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

At a glance

Building permit

Required in unincorporated Johnson County, issued by the county Building Department¹

Zoning

Yes, countywide in unincorporated areas, via the Department of Planning and Zoning²

Septic permit

Issued by the Johnson County Health Department, not the building department⁴

Owner-builder exemption

Not confirmed; ask the Building Department before assuming one applies⁶

Building permit review time

About 10 business days on average³

Septic soils

About 1% of soils are free of severe limits for a conventional drain field⁷

Well permit

May be required by the local health department; confirm before drilling⁸

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 12, 2026.

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

Unincorporated Johnson County requires a building permit from the county Building Department within Planning and Zoning.¹ Johnson County incorporates Indiana's building-safety rules by reference and has no separate local amendments or individual building codes.³ Indiana's codes are model codes amended by the state Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission; the currently effective editions include the 2014 Indiana Building Code and 2020 Indiana Residential Code.⁹¹⁰ One- and two-family residences follow the Indiana Residential Code and local inspection authority.¹¹ We could not confirm a Johnson County owner-builder exemption; ask the Building Department before assuming one applies.⁶ An agricultural exemption from state Class 1 design release does not itself waive local zoning, building permits or inspections.¹²

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

The Johnson County Building Department is at 86 W Court St, Franklin, IN 46131; call (317) 346-4350 or email building@johnsoncounty.in.gov for building-permit, fee and inspection questions.³ County building-permit review averages 10 business days.³ Inside Edinburgh, the town handles building permits; septic permits remain with the Johnson County Health Department.¹³⁴⁵ New single-family homes and commercial developments in White River Township carry a road impact fee collected by Planning and Zoning when the building permit is issued.³ Ask the Building Department for the local building-fee total: Indiana DHS publishes a separate fee schedule for projects subject to state building-plan review, paid through the Design Release Service by credit card or e-check.¹⁴

Does Johnson County have zoning?

Johnson County Planning and Zoning enforces zoning, subdivision and building codes in unincorporated Johnson County.¹⁵ On the county GIS map, property inside a town or city limit is shaded light yellow and labeled "city-"; confirm jurisdiction before applying county rules to a parcel.¹⁵ Edinburgh sets its own zoning inside town limits, while residential septic permits remain with the Johnson County Health Department.¹⁶⁴⁵ Before dividing land outside a municipality and selling lots, Indiana requires a surveyor-certified plat recorded with the county recorder and approved by the county commissioners or, where a subdivision-control ordinance has been adopted, the plan commission.¹⁷

How do septic permits work in Johnson County?

Septic systems in Johnson County are permitted by the county Health Department, not the Building Department.⁴ The Health Department's Environmental Health division covers "onsite septic rules, fees, specialists, installation and abandonment," reachable at (317) 346-4365, 95 S Drake Rd, Franklin, IN 46131.¹⁸ For a home that will not connect to sewer, Indiana requires a written construction permit signed by the health officer before building starts, and the county health department must issue or deny it within 30 days after receiving the application and plans.¹⁹ Residential septic permits inside municipalities also come from the Johnson County Health Department.⁵ A compliant system needs a septic tank and a soil absorption system that hasn't failed; drywells and cesspools aren't allowed, and a temporary holding tank needs written state approval outside narrow exceptions.²⁰ Soils are a serious constraint here: only about 1% of Johnson County's soils are rated free of severe limits for a conventional drain field, so budget for a site evaluation and likely an engineered system before you count on a standard trench field.⁷ Private water wells may also need a permit from the same local health department; Indiana notes that "several local health departments now require that a permit be obtained before construction of a residential water supply well or installation of a well pump," so confirm with the Health Department before drilling.⁸

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

We could not confirm whether residential RV or tiny-home occupancy is allowed on private land in unincorporated Johnson County; ask the Department of Planning and Zoning for a written answer for your parcel before buying or moving a unit onto it.¹⁵² Ask the office to identify the zoning district and any dwelling-size, setback or temporary-occupancy requirements that would apply.¹⁵ Indiana's campground occupancy rule governs licensed campgrounds, so it does not establish permission to live in an RV on an individually deeded lot.²¹

