Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Aurora, Nebraska

Aurora’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Aurora city's zoned area, governed by the city's Zoning Regulations (2010, with amendments)

  • Source is the city-hosted 2010 Zoning Regulations with Amendments PDF; its amendment notes run through ord. 1095 (amended August 13, 2019).
  • The codified code on American Legal Publishing states it is current only through ord. 1100, passed 1-14-2020; the codified Title XV text was not opened in this research.
  • Zoning governs the use, height, area and intensity of buildings and land within each district.

  “no building, structure, or land shall hereafter be used or occupied, and no building or structure or part thereof shall hereafter be erected, constructed, reconstructed, moved or structurally altered except in conformity with all of the regulations herein specified for the zoning district in which it is located.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts of Aurora city, inside city limits

  • Table of contents of the zoning PDF lists the districts; the district regulations themselves (sections 409 to 420) were partly opened.
  • Districts listed include AG, R-1, R-R, R/O, C-1, C-2, I-1, I-2, PUD, I-80X, WPO and AHO.

  “section 409 ag agricultural district section 410 r-1 residential district section 411 r-r residential ranchette district”

• Minimum lot sizeNone

  R-1 Residential district (section 410) in Aurora city, for uses listed in section 410.02

  • Each lot must provide a marketable buildable area and all buildings must comply with the district's minimum width, yard, parking area and maximum rear yard coverage requirements.
  • Conditional uses under section 410.04 have a lot area set by the planning commission during conditional use review under article 7.

  “the minimum lot area for uses listed in section 410.02 shall be unrestricted, provided that each lot shall provide a marketable buildable area and all building(s) thereon shall comply with the minimum width, yard, parking area, and maximum rear yard coverage requirements specified in this district.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  AG Agricultural district (section 409) main buildings in Aurora city

  • Side yard is 50 feet where the side adjoins a residential zoning district and the use is other than a single-family dwelling unit.
  • Rear yard is 50 feet where the permitted use other than a single-family dwelling unit abuts a residential zoning district.
  • Front yard is 35 feet on a restricted-right-of-way major arterial or minor arterial road, and 60 feet on an unrestricted-right-of-way major arterial road.

  side yard: >= 10 feet (50 feet where abutting residential zoning for non-single-family uses) · rear yard: >= 20 feet (50 feet where non-single-family permitted use abuts a residential zoning district) · front yard (collector, local or frontage road): >= 20 feet (minimum front yard on arterial roads is greater)

  “3. rear yard - twenty (20) feet, provided that where any permitted use other than a single-family dwelling unit abuts a residential zoning district the minimum rear yard shall be fifty (50) feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — R-1 Residential district (section 410) main buildings in Aurora city

    “front yard - sixty (60) feet from a roadway designated on the city’s major street plan as a major arterial roadway (unrestricted right-of-way), thirty-five (35) feet from a roadway designated as a major arterial roadway (restricted right-of-way) or minor arterial roadway and twenty (20) feet from a roadway designated as a collector roadway, local roadway or frontage road.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  One attached or detached residential apartment accessory to a primary residential dwelling in the R-1 Residential district, Aurora city

  • The apartment structure must comply with all minimum yard requirements of the R-1 district.
  • Only one additional off-street parking space may be added for the apartment.

  “2. one (1) attached or detached residential apartment on the same lot as a primary residential dwelling, provided such apartment structure shall comply with all minimum yard requirements of this zoning district and provided that only one (1) additional off-street parking space may be added.”

Still unanswered

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

• Building permit — New construction inside Aurora city
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Aurora city
• Building code adopted — Building construction inside Aurora city
• Inspections — Construction inspections inside Aurora city
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new buildings inside Aurora 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.

Off-grid gear

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

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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