Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Bollinger County, Missouri

Unincorporated Bollinger County does not require a building permit: the state's own county-by-county building-code inventory lists no adopted residential, commercial or energy code for the county¹. Missouri law only lets counties of the first and second classification adopt a building-permit and inspection program under RSMo 64.170, and a county that had not adopted one before August 28, 2001 needs voter approval to start⁹. One exception applies everywhere in the county: if any part of a project sits in a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area, some type of floodplain development permit must be issued before that specific work, even though ordinary buildable land outside the floodplain needs no permit⁵. If a project disturbs one acre or more of land, or is part of a larger development that will eventually disturb an acre, a separate state land-disturbance stormwater permit is required regardless of the county's own building-permit status⁸.

Bollinger County has no separate building, planning or zoning department¹. The County Commission, based at the courthouse in Marble Hill, is the county's general governing body and the right first call for county-road access or a land-use question without a dedicated office¹⁰. The County Clerk handles county records and administration and can point callers to the appropriate county office¹⁰. The Bollinger County Health Center handles environmental services, including sewage questions, sewage-permit fees and private-water-system information¹¹. Missouri DHSS, rather than the county health center, is the identified onsite wastewater permitting authority for Bollinger County^2,3. For a floodplain development permit, ask the County Commission or Health Center for the current local contact because a separate floodplain-office number could not be confirmed^5,10,11.

Bollinger County has no countywide zoning ordinance for unincorporated land¹. That county answer does not extend inside Marble Hill: the city publishes a zoning-change application, so confirm the parcel's district and current standards with the city before buying or building there⁴. Zoning in Glen Allen and Sedgewickville could not be confirmed. Minimum lot size, setbacks, building height and lot coverage also remain unconfirmed for unincorporated Bollinger County, so ask the County Commission about the specific parcel rather than treating the land as unrestricted¹⁰. Missouri law allows qualifying non-charter counties to adopt zoning for unincorporated territory only after voter approval¹². Missouri's agricultural protections are conditional, not a blanket exemption from every land-use rule: qualifying farm buildings used for agricultural purposes receive protection outside mapped flood-hazard areas, and county fire-prevention ordinances cannot require permits for qualifying farm structures^13,14. New manufactured homes generally must still be anchored and tied down⁷.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is the onsite wastewater permitting authority for Bollinger County^2,3. A construction permit is required to install or repair an onsite system on most residential property under 3 acres, although a single-family tract may qualify for an exemption that DHSS should confirm for the parcel¹⁵. Only 5.8% of Bollinger County's soils are rated free of severe limits for a conventional drain field, so get the site evaluated before assuming a conventional system will work¹⁶. The Bollinger County Health Center says sewage permits are available for a fee but does not publish the amount, so confirm both the process and current cost with DHSS or the Health Center¹¹. Missouri does not require a local health-agency inspection before most real-estate transfers, so buyers should not assume an existing system has already been checked¹⁷.

Long-term RV occupancy, temporary camping and tiny-home occupancy on a private unincorporated parcel in Bollinger County could not be confirmed; ask the County Commission and DHSS before relying on any of those uses^3,10. Missouri's separate rule for a campground does not answer the private-parcel question: DNR approval is required when a campground or RV park plans to use onsite wastewater treatment². Marble Hill has a local zoning process, so property inside the city needs a separate city review⁴. New manufactured homes have a statewide siting rule: they generally must be anchored and tied down against overturning and sliding unless permanently attached to a foundation whose structural elements make separate anchoring unnecessary⁷. That anchoring requirement does not settle septic, floodplain or parcel-specific land-use questions⁷.

1. Confirm whether the parcel is in unincorporated Bollinger County, where ordinary construction does not require a county building permit, or inside Marble Hill, where local zoning applies^1,4.
2. Check the flood map; development in a Special Flood Hazard Area needs a floodplain permit, and work in the regulatory floodway first needs an Engineering No-Rise Certificate⁵.
3. If the project will disturb 1 acre or more, obtain the state land-disturbance stormwater permit before grading⁸.
4. Contact Missouri DHSS about the septic construction permit before installing or repairing an onsite system on residential property under 3 acres^2,3,15.
5. Decide how the property will get water. A Bollinger County landowner may install their own private well or pump without the state installer permit, but hired well construction, repair or pump work requires the appropriate permitted installer⁶.
6. Ask the County Commission about access from a county road¹⁰. For a new or modified driveway within MoDOT right-of-way, submit MoDOT's initial online request; MoDOT may require plans, studies, analysis, traffic control or a bond¹⁸.
7. Keep the MoDOT permit and approved plans at the job site, submit any lane-closure request at least 2 working days ahead, and contact the Traffic Specialist at least 48 hours before work begins¹⁹.
8. Arrange the required anchoring for a new manufactured home unless its permanent foundation makes separate anchoring unnecessary⁷.

Soils: only 5.8% of Bollinger County's soils are rated free of severe limits for a conventional septic drain field, so get a DHSS site evaluation before assuming a conventional system will work^3,16. Water: confirm the source and well condition; a landowner may install their own private well or pump without the state installer permit, but hired construction, repair or pump work requires a permitted installer⁶. Terrain: 63.7% of the land is at 15% slope or less and 62.5% is wooded, which can affect clearing, driveway grades and septic layout¹⁶. Flood risk: development in a mapped Special Flood Hazard Area requires a floodplain permit⁵. Access: a new or modified driveway within MoDOT right-of-way needs a MoDOT permit, while county-road access should be checked with the County Commission^10,18. Jurisdiction: confirm whether the parcel is unincorporated or inside Marble Hill because the city has its own zoning process^1,4. Taxes: Bollinger County's effective property tax rate is about 0.6%, and the median annual property tax bill is about $874¹⁶. Market: the typical home value is about $198,050, while farmland averages roughly $3,609 per acre¹⁶.