Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Noel, Missouri

Noel’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Buildings and structures erected, moved, added to, or structurally altered in Noel city.

  • Plans and specifications must show compliance with Chapter 405 zoning regulations.
  • A temporary permit may be issued for up to six months for stated partial-occupancy or event uses.
  • Ordinary repairs and minor alterations and specified low-cost detached outbuildings outside fire limits are exempt under § 500.090(B).

  “No building or other structure shall be erected, moved, added to, or structurally altered without a permit”

• Building code adoptedAdopted (with conditions)

  Buildings and structures in Noel city.

  • The code incorporates the BOCA National Building Code, 1993 Edition, and subsequent editions by reference.

  “BOCA National Building Code, 1993 Edition, and subsequent editions thereof, incorporated by reference in this Chapter”

• InspectionsRequired

  Buildings and structures during construction in Noel city.

  • The Administrative Officer may stop work when defective or illegal work makes continued operation contrary to public welfare.

  “The Administrative Officer shall inspect all buildings or structures during construction”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land within Noel city incorporated limits.

  • Land and buildings must conform to the regulations for the district in which they are located.

  “The following zones and regulations shall be imposed within the incorporated limits of said City.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Noel city incorporated limits.

  • The adopted zoning map is on file in the City Clerk's office and available for public inspection at reasonable times.

  “The Zoning Map shall be kept and maintained by the City Clerk and shall be available for inspection”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Camping or travel trailers parked or stored inside Noel incorporated limits.

  • Permanent occupancy is prohibited except in a mobile-home area authorized under City zoning ordinances.
  • In residential districts, no more than one trailer per family is permitted; it may not exceed 24 feet long or eight feet wide; and if parked or stored over one week it must be behind the front-yard building line.

  maximum camping or travel trailer length: <= 24 feet (Residential-district parking or storage.) · maximum camping or travel trailer width: <= 8 feet (Residential-district parking or storage.)

  “A camping or travel trailer shall not be occupied permanently”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured and mobile homes inside Noel city, including R-1 single-family residential districts.

  • R-1 excludes trailer houses and mobile homes but permits qualifying double-wide manufactured or modular homes.
  • A qualifying double-wide has stated age, appearance, foundation, removal-of-running-gear, installation-timing, and City permit requirements.
  • Mobile homes may be parked or stored only in a mobile-home area conforming to City ordinances.

  double-wide installation completion period: <= 120 days (Setup and completion of installation.)

  “not including trailer houses or mobile homes as defined in Section 405.020; however, including double-wide manufactured or modular homes”

• Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

  Private sewage disposal systems inside Noel city where public sewer is not available under § 700.020(D).

  • Additional requirements may be imposed by the Health Officer.

  “obtain a written permit signed by the Superintendent”

• Septic permitRequired

  Construction of a private sewage disposal system inside Noel city where public sewer is unavailable.

  • The permit must be signed by the Superintendent.
  • Plans, specifications, and other information may be required.
  • A $50 permit and inspection fee is due when the application is filed.
  • Subsurface soil absorption systems cannot be permitted on lots smaller than 15,000 square feet.

  private sewage disposal permit and inspection fee: 50 USD (Paid to the City when the application is filed.) · minimum lot area for subsurface soil absorption system: >= 15000 square feet (No permit shall be issued below this area.)

  “Before commencement of construction of a private sewage disposal system, the owner shall first obtain a written permit”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Permitted private sewage disposal systems inside Noel city.

  • The applicant must notify the Superintendent before underground portions are covered.
  • The Superintendent must inspect within 48 hours after receipt of notice.
  • The permit is not effective until installation is completed to the Superintendent's satisfaction.

  inspection timing after notice: <= 48 hours (After receipt of notice by the Superintendent.)

  “The inspection shall be made within forty-eight (48) hours of the receipt of notice by the Superintendent.”

• Off-grid sanitationLimited

  Sewage disposal inside Noel city where a public sanitary or combined sewer is unavailable under § 700.020(D).

  • The building sewer must connect to a compliant private sewage disposal system.
  • A written City permit is required before construction.
  • The owner must connect to public sewer within 90 days after it becomes available.

