Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Smiths Grove, Kentucky

Smiths Grove’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside Smiths Grove city limits. The city adopted the Warren County joint zoning ordinance, as amended for its incorporated areas, by ordinance.

  • The city adopted the joint Warren County zoning ordinance by reference; administration runs through the City-County Planning Commission of Warren County. This is the city's own adopted ordinance, not a county rule applied to unincorporated land.
  • The ordinance text in this record is the Article 4 copy dated April 2021 and the Article 1 copy dated 2020; the currently consolidated text was not confirmed.

  “the provisions of this zoning ordinance shall apply within the incorporated limits of smiths grove, commonwealth”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts that apply inside Smiths Grove city limits under the adopted joint Warren County zoning ordinance (Article 4).

  • Article 4 lists residential districts R-E, RR (unincorporated only per the ordinance), RS-1A, RS-1B, RS-1C and RS-1D, plus MHP, RM-2/3/4, business, industrial, PUD and overlay districts. The RR district is allowed only in unincorporated Warren County per the table note, so it does not apply inside the city.
  • Which district a particular parcel carries requires the adopted zoning map, which was not retrieved.

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

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  RS-1A single-family residential lots inside Smiths Grove city limits

  • Figure is for lots served by public sanitary sewer; the RS districts are required to be served by public sanitary sewer.
  • Lot area above the 100-year flood level must also be at least 5,000 sq ft for lots served by public sewer.
  • Table alignment was read from extracted text and should be confirmed against the PDF.

  minimum lot area (public sewer): 12000 sq ft (public sewer; column alignment from text extraction)

  “12,000 sf n/a 10,000 sf n/a 8,000 sf n/a 5,000 sf n/a”

  3 more reviewed findings on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — RS-1B single-family residential lots inside Smiths Grove city limits

    “12,000 sf n/a 10,000 sf n/a 8,000 sf n/a 5,000 sf n/a”

  • District specific (with conditions) — RS-1C single-family residential lots inside Smiths Grove city limits

    “12,000 sf n/a 10,000 sf n/a 8,000 sf n/a 5,000 sf n/a”

  • District specific (with conditions) — RS-1D single-family residential lots inside Smiths Grove city limits

    “minimum lot size for each lot shall be 3,750 sf, exclusive of floodplain.”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  RS-1A single-family residential lots inside Smiths Grove city limits

  • Lot coverage counts buildings, accessory structures, patios, walkways, travelways and parking areas (sec. 4.4.5 item 6).
  • Column alignment was read from extracted text and should be confirmed against the PDF.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 50 percent (per sec. 4.4.5 measurement rule)

  “50 feet 40 feet 30% 50 feet 40 feet 30% 50 feet 40 feet 50% 50 feet 40 feet 60%”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — RS-1B single-family residential lots inside Smiths Grove city limits

    “50 feet 40 feet 30% 50 feet 40 feet 30% 50 feet 40 feet 50% 50 feet 40 feet 60%”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Manufactured homes on land zoned R-E (residential estate) inside Smiths Grove city limits

  • Allowed only where the parcel is zoned R-E; the joint ordinance does not list manufactured homes as a permitted unit type in every district.
  • A 1972 city ordinance (72-2 920.4) prohibiting mobile homes except in designated areas appears in the city's index; its current status (repealed or not) was not verified.

  “3. manufactured home; and 4. accessory apartments as defined in section 4.4.6.e.6.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory apartments in single-family residential districts inside Smiths Grove city limits

  • Accessory apartments must be on lots of record where the owner occupies the primary residence.
  • Floor area may not exceed 50 percent of the principal structure; occupancy limited to family, caretaker and related custodial relationships.

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

  “b. the floor area of the accessory apartment may not exceed 50 percent of the floor area of the principal structure.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  New homes on RS-1 single-family lots inside Smiths Grove city limits

  • RS-1A through RS-1D districts must be served by public sanitary sewer; R-E lots may or may not be served by it.
  • A rule requiring connection when sewer is available, and the sewer provider's connection distance, was not found.

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

• Building in a floodplainLimited

  Lots and improvements inside Smiths Grove city limits in or near the 100-year floodplain

  • No improvements, including parking areas and septic systems, may be located within the floodplain.
  • Lots served by public sewer need at least 5,000 sq ft above the 100-year flood level; lots on septic need at least 20,000 sq ft above it.

  “in no case shall any improvements, including parking areas and septic systems, be located within the floodplain.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — Building permits for new homes inside Smiths Grove city limits
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for homes inside Smiths Grove city limits
• Building code adopted — Which building code applies inside Smiths Grove city limits
• Inspections — Building inspections for new homes inside Smiths Grove city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Smiths Grove city 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.