Building permits, zoning and septic rules in Hendricks County, Indiana

At a glance

Building permit

Required before covered construction, alteration, repair, or placement¹

Zoning

Yes — county zoning and subdivision ordinances apply in unincorporated areas²

Septic permits

Required for homes not connected to sewer; handled by the county Health Department⁵

Owner-builder exemption

Yes, for an owner building for personal use; contractor-listing conditions apply⁶

Driveway/road-cut permit

Required from the county Highway Department for county roads (new process since June 1, 2023)⁷

Ag buildings

Exempt from state Class 1 design-release review, but local zoning and inspection can still apply⁸

Floodway construction

DNR Division of Water permit required for most floodway development statewide⁹

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 Hendricks County, Indiana?

Yes. Hendricks County requires a building permit before construction, alteration, repair, or placement of a building or structure covered by the county code¹. The Building division reviews plans and issues improvement location and building permits for eligible construction¹⁰. Indiana's currently effective codes include the 2014 Indiana Building Code and the 2020 Indiana Residential Code¹¹. An individual building a new dwelling or accessory structure for personal use may claim an exemption from contractor-listing requirements by signing the exemption form, but may receive no more than one new-residence permit per calendar year⁶. The owner-builder provision does not waive building or improvement-location permits⁶.

Who is the Hendricks County building department, and how do you reach them?

The Hendricks County Planning & Building Department, at 355 S Washington St #G80 in Danville, handles building permits and planning matters for unincorporated areas¹⁰. Call (317) 745-9255 with building-permit questions or use the department's online portal¹⁰. The Planning division also handles floodplain management, zoning enforcement, subdivision and development-plan engineering inspections, and addressing¹⁰. The published fee schedule lists a $285 application-review fee for a single-family principal building and states that applications are not processed until applicable fees are paid¹². Fees vary by project and inspection type, so use the current schedule and ask the department to calculate the full amount¹².

Does Hendricks County have zoning?

Yes. The Hendricks County Area Plan Commission administers the county Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Control Ordinance in unincorporated areas². The zoning ordinance establishes districts and development standards, while the subdivision ordinance regulates how land is divided for development¹⁰. We could not confirm district-specific minimum lot sizes, setbacks, building heights, or rules for RVs and tiny homes, so get the parcel's zoning district and applicable standards from the Planning & Building Department before relying on a listing description. A subdivision outside a municipality requires a recorded plat prepared by a registered land surveyor and approved through the applicable county process before lots are sold¹³.

How do septic permits work in Hendricks County?

The Hendricks County Health Department's Environmental Health division administers residential onsite-sewage permits; local ordinances may be stricter than the state rule³. A written septic construction permit is required before building or placing a residence that will not connect to sanitary sewer, and the application must include a soils evaluation and compliant system plans⁵. The permittee must arrange a final inspection before subsurface components are covered; if no local procedure is published, notice is due at least 48 hours or two working days beforehand⁴. Only 0.6% of county soils rate as free of severe limits for a conventional drain field, so verify a workable design before treating a lot as buildable¹⁴. Campgrounds without reasonably available public sewer must use an approved sewage-disposal route, but that campground rule does not establish a general private-land sanitation option¹⁵. Ask Environmental Health whether a separate well permit applies¹⁶.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home on your land in Hendricks County?

We could not confirm a Hendricks County rule allowing long-term RV living or tiny-home occupancy on a private parcel. County zoning applies in unincorporated areas, so ask the Planning & Building Department whether the proposed use and structure are allowed in the parcel's district before buying or moving anything onsite². Indiana defines a temporary campground as operating no more than 10 consecutive days per event and no more than 30 days per calendar year, under the local health officer, but that rule does not decide whether you may camp on an individual parcel¹⁷. Campgrounds without reasonably available public sewer remain subject to specified sewage-disposal rules¹⁵.

What are the steps to build a home in Hendricks County, in order?

