Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Cardwell, Missouri

Rules another office applies inside Cardwell

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

• Who permits septicState (with conditions)

  On-site sewage disposal systems inside Cardwell city limits when Cardwell or the county has not adopted the state standard.

  • A city or county may adopt the state standard by order or ordinance.
  • The Department of Health and Senior Services enforces the state standard only until the city or county adopts it.

  “the department of health and senior services shall enforce the state standard until such time as the city or county adopts the standard;”

• Septic permitRequired

  Construction, major modification, or major repair of an on-site sewage disposal system inside Cardwell city limits.

  • Except as otherwise provided in RSMo § 701.031.
  • The applicant must notify the city, county, or department; complete the department form; submit the fee established by that entity; and obtain a construction permit.
  • The Department promulgates permit-application conditions and reasonable fees where it enforces the state standard or registers contractors.

  “Except as otherwise provided in section 701.031, no person may, on or after September 1, 1995, construct or make a major modification or major repair to an on-site sewage disposal system without first notifying the city, county or department and completing an application, upon a form provided by the department, submitting an application fee in the amount established by the city, county or department, and obtaining a construction permit.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Sanitary sewage disposal for buildings where people live, work, or assemble inside Cardwell city limits.

  • Sewage must be discharged to a Chapter 644-regulated sewer system or an on-site sewage disposal system operated under rules promulgated under RSMo §§ 701.025 to 701.059.
  • RSMo § 701.031 contains acreage, location, effluent, contamination, nuisance, and lake-adjacency conditions for its exclusion from certain on-site-system provisions.

  “or shall be disposed of by discharging into an on-site sewage disposal system operated as defined by rules promulgated pursuant to sections 701.025 to 701.059.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Development in a floodplain inside Cardwell city limits.

  • A floodplain development permit of some type must be issued for all floodplain development.
  • For proposed development in the regulatory floodway, an engineering No-Rise Certificate is required before the community may issue the floodplain development permit.
  • SEMA lists a Cardwell floodplain administrator, John Cotton, at 210 S. Main, Cardwell, MO 63829.

  “Regardless, some type of permit MUST be issued for ALL development in the floodplain.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Cardwell or Dunklin County directly.

• Building permit — Residential building construction inside Cardwell city limits.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built dwellings inside Cardwell city limits.
• Building code adopted — Building construction inside Cardwell city limits.
• Inspections — Residential building inspections inside Cardwell city limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Residential occupancy inside Cardwell 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.