Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Big Springs, Nebraska

Village of Big Springs’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Erecting, moving or structurally altering buildings, plus fences, walls and accessory buildings, inside Big Springs village

  • Permit issued by the village zoning administrator only if the use conforms to the zoning ordinance and other village codes
  • Fences, walls and accessory buildings including carports also require a permit
  • Permit expires if work not begun within 90 days or not substantially completed within two years
  • Application filed after construction begins pays four times the standard fee
  • Building without a permit is a public nuisance (Section 9-105)

  permit start deadline: <= 90 days · late-filing fee multiplier: 4 x standard fee

  “no building or other structure shall be erected, moved, or structurally altered without a building permit first having been issued by the zoning administrator.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction inside Big Springs village and its zoning jurisdiction

  • IBC most recent edition adopted by reference insofar as it does not conflict with state statutes
  • Uniform Plumbing Code and National Electrical Code also adopted by reference (Sections 9-302, 9-303)
  • Village permit procedures and the village zoning ordinance govern over conflicting procedures in an adopted code
  • Code recodified, adopted July 6, 2021; Section 9-101 amended by Ord. 24-11-01, 11/5/24

  “the international building code (ibc), most recent edition, published by the international code council, is hereby incorporated by reference”

• InspectionsLimited

  Permit applications inside Big Springs village

  • Only a site inspection during application review by the zoning administrator is described; no construction-stage inspection schedule was found
  • Zoning administrator approves or disapproves within 30 days

  review period: <= 30 days

  “the zoning administrator shall examine all applications for building permits, including plans, specifications, documents filed with the permit application and a physical inspection of the site will be done.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Big Springs village limits (and its zoning jurisdiction)

  • The zoning ordinance text itself was not located; its existence is shown by the village's permit instruction sheet and municipal code Chapter 9.

  “shall obtain a building permit from the village as provided in the village zoning ordinance.”

• Mandatory utility hookupConditional

  Properties inside Big Springs village near village water and sewer mains

  • Water: property within 300 feet of a main must hook up upon notice by the village board
  • Sewer: owner of property abutting a street with a public sewer must connect within the stated period after official notice if the sewer is within the stated distance of the property line (the code text reads '90/ten days' and '100/300 feet', an unresolved template alternative)
  • Residents must subscribe to village utility services (Section 7-102)

  water main distance: <= 300 feet

  “all persons whose property is within 300 feet of a main shall be required, upon notice by the village board, to hook up with the village water system.”

• Permit processPublished

  Building permit applications inside Big Springs village

  • Application requires plot plan showing lot dimensions, setbacks, parking and buffers, plus legal description and location of property markers
  • Permit expires if work not begun within 90 days or not completed within two years

  decision deadline: <= 30 days

  “the zoning administrator shall either approve or disapprove such application within thirty (30) days of the application.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Big Springs or Deuel County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Big Springs village
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy inside Big Springs village
• Zoning districts — Zoning districts in Big Springs village
• Minimum dwelling size — Dwelling size in Big Springs village residential districts
• Minimum lot size — Lot size in Big Springs village residential districts

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.