, so they don't answer whether you can live in an RV on your own rural parcel16. That question is instead a matter of Vigo County's Unified Zoning Ordinance, administered by the Area Planning Department, since zoning covers land-use questions like RV or tiny-home occupancy countywide29. Before buying with that plan in mind, call Area Planning to confirm how your parcel's zoning district treats RV or tiny-home occupancy, and note that any new square footage you add will still need an Improvement Location Permit91.
Building a home in Vigo County: the steps, in order
- Call the Area Planning Department at 812-462-3354 to confirm the parcel's zoning treatment and whether flood-zone information is required9.
- If the home will use septic, obtain the soils evaluation and submit written system plans with the septic construction-permit application4.
- Submit the Improvement Location Permit application for construction that adds square footage1. The county describes review by Area Planning, Building Inspections and the Board of Health12.
- Obtain the required building, electrical and plumbing permits from Building Inspections before the applicable work begins12.
- Arrange the septic final inspection before subsurface components are covered; absent a published local procedure, give at least 48 hours or two working days' notice5.
- Obtain permission from the government that controls the road before creating driveway access; connections to a state highway go through INDOT17.
- Obtain Indiana DNR approval before regulated development in a state-waterway floodway, and ask Area Planning about additional local flood requirements119.
What to check before you buy land in Vigo County
Vigo County's terrain is mostly gentle, with 84.7% of land at 15% slope or less, while 36.8% is wooded1819. Before buying, have the proposed septic area evaluated because only 3.8% of county soils are rated free of severe limits for a conventional drain field14. Ask Area Planning to confirm zoning and flood-zone status, and remember that regulated work in a state-waterway floodway needs Indiana DNR approval before it begins911. For a private well, Indiana generally does not require a high-capacity-well permit outside the Great Lakes Basin, but significant withdrawals may require registration and the county may have a local ordinance10. Road access also needs confirmation from the government controlling the road, with INDOT handling state-highway connections17. The effective property-tax rate is about 0.9%, and the median annual bill is about $1,2562021.
Watch-outs
- A Vigo County project adding square footage goes through Area Planning, Building Inspections and the Board of Health as part of the Improvement Location Permit process12.
- Only 3.8% of Vigo County's soils are rated free of severe limits for a conventional septic drain field, so a site evaluation should happen before you finalize plans, not after14.
- We could not confirm a Vigo County owner-builder exemption; ask the Building Inspections Department before assuming you may self-perform work without a licensed contractor6.
Sources
- Vigo County IN - Building Inspections Department (2026 county census)
- Vigo County IN - Unified Zoning Ordinance (2026 county census)
- Residential On-Site Sewage Systems, quoted and re-checked
- Residential On-Site Sewage Systems, quoted and re-checked
- Residential On-Site Sewage Systems, quoted and re-checked
- (2026 county census)
- Plan Review FAQs (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- DHS: Code Enforcement (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Vigo County Area Planning Department (vigocounty.in.gov)
- Water Availability Use/Rights Frequently Asked Questions, quoted and re-checked
- Water: Regulatory Programs, quoted and re-checked
- Vigo County Building Inspections Department (vigocounty.in.gov)
- DHS: Rules of the Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission, quoted and re-checked
- Share of soils without severe limits for a conventional septic drain field (USDA SSURGO): Bolthole Index county data
- Residential On-Site Sewage Systems, quoted and re-checked
- Environmental Public Health: 410 IAC 6-71 Campgrounds (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- INDOT Driveway Permit Guide 2024 (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
- Share of land at 15% slope or less: Bolthole Index county data
- Wooded share of land: Bolthole Index county data
- Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
- Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
Written September 29, 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.