Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Owen Township, Indiana

Rules another office applies inside Owen Township

Owen Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Building permitRequired

  Erecting, moving, adding to or structurally altering buildings on land in unincorporated Warrick County, including Owen township; the permit is an improvement location permit from the Warrick County Area Plan Commission

  • This is the zoning-article improvement location permit (ILP). It was not confirmed whether a separate state building-code permit is also issued for Owen township.
  • Construction may proceed only after the improvement location permit is issued.

  “unless an improvement location permit has been issued as provided for in i.c. 36-7-4-800 et seq.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Owen township, Warrick County, Indiana, that is unincorporated territory. The county zoning article applies because no Owen township zoning ordinance was found.

  • The county's own Area Plan Commission guides development in all remaining areas of Warrick County, which covers Owen township.
  • No official Owen township statement that it has or has not adopted zoning was found, so this is the county rule that applies, not a township ordinance.
  • The zoning article text is a 2023 PDF on a third-party CDN host linked from the county's own Area Plan page; its currency was not confirmed against the county's amendment list.

  “the warrick county area plan commission is delegated with guiding the future development of warrick county, which includes the town of elberfled, town of lynnville, tennyson and all remaining areas of warrick county.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning district list for unincorporated Warrick County, including Owen township

  • The official zoning district maps for unincorporated Warrick County are kept in the Area Plan Commission office; the maps were not opened.
  • The district list includes single-family R-1 and related districts; the district-by-district rules sit in Article XXI Table B.

  “for the purpose of the article in regulating use of land, water and building, and height, bulk, population density and open space, the county of warrick and participating cities and towns are hereby divided into the following districts”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Front yard setback for lots in unincorporated Warrick County, including Owen township, under the general front-yard rule

  • Table B in Article XXI sets district front yards and was not opened; this general rule does not replace district minimums.
  • Through lots: front yard required on each street frontage.
  • Sloping lots: front yard at least 50% of the district requirement, not less than 10 feet.
  • Averaging between existing buildings may reduce the front yard, but not below 10 feet.
  • Accessory buildings on 2.5-acre parcels may sit in the front yard at least 25 feet from the front lot line and 10 feet from a side lot line.

  minimum front yard from right-of-way line: >= 25 feet (also not less than 40% of the right-of-way width)

  “(1) setback – every lot shall have a front yard between the building line and the right-of-way line of streets not less than forty percent (40%) of the width of the right-of-way, but in no case less than twenty-five (25) feet.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling unit on a parcel in unincorporated Warrick County, including Owen township; the zoning district where this special use is allowed was not confirmed

  • One ADU per parcel.
  • ADU may have at most one bedroom, living floor area of at least 400 sq. ft., and no more than 40% of the principal dwelling floor area or 1,200 square feet, whichever is greater.
  • ADU must remain accessory and cannot be sold or divided separately from the principal use.
  • Access restricted to the lot's existing access; no added driveways.
  • ADU cannot be built on a vacant lot before the principal structure.
  • Owner must live in the principal structure or the ADU.
  • Two off-street spaces for the principal dwelling and one for the ADU.
  • Shipping containers, mobile homes, recreational vehicles, travel trailers and boats are not permitted as an ADU.
  • If the principal structure is connected to public water main and sanitary sewer, the ADU must also connect.

  ADU maximum bedrooms: 1 bedroom · ADU minimum living floor area: >= 400 sq ft · ADU maximum floor area: <= 40 percent of principal dwelling floor area (or 1,200 square feet, whichever is greater)

  “o. all su-31 special uses shall be subject to the following requirements: 1. one adu shall be permitted per parcel.”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land divisions and plats in Warrick County, including Owen township

  • The county area plan page lists primary plat, secondary plat, and minor subdivision packets; those forms were not opened.
  • The zoning article refers to a subdivision control ordinance; its text was not opened.

  “they perform a wide variety of functions related to community planning and land use development which plays an important role in the adoption and administration of zoning ordinances, land divisions and development throughout the county.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in a special flood hazard area in unincorporated Warrick County, including Owen township, if any part of the parcel is in an SFHA

  • Applies only to areas of special flood hazard; whether a given Owen township parcel is in an SFHA was not checked.
  • Residential structures must have the lowest floor at or above the flood protection grade (two feet above base flood elevation).
  • A travel trailer or RV on a site for more than 180 days triggers the building protection standards.
  • The Area Plan Commission executive director is the floodplain administrator; the flood hazard article is noted as amended 10/8/2018.

  “a floodplain development permit and/or improvement location permit shall be required in conformance with the provisions of this ordinance prior to the commencement of any development activities in areas of special flood hazard.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Area Plan Commission permit fees for work in unincorporated Warrick County, including Owen township

  • The page lists a 2025 fee schedule with an effective date. The fee schedule itself was not opened, so amounts are not recorded here.
  • The page lists residential and commercial improvement location permit packets.

  “residential ilp packet commercial ilp packet example plot plan 2025 fees - effective date 8-18-25 2025 filing dates and meeting deadlines”

• Permit processPartial

  Improvement location permit application for land in unincorporated Warrick County, including Owen township

  • Application must be in duplicate on the form the Area Plan Commission prescribes.
  • Must include a scale drawing with lot dimensions and shape, and the size and location of existing buildings and the proposed building.
  • The full processing timeline, inspections and other steps were not found; the process is only partly published.

  “application for improvement location permit must be made in duplicate on a form prescribed by the warrick county area plan commission and accompanied by a scale drawing, showing the dimensions and the shape of the lot to be built upon”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Owen Township or Warrick County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for owners building their own home in Owen township
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for new homes in Owen township
• Inspections — Inspections of new homes in Owen township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes in Owen township
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size for a home in unincorporated Warrick County, including Owen township

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.