Bolthole Index

McDonald County, Missouri

Building permits, zoning and land rules in Goodman, Missouri

Goodman, Missouri requires a city building permit to erect, move, add to or structurally alter a building or other structure.1 Goodman has its own zoning districts, separate from the county rules for unincorporated McDonald County.23 Septic permitting is a separate health-authority question: confirm the agency serving your Goodman address before installation or repair.4

At a glance

Building permit
Required through the city; cosmetic work has an exception5
Zoning
City zoning districts apply inside Goodman2
Septic permits
Most installations and repairs need approval; confirm the agency for your address4
RV living
Permanent camping or travel-trailer occupancy is prohibited except in a city-authorized travel-trailer court6
Manufactured homes
New mobile homes for dwelling use must go into a compliant mobile-home park; existing homes have exceptions7
Residential lot coverage
R-1A, R-1B and R-1C: buildings together may cover no more than 30% of the lot8
Water wells
State installation-permit rules apply, with an exception for landowners installing their own well or pump9

Who to call

Building permits

Goodman City Hall

Starting contact for city building applications, zoning questions and water/sewer connections

417-364 7316

Building permits

Goodman Code Official — Building Regulations

City building-permit applications, fees, plans and construction compliance

Planning & zoning

Goodman Administrative Official — Planning and Zoning

City building-permit review for zoning compliance and application requirements

Health department

McDonald County Health Department

Contact to confirm onsite-wastewater jurisdiction for a Goodman address

(417) 223-4351

3446 S. Business Hwy 71 Pineville, MO 64856

Septic permits

McDonald County Health Department — Environmental

County septic-system and repair permits; confirm applicability inside Goodman

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 12, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Goodman means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in Goodman, MO?

Yes: Goodman requires a city building permit for construction, enlargement, alteration and demolition, including excavation for home foundations, water lines or sanitary equipment.5 Goodman exempts cosmetic work such as interior or exterior cosmetic activity, gardening and yard maintenance.5

Goodman building-permit approval also depends on the proposed structure and use complying with the city zoning code, so a building application cannot substitute for checking the parcel’s district.1 For land outside city limits, use the McDonald County guide: the county’s limited building-permit requirements concern unincorporated land and do not replace Goodman’s city requirements.3

Who issues Goodman building permits, and what do they cost?

Goodman’s Administrative Official issues city building permits; start with City Hall at 417-364 7316 to reach the appropriate official.110 The Goodman application must be written on the form held in the city offices, with a fee of $10 per $50,000.5 New construction also requires a $100 inspection fee with the application; remodeling, repair or reinspections may incur $25 per inspection.5

Owners, agents or licensed contractors may apply for a Goodman building permit.5 Ask City Hall which construction-code edition governs your project and whether a certificate of occupancy will be required: we could not confirm those project requirements, although the city assigns certificate-of-occupancy duties to the Administrative Official.101

Does Goodman have zoning, lot-coverage limits and setbacks?

Goodman has city zoning, including an agricultural district, residential districts, a mobile-home district, commercial districts and industrial districts.2 Ask the Administrative Official to identify the parcel’s district before designing a house or choosing a use, because Goodman building-permit plans must comply with zoning.1

In Goodman’s R-1A, R-1B and R-1C One-Family Residential Districts, all buildings together, including accessory buildings, may cover no more than 30% of the lot.8 Detached accessory buildings not used as dwellings may occupy a rear yard but must remain at least 5 feet from side and rear lot lines and outside public easements.8 Buildings in those residential districts may not exceed 2 stories or 20 feet, excluding basements.11 Ask the city for the principal-building setbacks and minimum lot area for your specific district before settling on a footprint.1

How do septic permits work inside Goodman?