  “the building sewer shall be connected to a private sewage disposal system complying with the provisions of this Section.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  Property inside Noel city abutting a street, alley, or right-of-way containing a City public sanitary or combined sewer within 100 feet of the property line.

  • Connection and toilet facilities are required within 90 days after official notice.
  • The owner bears the expense.

  sewer availability distance: <= 100 feet (Measured to the property line.) · connection deadline after official notice: <= 90 days

  “within ninety (90) days after date of official notice to do so provided that said public sewer is within one hundred (100) feet”

• Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

  Plats of subdivisions and lot splits within Noel city corporate limits.

  • The regulations apply under § 89.400, RSMo.
  • A plat cannot be recorded until Commission and Board approval by ordinance and City Clerk certification.
  • A preliminary-plat filing fee applies.

  “shall apply within the corporate limits of the City”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applicants in Noel city.

  • Remodeling or removal permits have a separate $35 fee.

  building permit fee through $5,000 project cost: per 5 USD per $1,000 project cost (Applies to cost to and including $5,000.) · building permit fee above $5,000 project cost: per 3 USD per $1,000 project cost (Applies to project costs in excess of $5,000.) · remodeling or removal building permit fee: 35 USD

  “Five dollars ($5.00) per one thousand dollars ($1,000.00)”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Building-permit applications in Noel city.

  • The application needs duplicate scaled plans with the specified information.
  • The Administrative Official or Board of Adjustment may waive application requirements.
  • A permit denial under the zoning chapter may be appealed to the Board of Adjustment.

  “Applications for building permits shall be accompanied by a duplicate set of plans drawn to scale”

Rules another office applies inside Noel

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

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  R-1 Single-Family Residential District inside Noel city.

  • Every lot must be at least 65 feet wide.
  • A dwelling not served by sanitary sewer requires one acre unless a County and/or State Health Officer approves a sanitary system on a lesser lot.
  • A dwelling served by sanitary sewer, or with County and/or State Health Officer approval, requires 7,500 square feet.

  minimum lot width: >= 65 feet · minimum lot area without sanitary sewer: >= 1 acre (Unless a County and/or State Health Officer approves a sanitary system on a lesser sized lot.) · minimum lot area with sanitary sewer or Health Officer approval: >= 7500 square feet

  “Every lot shall have a width of not less than sixty-five (65) feet”

• SetbacksSpecified

  R-1 Single-Family Residential District inside Noel city.

  • Corner-lot exceptions apply to stated front and rear requirements.
  • Side yards are ten percent of lot width, but no more than 15 feet is required.

  front yard depth: >= 20 feet (A 15-foot side yard width on a corner lot may be permitted.) · rear yard depth: >= 20 feet (A corner lot may have a 15-foot rear yard.)

  “Each lot shall have front, side and rear yards not less than the depth of width following:”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  R-1 Single-Family Residential District inside Noel city.

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

  maximum lot coverage: <= 30 percent (Includes all buildings, including accessory buildings.)

  “shall not cover more than thirty percent (30%) of the area of the lot.”

• Building heightSpecified

  R-1 Single-Family Residential District inside Noel city.

  • Basements are excluded from the story limit.

  maximum height: <= 35 feet (Also limited to two and one-half stories excluding basement.)

  “two and one-half (2½) stories, excluding basement, or thirty-five (35) feet.”

• Agricultural exemptionAvailable (with conditions)

  A-1 Agricultural District in Noel city.

  • The provision addresses agricultural uses and their accessory structures as defined in the zoning article.
  • Farmhouses require Board of Adjustment determination that they are an essential agricultural-use accessory.

  “No building permits shall be required for such structures.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Land inside Noel city identified as unnumbered A Zones on the specified McDonald County Flood Insurance Rate Map panels and future revisions.

  • Development must fully comply with Chapter 415 and other applicable regulations.
  • The City Engineer is Floodplain Administrator.

  “A floodplain development permit shall be required for all proposed construction or other development”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residential construction in Noel city.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of buildings in Noel city.
• Minimum dwelling size — Residential dwellings inside Noel city.
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes used as residences inside Noel city.
• Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units inside Noel 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.