Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Blue Hill, Nebraska

Blue Hill’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Building work inside Blue Hill city limits and up to one mile beyond

  • Permit fee set by council resolution
  • No permit required for repair that does not alter or extend outer dimensions of an existing improvement
  • Permit void if work not begun within 12 months

  “any person desiring to commence or proceed to erect, construct, repair, enlarge, demolish, or relocate any building or structure, including fences of all kinds and sidewalks”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction inside Blue Hill city and its zoning jurisdiction

  • Adopted only insofar as it does not conflict with Nebraska statutes
  • Also adopts 2012 National Plumbing Code, 2014 National Electrical Code and 1997 Uniform Housing Code
  • Editions are old (2009 IBC)

  building code: 2009 International Building Code

  “the 2009 edition of the international building code (ibc) published by the international code council and printed in book or pamphlet form, is hereby incorporated by reference”

• InspectionsRequired

  Buildings inside Blue Hill city

  • Foundation, frame and final inspections at section 9-103

  “he or she shall inspect all buildings repaired, altered, built or moved in the city as often as necessary to insure compliance with all city ordinances”

• Certificate of occupancyLimited

  Accessory buildings used as dwellings inside Blue Hill city; general CO rule for new homes not located

  • Excerpt covers accessory buildings only

  “in no event shall such building be used as a dwelling unless a certificate of occupancy shall have been issued for such use.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Blue Hill city and its zoning jurisdiction

  • Ordinance is the 2018 update; zoning administrator issues permits

  “no fence shall be constructed within the zoning jurisdiction of the city of blue hill unless a permit therefore is approved and issued by the zoning administrator”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Residential (R) district inside Blue Hill city

  • AG district separately lists 43,560 sq ft (1 acre); table was garbled so AG not recorded as its own claim

  minimum lot size: 7000 sq ft · minimum lot width: 50 ft

  “lot coverage (maximum, percent) "r" 7,000 50' 35' 2½ 25' 35' 10' 5' 50'”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Residential (R) district inside Blue Hill city

  • Interior side setback has a lot-of-record footnote not fully read
  • Maximum front setback 35 ft

  front setback: >= 25 ft · interior side setback: >= 10 ft · rear setback: >= 5 ft

  “"r" 7,000 50' 35' 2½ 25' 35' 10' 5' 50' *interior side setback-wherever a lot of record at the time of the passage of this regulation has a width of one hundred (100) feet or less, the interior side yard may be reduced to a width of not less than ten (10) percent of the width of the lot, but in no instance shall it be less than four (4) feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Residential (R) district inside Blue Hill city

  maximum lot coverage: <= 50 percent

  “lot coverage (maximum, percent) "r" 7,000 50' 35' 2½ 25' 35' 10' 5' 50'”

• Building heightSpecified

  Residential (R) district inside Blue Hill city

  maximum height: <= 35 ft · maximum stories: <= 2.5 stories

  “lot coverage (maximum, percent) "r" 7,000 50' 35' 2½ 25' 35' 10' 5' 50'”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  Floodplain land inside Blue Hill city

  • Full Ordinance No. 725 is on file with city clerk; its text was not read

  “regulate floodplain permits, application procedures, standards for construction, and variance procedures.”

• Permit feesVariable (with conditions)

  Building permits inside Blue Hill city

  • Fee amounts are not stated in the code; schedule is in a council resolution on file with the city clerk

  “the council shall authorize the city clerk to issue the said applicant a permit upon the payment of the permit fee set by resolution of the council”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permits inside Blue Hill city

  • Application is filed with the city clerk on a form the clerk supplies
  • Duplicate permit filed with county assessor if improvement is $2,500 or more

  “the application shall be in writing on a form to be furnished by the clerk.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Blue Hill or Webster County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Blue Hill city
• Minimum dwelling size — Inside Blue Hill city
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy inside Blue Hill city
• Camping on your land — Inside Blue Hill city
• Tiny homes — Inside Blue Hill 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.