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

Yes. In Greeley County's zoning jurisdiction, a building and/or zoning permit must be issued before a structure is erected, moved, added to or structurally altered; an approved permit allows no more than one year for completion¹. The application requires two identical plan sets with a plot plan and footing, wall, roof and floor details⁵. The Zoning Administrator must approve or deny a complete application within 30 days of receipt¹. The county conducts compliance inspections and examines covered buildings, structures or sites before issuing a certificate of occupancy¹. A certificate is required before covered use or occupancy, except for land uses that are primarily agricultural¹. Ask Planning and Zoning for the current fee and inspection sequence⁶.

Greeley County Planning and Zoning is the starting point for county building and zoning applications¹. Call (308) 428-9924, email zoning@greeleycountyne.gov, or write to PO Box 21 Greeley, NE 68842⁶. The county publishes applications for building permits, floodplain development, subdivisions, conditional uses, variances and zoning changes¹. For a parcel-specific answer, give the office the legal description and street address; the county uses that information to identify zoning, decide whether a permit is needed and determine the setback⁵. Bring two identical sets of the required plans when applying⁵. Planning and Zoning also performs the county's compliance inspections and certificate-of-occupancy review¹. Inside the villages' one-mile planning jurisdictions, county zoning does not apply, so confirm the village office for building and zoning permits there; septic permits remain with the state^1,2.

Yes. Greeley County zoning covers rural and unincorporated territory except the one-mile extraterritorial planning jurisdictions of the four villages¹. The published districts are AG-1 Agricultural, AG-2 Agricultural, RC Rural Conservation, C Highway Commercial and I Industrial¹. District rules govern the use and alteration of buildings, structures and land¹. For certain single-family dwellings in AG-1 and RC, the minimum lot is three acres and road-access conditions apply¹. AG-1 and RC generally require a front setback of 25 feet from the road right-of-way, but other setbacks vary by district and adjoining use⁵. A manufactured home outside a mobile home park must have at least 900 square feet of floor area¹ and must meet building-code requirements adopted by Greeley County, although the county regulation does not identify the adopted code edition¹. Nebraska's statewide building code names the 2018 International Building Code and International Residential Code⁷.

Nebraska's DWEE Onsite Wastewater Program administers septic requirements in Greeley County, although lawfully adopted local requirements may be stricter³. A private onsite wastewater system must be permitted before nonexempt construction, reconstruction, alteration, modification or repair, and Nebraska lists two routes: a general permit or construction and operating permits². Most systems fit the general-permit route, while wastewater quantity or quality and nonconforming site conditions can trigger a site-specific permit⁸. For a site-specific permit, the owner submits the state application and requested supporting material; plans and technical documents must be prepared, stamped and signed by a professional engineer². Call the program at (402) 471-4285 or email DWEE.onsite@nebraska.gov before fixing the house and drain-field locations³. Only about 41.9% of mapped county soils are rated without severe limits for a conventional drain field, so test the actual site⁹. A development proposing onsite wastewater on any lot smaller than three acres needs state subdivision review before construction³.

A tiny home treated as a building or structure in unincorporated Greeley County must conform to its zoning district, receive a building and/or zoning permit and obtain a certificate of occupancy before occupancy begins¹. Manufactured homes outside mobile home parks must also meet building-code requirements adopted by Greeley County, but the regulation does not name the code edition¹. Nebraska classifies a park-model recreational vehicle as temporary living quarters that cannot be permanently affixed as a dwelling and cannot exceed 400 square feet in setup mode¹⁰. Long-term RV occupancy and temporary camping on private land remain unconfirmed; ask Planning and Zoning what the parcel's district permits⁶. Any dwelling generating wastewater needs a compliant onsite system or an approved sewer connection¹¹.

1. Give Planning and Zoning the parcel's legal description and address; confirm the district, allowed use, lot size and setbacks^1,5.
2. Confirm access. Certain AG-1 and RC home lots must connect directly or sit adjacent to an improved road¹.
3. Ask whether county floodplain provisions apply and obtain the required floodplain approval before covered construction¹.
4. Contact Nebraska's Onsite Wastewater Program to determine whether the septic system fits the general permit or needs site-specific construction and operating permits^3,8.
5. Submit two identical plan sets with the county application⁵.
6. Schedule required compliance inspections with Planning and Zoning¹.
7. Obtain the certificate of occupancy before covered use or occupancy begins¹.

Start with the legal description, zoning district and allowed residential use through Greeley County Planning and Zoning⁵. Certain homes in the AG-1 and RC districts need at least three acres, improved-road access and other district approvals¹. A qualifying single-lot subdivision may use an administrative path, but the Zoning Administrator recommends and the County Commissioners give final approval¹. Check floodplain status before choosing a homesite¹. Evaluate septic early: only about 41.9% of mapped soils are rated without severe limitations for a conventional drain field⁹. Private-well permitting could not be confirmed, so ask Planning and Zoning which water authority or natural resources district serves the parcel⁶. The effective property-tax rate is about 1.6%, and the median annual property-tax bill is about $1,372⁹.