Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Whiteland, Indiana

Town of Whiteland’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside Whiteland town limits; the town's own Chapter 156 zoning code governs use, height, area and yards there.

  • Chapter 156 is posted on the town's own website as a PDF and is titled the zoning code; it is the town's adopted zoning ordinance as the excerpt states.
  • Chapter 156 amendments are listed in its section notes, e.g. ord. 2023-02, passed 7-11-23 (§ 156.051).
  • The Plan Commission holds zoning oversight (§ 156.020 per the table of contents).

  “this chapter, and chapters supplemental or amendatory thereto, shall be known as the zoning and master plan of whiteland, indiana.”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts inside Whiteland town limits.

  • Districts listed in the Chapter 156 table of contents: R-1, R-2, R-3, apartment, B-1, C-1, C-2, I-1, L-1, AG, plus planned unit developments; zone maps are at § 156.041.
  • Zone map itself was not opened.

  “the town is hereby divided into ten districts in order to carry out the purposes of this chapter.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Dwellings in the R-1 single-family residential district inside Whiteland town limits (§ 156.053).

  • Two-story dwelling: minimum first-floor area 900 square feet, with total area not less than 1,200 square feet (§ 156.053(b)).
  • Open porches, terraces and garages are excluded from the area measure (§ 156.053).

  minimum area, one-story dwelling: >= 1200 square feet (excludes open porches, terraces and garages) · minimum first-floor area, two-story dwelling: >= 900 square feet (total area must be at least 1,200 square feet)

  “(b) two-story dwelling, exclusive of open porches and terraces and garages: minimum first floor area, 900 square feet, with total area not less than 1,200 square feet.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Single-family dwellings in the R-1 single-family residential district inside Whiteland town limits (§ 156.052).

  • Minimum lot width is 90 feet at the building line.
  • Deficient-lot rules are in § 156.055, which was not opened within the search budget.

  minimum lot area: >= 12500 square feet · minimum lot width at building line: >= 90 feet

  “§ 156.052 intensity of use. (a) minimum lot area: 12,500 square feet. (b) minimum width of lot: 90 feet at building line.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Principal dwellings in the R-1 single-family residential district inside Whiteland town limits (§ 156.054).

  • Front setback is 40 feet; in a block where 25% of lots are built, the average front yard depth of the block governs, and a recorded subdivision setback line controls where established (§ 156.054(b)(1)).
  • Corner lots: the side-street setback equals the front setback (§ 156.054(b)(2)).
  • Accessory buildings in rear yards: not within 12 feet of a side lot line and not closer than six feet to the rear lot line; detached accessory buildings may occupy up to 20% of the rear yard (§ 156.054(b)(2)-(3)).
  • Setbacks for the AG district were not located within the search budget.

  front yard minimum building line: >= 40 feet (block-average or recorded subdivision line may govern) · side yards, one side: >= 12 feet (corner lot side-street setback equals front setback) · side yards, other side: >= 15 feet (both side yards total 27 feet) · rear yard minimum: >= 30 feet (normally 25% of lot; alley abutting rear may be measured from alley centerline)

  “(a) twelve-foot minimum on one side and 15-foot minimum on the other side, including 27 feet in both side yards, except corner lots where the side yard set back on the side street shall be the same as front yard set back.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Dwellings in the R-1 single-family residential district inside Whiteland town limits (§ 156.051).

  • Public or semipublic buildings, churches, temples or schools: maximum 80 feet if set back one foot for each two feet of height above 35 feet (§ 156.051(b)).
  • Spires, steeples, chimneys, farm buildings and similar appurtenances: no height limit beyond other ordinances (§ 156.051(c)).
  • Height for the AG district was not located within the search budget.

  dwelling maximum height: <= 35 feet (or 2.5 stories) · dwelling maximum height with setback: <= 45 feet (only if set back from required side and rear yard lines one foot per two feet of height above 35 feet)

  “(a) dwellings. (1) maximum 35 feet or 2½ stories. (2) maximum 45 feet, if building is set back from required side and rear yard lines one foot for each two feet of height above 35 feet.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Single-family dwellings in the R-1 single-family residential district inside Whiteland town limits (§ 156.053(c)).

  • Driveway must be the same width as the garage door or all doors.
  • The rule is stated as a size-of-building requirement in the R-1 district; other districts were not checked.

  garage: minimum two-car garage with hard-surface driveway

  “(c) a minimum of two car garage with hard surface driveway to be same width of garage door or all doors.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Whiteland or Johnson County directly.

• Building permit — New dwelling construction inside Whiteland town limits.
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders constructing a home inside Whiteland town limits.
• Building code adopted — Building construction inside Whiteland town limits.
• Inspections — Construction inspections inside Whiteland town limits.
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of newly built dwellings inside Whiteland town limits.

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 Town of Whiteland 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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