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

1. Confirm jurisdiction on the county GIS map and ask Johnson County Planning and Zoning about the parcel's zoning before designing the home.¹⁵
2. For a home without sewer, submit the septic application to the Johnson County Health Department with an on-site soils evaluation and system plans; obtain the health officer's written construction permit before residence construction starts.¹⁹
3. Apply to the Johnson County Building Department for the building permit, allowing about 10 business days for review; include the road impact fee in your budget for a new single-family home in White River Township.³
4. Confirm with the Health Department whether a well-construction or pump-installation permit applies before drilling.⁸
5. Obtain INDOT approval for a driveway connecting to a state highway.²²
6. Ask DNR's Division of Water about prior approval for building, fill or excavation in a floodway along a stream whose drainage area exceeds 1 square mile, subject to exemptions or general licenses.²³
7. Arrange building inspections with the Building Department and septic inspections with the Health Department; if no local septic inspection procedure is published, notify the health officer at least 48 hours or two working days before covering subsurface septic work.¹⁵¹⁹

What to check before you buy land in Johnson County

Confirm the parcel's jurisdiction on the county GIS map and ask Planning and Zoning about the district's allowed uses and dimensional requirements.¹⁵ Budget for septic due diligence: with only about 1% of Johnson County's soils rated free of severe limits for a conventional drain field, a site evaluation from the Health Department should shape your build plan before you close.⁷ If the parcel is in White River Township, ask about the road impact fee that applies to new single-family and commercial building permits there.³ Ask the DNR Division of Water about floodway boundaries before closing: building, fill, excavation or an obstruction in a floodway along a stream with a drainage area greater than 1 square mile requires prior state approval unless an exemption or general license applies.²³ The floodplain fringe has no state review or state permit, but local rules may still apply.²⁴ The county gets about 44.7 inches of rain a year with severe drought in only about 2.7% of years, and 95.8% of its land has a slope of 15% or less.²⁵²⁶²⁷ Property taxes have a typical effective rate near 0.7% and a median bill around $1,875 a year, while the typical homeowner's insurance premium is near $1,617 a year.²⁸²⁹³⁰

Watch-outs

• New single-family and commercial building permits in White River Township carry a road impact fee collected with the building permit; confirm the amount with the Johnson County Highway Department before you budget.³
• We could not confirm an owner-builder or owner-occupant permit exemption specific to Johnson County; confirm directly with the Building Department rather than assuming one applies.⁶
• Only about 1% of Johnson County's soils are rated free of severe limits for a conventional septic drain field, so budget for a site evaluation and a possible engineered system rather than a standard trench field.⁷

Sources

1. Johnson County Building Department (2026 county census)
2. Johnson County Planning & Zoning (2026 county census)
3. Johnson County Building Department (johnsoncounty.in.gov)
4. Johnson County Health Department - Onsite Septic (2026 county census)
5. Residential On-Site Sewage Systems, administrative authority, quoted and re-checked
6. (2026 county census)
7. 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
8. Recommended Standards For Private Water Wells (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. DHS: Building Plan Review, quoted and re-checked
10. DHS: Rules of the Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission, quoted and re-checked
11. Rules of the Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission, quoted and re-checked
12. Plan Review FAQs (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
13. Town of Edinburgh: Building & Improvement Permits (Johnson County), quoted and re-checked
14. DHS: Building Plan Review, quoted and re-checked
15. Johnson County Department of Planning and Zoning (johnsoncounty.in.gov)
16. Town of Edinburgh: § 156.01 Adoption by Reference (Johnson County), quoted and re-checked
17. 2023 County Recorders Resource Library (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
18. Johnson County Health Department, Environmental Health (Onsite Septic) (johnsoncounty.in.gov)
19. Residential On-Site Sewage Systems, 410 IAC 6-8.3, quoted and re-checked
20. 410 IAC 6-8.3 Residential On-Site Sewage Systems (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
21. Environmental Public Health: 410 IAC 6-71 Campgrounds (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
22. INDOT Driveway Permit Guide 2024 (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
23. Water: Permit Application Type, quoted and re-checked
24. Water: Community Assistance & Information (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
25. Annual precipitation: Bolthole Index county data
26. Share of years in severe drought: Bolthole Index county data
27. Share of land at 15% slope or less: Bolthole Index county data
28. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
29. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
30. Typical home insurance premium: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 12, 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.