Building permits, zoning and land rules in Adams County, Indiana

At a glance

Building permit

Required for new residential and commercial construction and remodeling in county-administered areas¹

Small outbuilding

Under 200 square feet: no building permit, but a location permit is required¹

Zoning

Yes in rural and unincorporated Adams County, plus Geneva and Monroe²

Septic permit

Required before the building permit and before construction³

Septic soils

Only 0.5% of soils rate free of severe limits for a conventional drain field⁴

Minimum home size

950 sq ft in R-1; 840 sq ft per dwelling in R-2⁵⁶

RV or tiny-home living

Only as a temporary accessory use beside an existing home, for a family member or employee, with a permit and Board of Health approval; standalone RV living not confirmed⁷

Owner-builder exemption

Not confirmed by the county's published material⁸

Private well permit

Not confirmed for Adams County; ask Environmental Health before drilling⁹

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 10, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in Adams County, Indiana?

Yes. Adams County requires building permits for new residential and commercial construction and remodeling in areas served by the county Building and Planning Department¹. The department also issues electrical permits for new service or upgrades and location permits for new construction¹⁰. An outbuilding smaller than 200 square feet is the stated exception to the building permit, but it still needs a location permit¹. County-inspected projects are inspected through all phases of construction, although the published material does not provide a complete inspection schedule¹¹. Indiana's state-adopted building and residential codes apply according to the structure and the authority having jurisdiction¹². Do not assume a farm building is locally permit-free: a qualifying agricultural-only building may avoid state Class 1 design release, but that exemption does not decide county zoning, inspection, or permit requirements¹³.

Who issues building and zoning permits in Adams County?

Adams County Building & Planning issues building, electrical, and location permits and performs construction inspections in its service area¹⁰. The office is at 313 W Jefferson Street, Suite 338, Decatur, IN 46733; call 260-724-5305 or email buildplan@co.adams.in.us¹⁰. Its jurisdiction covers rural Adams County and the towns of Geneva and Monroe¹⁰. A location permit checks proposed construction against zoning and flood-map parameters, while the building permit covers the construction work¹⁰. That distinction matters when a small outbuilding is exempt from the building permit but still needs location approval¹. Published residential new-construction and remodeling fees are $75 plus $0.07 per square foot, but the cited schedule took effect in 2015, so confirm the current total with the office before applying¹⁴.

Does Adams County, Indiana have zoning?

Yes. Adams County Building & Planning administers zoning in rural and unincorporated Adams County and also has jurisdiction in Geneva and Monroe². Other incorporated municipalities may administer their own land-use rules, so confirm which jurisdiction controls the parcel before relying on a county answer². County zoning and flood-map compliance are reviewed through the location-permit process for new construction¹⁰. In the county's zoning code, front-yard setbacks are measured from the edge of the nearest road right-of-way and depend on the road's classification: 150 feet from an arterial, 110 feet from a primary road, 90 feet from a secondary road, 50 feet from a section or half-section road and 40 feet from a local residential street¹⁵. Minimum home size depends on the zone: a building in an R-1 single-family zone needs at least 950 square feet of floor area, and an R-2 multiple-family zone needs at least 840 square feet per dwelling, in both cases excluding unenclosed porches, terraces and garages⁵⁶. We could not confirm minimum lot size, lot coverage or building height from the available county material. Give Building & Planning the parcel number and a sketch of the proposed house, accessory building, RV, or tiny home so the office can identify the zoning district and applicable dimensional rules¹⁰. Dividing rural land is regulated too: the county publishes separate major- and minor-subdivision fees, and Indiana requires an approved, surveyor-certified plat to be recorded before lots outside municipalities are sold¹⁶¹⁷.

How do septic permits work in Adams County?

The Adams County Health Department's Environmental Health Division administers residential and commercial on-site sewage systems under state rules and the county ordinance¹⁸. For a new home, remodel, or failing-system repair, the process requires a soil test or site evaluation, an approved system plan, and a $100 permit before the building permit and before construction starts³. The applicant also provides a floor plan, and the contractor submits the plan-review checklist and system drawing¹⁹. The Sanitarian needs at least two working days' notice before installation so required inspections can be arranged²⁰. Only 0.5% of Adams County soils rate without severe limitations for a conventional septic drain field, so make septic feasibility an early purchase contingency rather than assuming a conventional system will work⁴. If the soil scientist finds the site unsuitable for every on-site system, the process ends unless sanitary sewer is available²¹.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Adams County?

