Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Plum Springs, Kentucky

Plum Springs’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Plum Springs city limits, under the joint zoning ordinance that Plum Springs city adopted with Warren County and other cities

  • The zoning ordinance is a joint ordinance adopted by Warren County Fiscal Court and the incorporated cities including Plum Springs, and is administered through the city-county planning commission.
  • Only the April 2021 Article 4 copy was opened; the warrenpc.org page says a text change was passed in 2026, so current text must be checked.
  • The joint ordinance does not show a Plum Springs-only amendment; parcel districts inside the city were not verified.

  “our local zoning ordinance is unique from other local ordinance in regards that it is a joint ordinance adopted by the warren county fiscal court and the incorporated cities of bowling green, oakland, plum springs, smiths grove, and woodburn.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning district list of the joint ordinance as it applies inside Plum Springs city

  • Districts listed include AG, RR, R-E, RS-1a to RS-1d, MHP, RM, business, industrial, PUD and overlay districts.
  • Parcel-level district assignments inside Plum Springs city were not verified; the official zoning map was not opened.
  • April 2021 copy only.

  “for the purpose of this zoning ordinance, the area of jurisdiction of this zoning ordinance is hereby divided into zoning districts which shall be designated as follows:”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  AG (agriculture) district land inside Plum Springs city, where the joint ordinance applies

  • The one-acre reduction exception applies only in the Warren County unincorporated area, not inside Plum Springs city.
  • Residential development under two acres in AG must follow the single-family standards in sec. 4.4.
  • Only the April 2021 Article 4 copy was opened.

  minimum lot area, public sewer: >= 5 acres · minimum lot area, septic system: >= 5 acres

  “lot area (minimum) public sewer 5 acres septic system 5 acres lot width (minimum) 100 feet (at building line)”

• SetbacksSpecified

  AG (agriculture) district land inside Plum Springs city, where the joint ordinance applies

  • Accessory structure setback is 5 feet in the same table.
  • Fence setback is 0 feet in the same table.
  • Only the April 2021 Article 4 copy was opened; RS-1 and R-E setbacks were not verified.

  front yard setback: >= 25 feet · side yard setback: >= 10 feet · rear yard setback: >= 25 feet

  “lot coverage 25% (maximum) setbacks (minimum) front yard 25 feet side yard 10 feet rear yard 25 feet accessory structure 5 feet”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  AG (agriculture) district land inside Plum Springs city, where the joint ordinance applies

  • Lot coverage counts buildings, accessory structures, patios, walkways, travelways and parking areas, including gravel and pervious paving.
  • Only the April 2021 Article 4 copy was opened.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 25 percent

  “lot coverage 25% (maximum) setbacks (minimum) front yard 25 feet side yard 10 feet rear yard 25 feet accessory structure 5 feet”

• Manufactured homesAllowed

  Manufactured home as a residence in the R-E (residential estate) district inside Plum Springs city, where the joint ordinance applies

  • Listed as a permitted residential unit type in the R-E district; subject to the district's lot and setback standards in the same ordinance.
  • Based on the April 2021 Article 4 copy; current text not verified.
  • Other districts (RS-1 and RR) list manufactured homes in the unit table but were not quoted here.

  “the following residential unit types shall be permitted in this district: 1. single-family detached; 2. modular home; 3. manufactured home; and 4. accessory apartments as defined in section 4.4.6.e.6.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory apartment on AG (agriculture) land inside Plum Springs city, where the joint ordinance applies

  • Accessory apartments are permitted in the ag district.
  • Occupancy is limited to persons related by blood, marriage, adoption, guardianship or other custodial relationship to residents of the principal structure, plus one caretaker.
  • Floor area may not exceed 50 percent of the principal structure.

  accessory apartment floor area maximum: <= 50 percent of principal structure floor area

  “d. accessory apartments are permitted in the ag district.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  New single-family, twinhome, townhome and patio home development in the RS-1a, RS-1b, RS-1c and RS-1d districts where the joint ordinance applies inside Plum Springs city; not a general connection mandate for all homes

  • Stated as the purpose and intent of the RS districts; the ordinance does not state a distance-based connection rule in the text opened.
  • Land in the R-E, RR and AG districts is handled by septic or private systems per the lot standards; see the AG table.
  • General state or health-department connection rules were not verified.

  “these districts shall be served by public sanitary sewer.”

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Lots in single-family districts inside Plum Springs city, where the joint ordinance applies

  • Minimum area above the 100-year flood level applies to each new lot, 5,000 sq ft with public sewer and 20,000 sq ft with on-site septic.
  • Floodplain general district (F) rules in Sec. 4.8.2 were not opened.
  • No improvements, parking or septic systems are allowed in the floodplain.

  minimum lot area above 100-year flood level, septic: >= 20000 sq ft (lots served by public sanitary sewer require 5,000 sq ft)

  “no lot served by on-site septic systems shall be created or developed which does not have at least 20,000 square feet of lot area above the 100-year frequency flood level. in no case shall any improvements, including parking areas and septic systems, be located within the floodplain.”

Rules another office applies inside Plum Springs

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

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Land division (subdivision) inside Plum Springs city

  • Subdivision rules are prepared by the city-county planning commission under KRS 100.273 for Plum Springs and other listed cities.
  • Plat and street standards in the subdivision regulations were not opened.

  “the city-county planning commission of warren county, kentucky has been empowered to prepare rules and regulations governing the subdivision of land within warren county and the cities of bowling green, plum springs, oakland, smiths grove and woodburn under the authority of section 100.273 of the kentucky revised statutes.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Plum Springs or Warren County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits for new homes inside Plum Springs city
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for homes inside Plum Springs city
• Building code adopted — Building code adoption for land inside Plum Springs city
• Inspections — Building inspections for new homes inside Plum Springs city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy for new homes inside Plum Springs city

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.