Building permits, zoning and land rules in Furnas County, Nebraska

Furnas County requires a $50 zoning permit for a new structure or footprint change in the unincorporated county; the ordinance also covers construction, alteration, enlargement, moving, use and occupancy subject to zoning¹. We could not confirm a separate county building-code permit, general building inspections or certificate of occupancy; ask the Zoning Administrator how Nebraska's state building code applies to your project^6,7. Inside Arapahoe, apply to the Municipal Clerk for building permits; inside Beaver City, apply to the City Clerk/Treasurer^8,9. State onsite wastewater requirements still apply, and Beaver City also requires City Council septic approval within its city limits or zoning jurisdiction^10,11.

Furnas County Planning and Zoning is at 912 R Street in Beaver City, open from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday; call (308) 268-5088⁷. Submit a completed zoning application, $50 fee and site plan; lot dimensions must come from an actual survey, and the lot and building location must be staked before construction¹. The Zoning Administrator must issue a written permit or reasoned denial within 15 days after accepting the application; unfinished work causes the permit to expire after two years unless a written extension is obtained¹. Conditional-use permits, variances and appeals cost $250 each; subdivision fees are $250 per permit plus $25 per lot¹².

Furnas County zoning applies to unincorporated land outside jurisdiction granted to municipalities². Arapahoe sets its own zoning; Nebraska's Onsite Wastewater Program still handles state septic requirements^10,13. County districts include Agricultural Preservation, Transitional Agricultural, River Protection Corridor, Mobile Home Residential and Highway Commercial, with airport and floodplain overlays². Single-story single-family homes need at least 900 square feet above grade, an 18-foot exterior width and a permanent foundation². TA-1 single-family lots require three acres and 200 feet of width, with 20% maximum coverage; RPC-1 also requires three acres and allows 20% coverage, with an 83-foot front setback from a county-road centerline². In TA-1, structures within 150 feet of a dwelling district cannot exceed 35 feet; beyond that distance, FAA/FCC limits apply². Additional agricultural-operation dwellings require conditional use and common ownership².

Nebraska's Onsite Wastewater Program handles septic requirements for Furnas County¹⁰. The state must permit a covered onsite wastewater system before construction, reconstruction, alteration, modification, a non-exempt repair, or operation; qualifying systems proceed under a general permit, while others need construction and operating permits³. Furnas County prohibits occupying a residence or other building for living purposes without an approved waste system that meets or is equivalent to state criteria². A development proposing onsite wastewater on a lot smaller than three acres must undergo state subdivision review before construction¹⁴. Only about 35.3% of county soils avoid a “very limited” rating for conventional septic drain fields, so make the site evaluation part of the purchase decision¹⁵.

An RV parked or stored in a Furnas County residential district cannot be used for living, sleeping or housekeeping². An approved RV park needs a conditional-use permit and at least two acres; individual RV or trailer occupancy is limited to four continuous months in a 12-month period, with storage allowed afterward². Auxiliary tents in RV parks or campgrounds are limited to 14 consecutive days². County temporary zoning permits can cover uses or buildings incidental to construction for up to six months, but are revocable; ask Planning and Zoning whether your proposed construction accommodation qualifies^1,7. Site-built tiny homes must meet county room, sanitation, utility, egress, foundation and code standards; RV/park-model/camper units are temporary quarters without permanent utility connections². Mobile-home parks need at least five acres, and leased mobile homes need 500 square feet of livable floor area; manufactured homes are prohibited in RV parks².

1. Call Furnas County Planning and Zoning at (308) 268-5088 to confirm the parcel's district, allowed use, setbacks, lot standards, and approvals⁷.
2. Ask whether a building code, inspections, or certificate of occupancy applies; we could not confirm those requirements⁷.
3. Plan wastewater and obtain the applicable state septic permit before covered construction or operation³.
4. Submit the zoning application, site plan and $50 fee, using surveyed lot dimensions; stake the lot and building location before construction¹.
5. Obtain a separate county permit before any floodplain development or substantial improvement².
6. If access connects to a state highway, obtain the Nebraska Department of Transportation driveway permit¹⁶.

Confirm road ownership because the county Highway Department has jurisdiction over only some county gravel and paved roads; other roads may be state, city, or village routes¹⁷. Furnas County regulates subdivisions, including divisions whose smallest new parcel is 10 acres or less¹⁸. The published county driveway restriction applies only within RV parks, so ask the Highway Department about access to an ordinary parcel; a state-highway driveway needs a Nebraska Department of Transportation permit^2,16,17. A well pumping more than 50 gallons per minute may need a Natural Resources District permit⁴. Furnas County's effective property-tax rate is about 1.4%, with a median annual bill of about $1,330¹⁵.