Missouri requires a construction permit before installing or repairing most onsite wastewater systems, with possible exemptions for some single-family residential lots; the agency with jurisdiction must be identified before work begins.4 McDonald County Health Department states that county septic systems and repairs require its approval and that applications are available at the health department.12 We could not confirm the specific onsite-wastewater authority for land inside Goodman, so call the health department at (417) 223-4351 with the address and ask City Hall about sewer service.1310

Missouri’s DHSS-administered onsite-wastewater application fees are temporarily suspended effective August 28, 2026, but local authorities may use different processes; do not assume the suspension removes a local charge.14 McDonald County’s soil figures are countywide: 22% of soils rate “not limited” for conventional drain fields, which supports budgeting for a site evaluation rather than assuming any particular Goodman lot will work.15

Can you live in an RV, tiny home or manufactured home in Goodman?

Goodman prohibits permanent occupancy of a parked or stored camping or travel trailer inside city limits except in a city-authorized travel-trailer court.6 For lots occupied by dwellings or in residential districts, Goodman allows no more than 1 camping, travel or hauling trailer per family, no longer than 30 feet and no wider than 8 feet; parking or storage longer than 1 week requires placement behind the front-yard building line.6 Those storage provisions do not authorize permanent RV living while a house is built.6

New mobile homes brought into Goodman for dwelling use must be placed in a compliant mobile-home park, while existing homes and parks have exemptions and exceptions.7 We could not confirm Goodman’s tiny-home or accessory-dwelling rules; ask the Administrative Official to review the proposed dwelling and use for zoning compliance before buying the unit.1

Building a home in Goodman: what are the steps before work starts?

  1. Ask Goodman’s Administrative Official to confirm zoning compliance for the parcel and proposed use.1
  2. Prepare the application plans: Goodman’s planning provisions call for duplicate scaled plans and a registered surveyor’s boundary survey or a certified recorded plat on file, with authority for the official to waive listed requirements.1 The building regulations also call for a site plan showing new and existing structures and approximate lot-line distances.5
  3. Resolve wastewater approval with the appropriate health authority before septic installation or repair, and ask City Hall about water and sewer connections.410
  4. Check floodplain constraints: uses other than the specified agricultural and public uses in Goodman’s mapped flood-plain areas require protective measures approved by the Planning Commission.16
  5. Obtain the city building permit before starting covered work, keep a copy onsite, and plan around expiration if work fails to start or is suspended for 60 days.5

Watch-outs

  • Goodman’s city zoning and building-permit rules apply inside city limits; McDonald County’s limited requirements for unincorporated land are a different answer.213
  • Goodman’s building chapter describes an unscaled site plan while its planning chapter requires scaled plans; ask the Administrative Official which documents are needed for your application.51
  • Missouri allows landowners to install their own well or pump without the cited state installation permit, but Goodman’s city building-permit provisions separately cover water-line excavation for a home.95
  • Goodman’s permanent RV-occupancy restriction makes a stored trailer an unreliable plan for living onsite while building; ask the city about your proposed temporary accommodation before committing.6

Sources

  1. Goodman Administrative Official — Planning and Zoning (ecode360.com)
  2. Chapter 405: Zoning Code - City of Goodman, MO (Goodman), quoted and re-checked
  3. Planning and Zoning Laws, quoted and re-checked
  4. OWTS Construction Permit Process (Missouri statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  5. Goodman Code Official — Building Regulations (ecode360.com)
  6. Article III: Supplementary Regulations - City of Goodman, MO (Goodman), quoted and re-checked
  7. Chapter 415: Mobile Homes and Mobile Home Parks - City of Goodman, MO (Goodman), quoted and re-checked
  8. Article II: Zoning Districts Regulations - City of Goodman, MO (Goodman), quoted and re-checked
  9. Water Wells - PUB2945 (Goodman), quoted and re-checked
  10. Goodman City Hall (goodmanmo.net)
  11. Article II: Zoning Districts Regulations - City of Goodman, MO (Goodman), quoted and re-checked
  12. McDonald County Health Department — Environmental (mcdonaldcountyhealth.com)
  13. McDonald County Health Department (mcdonaldcountyhealth.com)
  14. OWTS Construction Permit Process (Missouri statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  15. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
  16. Article III: Supplementary Regulations - City of Goodman, MO (Goodman), quoted and re-checked

Written October 12, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Goodman

Goodman’s own rules

  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Zoning districts inside Goodman city limits.