We could not confirm that Adams County allows full-time residential occupancy of an RV or tiny home as a primary residence on a private parcel. The zoning code does permit a mobile home or travel trailer as a temporary accessory use in unincorporated Adams County, but only on property that already has a permanent dwelling, and only when the unit is occupied by a family member living in that dwelling or by that resident's employee⁷. The unit may not sit in a required yard or setback, needs an improvement location permit before it is moved onto the property, and cannot be lived in until a certificate of occupancy is issued, which requires a County Board of Health letter approving the water supply and sanitary waste disposal⁷. Indiana's published RV and temporary-campground rules do not answer the private-land residential question²²²³. Adams County zoning applies in rural and unincorporated areas and in Geneva and Monroe, making the parcel's jurisdiction and zoning district central to the answer². Before buying an RV or tiny home, ask Building & Planning whether the unit is an allowed dwelling, where it may be placed, which location and building permits apply, and whether temporary occupancy during construction is allowed¹⁰. Sanitation is a separate hurdle: an Indiana dwelling without sanitary sewer generally needs a compliant septic tank and working soil-absorption system, while drywells and cesspools are not allowed substitutes²⁴.

Building a home in Adams County: the steps, in order

1. Ask Building & Planning to confirm the parcel's jurisdiction, zoning district, allowed residential use, setbacks, flood-map status, and location-permit requirements²²⁵.
2. If public sewer is unavailable, contact Environmental Health for the septic packet and arrange the required soil test or site evaluation¹⁹.
3. Obtain the approved septic plan and $100 septic permit before applying for the building permit or starting construction³.
4. Ask Environmental Health whether a county permit is required for a private well because Indiana guidance says some local health departments require one but does not identify Adams County⁹²⁶.
5. Apply for the county building and location permits and confirm the required inspection sequence¹¹¹.
6. Apply to the Highway Department for a driveway connecting to a county road; Adams County requires a county-road driveway permit, while access within a state-highway right-of-way needs permission from INDOT²⁷²⁸.
7. Contact Indiana DNR about development in a floodway because most such work falls under DNR jurisdiction in addition to the county location-permit review²⁹²⁵. A waterway draining less than 1 square mile does not need a DNR Flood Control Act permit, though other state, federal or local permits can still apply³⁰.

What should you check before buying land in Adams County?

Start with septic feasibility: only 0.5% of Adams County soils rate without severe limitations for a conventional drain field, and the county ends the septic process when a site is unsuitable for any on-site system unless sanitary sewer is available⁴²¹. Confirm zoning, setbacks, allowed dwellings, and flood-map status with Building & Planning before the purchase contingency expires²²⁵. Confirm legal road access and the required county-road driveway permit with the Highway Department; state-highway access goes through INDOT instead²⁷²⁸. Farmland averages about $10,771 per acre, while the typical home value is $256,561³¹³². The median property-tax bill is $1,295 per year at an effective rate of about 0.7%³³³⁴. Adams County has about 107.1 people per square mile, and the nearest city of 100,000 or more is about 21 miles from the county center³⁵³⁶.

Watch-outs

• A septic permit must be issued before the building permit and before construction begins³.
• An outbuilding smaller than 200 square feet avoids the building permit but still needs a location permit¹.
• Full-time RV living on a vacant parcel, tiny-home occupancy and an owner-builder exemption remain unconfirmed; the code allows a travel trailer only as a temporary accessory use beside an existing home, so ask Building & Planning about the exact parcel and proposal⁷⁸¹⁰.
• The published residential building-fee schedule took effect in 2015, so verify current charges before budgeting¹⁴.

Sources

1. Building & Planning, quoted and re-checked
2. Building & Planning, quoted and re-checked
3. Environmental, quoted and re-checked
4. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
5. § 153.003 Jurisdiction and Application, quoted and re-checked
6. § 153.003 Jurisdiction and Application, quoted and re-checked
7. § 153.003 Jurisdiction and Application, quoted and re-checked
8. (2026 county census)
9. Recommended Standards For Private Water Wells (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
10. Adams County Building & Planning (co.adams.in.us)
11. Building & Planning, quoted and re-checked
12. Rules of the Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission, quoted and re-checked
13. Plan Review FAQs (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
14. Adams County Building Department Fee Schedule, quoted and re-checked
15. § 153.003 Jurisdiction and Application, quoted and re-checked
16. Adams County Area Plan Commission Fee Schedule, quoted and re-checked
17. 2023 County Recorders Resource Library (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
18. Environmental, quoted and re-checked
19. Building & Planning, quoted and re-checked
20. Environmental, quoted and re-checked
21. Permit Process for Onsite Sewage Systems, quoted and re-checked
22. Environmental Public Health: 410 IAC 6-71 Campgrounds (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
23. 410 IAC 6-7.1 Campgrounds, quoted and re-checked
24. 410 IAC 6-8.3 Residential On-Site Sewage Systems (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
25. Building & Planning, quoted and re-checked
26. Adams County Health Department, Environmental Division (co.adams.in.us)
27. Highway Department & County Engineer, quoted and re-checked
28. INDOT Driveway Permit Guide 2024 (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
29. Water: Community Assistance & Information (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
30. Water: General Licenses and Exemptions, quoted and re-checked
31. Farmland value per acre (USDA census): Bolthole Index county data
32. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
33. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
34. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
35. Population density: Bolthole Index county data
36. Straight-line distance from the county center to the nearest city of 100,000+ people: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 10, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.