1. Ask the Planning & Building Department to confirm the parcel's zoning district, allowed use, setbacks, and floodplain status¹⁰.
2. If land must be divided, have a registered land surveyor prepare the plat and complete the applicable county approval before lots are sold¹³.
3. Obtain a soils evaluation and apply to the Hendricks County Health Department for the required septic construction permit before building a residence that will not connect to sewer⁵.
4. Ask Environmental Health whether a separate well permit is required before drilling¹⁶.
5. Submit plans and applicable fees to the Planning & Building Department for the required improvement-location and building permits under the applicable Indiana codes¹¹¹¹².
6. Obtain DNR approval before regulated work in a floodway; a new permanent residence cannot be erected in a floodway¹⁸.
7. Arrange the septic inspection before covering subsurface work, and coordinate required building inspections with the county⁴¹⁹.
8. Ask the Highway Department about county-road access; a state-highway connection requires permission from INDOT⁷²⁰.

What should you check before you buy land in Hendricks County?

Get the zoning district, allowed use, and floodplain status confirmed by the Planning & Building Department before closing¹⁰. Verify septic feasibility early: only 0.6% of county soils rate as free of severe limits for a conventional drain field, and a permit application requires an onsite soils evaluation and compliant plans¹⁴⁵. Hendricks County is largely gentle terrain, with 97.9% of land at a slope of 15% or less, but easy grading does not establish septic suitability²¹. The county has 458.1 people per square mile, and the nearest city of 100,000 or more is about 20 miles from the county center²²²³. Farmland averages about $9,052 per acre, while the median property-tax bill is $2,344 per year at an effective rate of 0.8%²⁴²⁵²⁶. DNR approval is required before regulated floodway work, and a permanent residence may not be erected in a floodway¹⁸.

Watch-outs

• The Hendricks County Highway Department put a new cut-permit and driveway-permit process in place effective June 1, 2023 — confirm current forms and fees with them before assuming an old process applies⁷.
• The owner-builder provision only excuses contractor listing, requires a signed exemption form, and does not waive building permits⁶.
• A dwelling without sanitary sewer must have a permitted septic tank and soil absorption system, so an off-grid plan still needs Health Department review²⁷.

Sources

1. § 150.40 Permits; Application, Required, Fees, quoted and re-checked
2. Hendricks County - Planning Ordinances (2026 county census)
3. 410 IAC 6-8.3 Residential Onsite Sewage Systems, quoted and re-checked
4. 410 IAC 6-8.3 Residential Onsite Sewage Systems, quoted and re-checked
5. Indiana Register: 410 IAC 6-8.3-53 Construction permits, quoted and re-checked
6. § 150.01 Listing of Building Contractors, quoted and re-checked
7. Hendricks County Highway Department (co.hendricks.in.us)
8. Plan Review FAQs (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Water: Community Assistance & Information (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
10. Hendricks County Planning & Building Department (co.hendricks.in.us)
11. Rules of the Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission, quoted and re-checked
12. § 37.25 Planning and Building Department Uniform Schedule, quoted and re-checked
13. 2023 County Recorders Resource Library (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
14. 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
15. Environmental Public Health: 410 IAC 6-7.1 Campgrounds, quoted and re-checked
16. Recommended Standards For Private Water Wells (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
17. Environmental Public Health: 410 IAC 6-7.1 Campgrounds, quoted and re-checked
18. Water: Regulatory Programs, quoted and re-checked
19. DHS: Code Enforcement (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
20. INDOT Driveway Permit Guide 2024 (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
21. Share of land at 15% slope or less: Bolthole Index county data
22. Population density: Bolthole Index county data
23. Straight-line distance from the county center to the nearest city of 100,000+ people: Bolthole Index county data
24. Farmland value per acre (USDA census): Bolthole Index county data
25. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
26. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
27. Indiana Register: 410 IAC 6-8.3-53 Construction permits, quoted and re-checked

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.