    • The code lists A-1 Agricultural; R-1A, R-1B, and R-1C One-Family Residential; R-2; R-3; R-4; M Mobile Home; C-1; C-2; I-1; I-2; and I-3 districts.
    “Section 405.090 "A-1" Agricultural Districts. Section 405.100 "R-1A", "R-1B", "R-1C" One-Family Residential Districts.”
  • Living in an RVLimited

    Camping and travel trailers on lots occupied by dwellings or lots in residential districts inside Goodman city limits.

    • No more than one camping, travel, or hauling trailer per family is permitted.
    • The trailer may not exceed 30 feet in length or 8 feet in width.
    • It may not be parked or stored for more than one week unless behind the front-yard building line.
    • Permanent occupancy is prohibited while parked or stored, except in a City-authorized travel-trailer court.

    maximum trailer length: <= 30 feet · maximum trailer width: <= 8 feet · maximum trailer count: 1 per family · storage period: <= 1 week (Unless located behind the front-yard building line.)

    “A camping or travel trailer shall not be occupied permanently while it is parked or stored in any area within the incorporated limits except in a travel trailer court authorized under the Zoning Code of the City.”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    Manufactured/mobile-home occupancy inside Goodman city limits.

    • New mobile homes may be occupied as dwellings only in a compliant mobile-home park.
    • Existing mobile homes and parks are subject to Chapter 415 exemptions and exceptions.
    • Manufactured housing must also comply with applicable zoning, HUD or Missouri seal, pad, skirting, porch, anchoring, and other requirements.
    “No mobile home, including all single-wide and double-wide mobile homes as defined within this Chapter, may be brought within the corporate City limits of Goodman, Missouri, for the purpose of being occupied as a dwelling, except for placement of said mobile home within a mobile home park, which mobile home park is in compliance with all provisions of this Chapter.”
  • Building in a floodplainLimited

    Development in a flood-plain area designated on the Goodman zoning map.

    • Agricultural uses, public parks or parkways, and public streets or highways are permitted without the stated protective-measure condition.
    • Other uses require adequate measures to protect from flood damage and Planning Commission approval.
    • Flooded, excessively sloped, or otherwise undesirable land may not be platted for residential occupancy under the subdivision rules.
    “These measures will be subject to approval by the Planning Commission.”

Rules another office applies inside Goodman

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

  • Lot coverageSpecified

    R-1A, R-1B, and R-1C One-Family Residential Districts inside Goodman city limits.

    • Detached accessory buildings not used as dwellings may be in a rear yard, at least 5 feet from side and rear lot lines, and outside public easements.
    • Attached accessory buildings must conform to principal-structure side and rear requirements.

    maximum lot coverage: <= 30 percent

    “All buildings, including accessory buildings, shall not cover more than thirty percent (30%) of the area of the lot;”
  • Building heightSpecified

    R-1A, R-1B, and R-1C One-Family Residential Districts inside Goodman city limits.

    • Basements are excluded from the story count and height statement.

    maximum stories: <= 2 stories (Basements excluded.) · maximum height: <= 20 feet (Basements excluded.)

    “No building shall be erected or enlarged to exceed two (2) stories, excluding basements, or twenty (20) feet in height.”
  • Well permitLimited

    Water-well construction or repair serving land inside Goodman city limits.

    • A non-restricted water-well installation permit is required to construct or repair a water well.
    • A non-restricted pump-installation permit is required for specified pump and line work.
    • Landowners may install their own well or pump without a permit under the cited law and rules.
    “Landowners may install their own well or pump without a permit pursuant to the above mentioned law and rules.”

Still unanswered

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

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from Goodman building-permit requirements.
  • Building code adopted — Building-code adoption inside Goodman city limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificate-of-occupancy requirements inside Goodman city limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — R-1A, R-1B, and R-1C One-Family Residential Districts inside Goodman city limits.
  • Minimum lot size — A-1 Agricultural District inside Goodman city limits.
8 more unanswered
  • Setbacks
  • Tiny homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Driveway access
  • Short-term rentals

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Goodman publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. McDonald County’s page lists the county offices to call.

← All of McDonald County: county rules, score and offices