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

At a glance

Building permit

Required for homes and other listed development in county-administered areas¹²

Zoning

County zoning applies outside the zoning jurisdictions of Winamac and Francesville⁶³

Septic permit

Required; administered by the Pulaski County Health Department⁷⁴

Private well

A county temporary permit is required before a new or replacement well is built⁵

RV living

Long-term occupancy on private land is unconfirmed; ask Building, Planning, and Zoning⁸

Tiny home

Occupancy is unconfirmed; dwelling and accessory-dwelling rules vary by district⁹¹⁰

Owner-builder

No county exemption could be confirmed; ask the Building Department before starting work¹¹

Septic soil difficulty

Only 0.7% of mapped soils avoid severe limits for a conventional drain field¹²

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 Pulaski County, Indiana?

Yes. Pulaski County requires an Improvement Location Permit for every residential dwelling, manufactured or mobile home, detached residential accessory building, garage or carport, swimming pool, and exterior project that adds to or alters a host structure in county-administered areas². Commercial, industrial and institutional buildings are also on the permit list². Pulaski County enforces Indiana's adopted building code, and permitted work is subject to inspections during construction as required by the building inspector¹³¹⁴. The county inspection sequence can include foundation, framing, rough-in, floodplain-compliance and final walk-through stages; the final stage includes a certificate of occupancy, although the reviewed rule does not say that every building type receives one¹⁵¹⁶. An agricultural-exempt permit does not include inspections, and the owner must arrange them at additional cost; the published application does not define who qualifies for that exemption¹⁷.

Who issues building permits in Pulaski County, and how do you reach them?

Pulaski County Building, Planning, and Zoning handles building permits and inspections and staffs both the Advisory Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals⁸. Call 574.946.7858 or email buildinginspector@pulaskicounty.in.gov; the office is in the Pulaski County courthouse at 112 East Main Street in Winamac⁸. A complete application may require town or zoning approval, a Health Department release, driveway and floodplain information, construction documents and a site plan before county submission; a building permit remains effective for one year from its application date, with possible added fees if construction runs longer¹⁸. Pulaski County publishes its development and inspection fees; a new single-family, duplex or accessory dwelling or addition is charged $0.125 per square foot with a $30 minimum, and the amount for other work depends on the project, so ask the department for the full current schedule¹⁹. Because staff may be conducting inspections, call before visiting⁸.

Does Pulaski County, Indiana have zoning?

Yes. The Pulaski County Unified Development Ordinance governs land outside Winamac, Francesville and their extraterritorial zoning jurisdictions; parcels under those municipal jurisdictions follow different rules³²⁰. The county publishes district-specific use and dimensional tables, so lot area, setbacks, dwelling size and building height depend on the parcel's district and structure type²¹²². In the R-R Rural Residential District, the cited minimum lot area is 1 acre, reduced to 0.75 acre with a development plan or 0.5 acre on public sewer²³. The same district lists minimum front and rear yards of 30 feet and a minimum side yard of 15 feet²⁴. Listed dwelling standards include a 950-square-foot minimum for a one-story principal dwelling and 400 square feet for an accessory dwelling, but both are district-specific⁹. Subdivision and platting are also regulated under the county ordinance²⁵.

How do septic permits work in Pulaski County?

Pulaski County requires a written Health Officer permit before a private sewage system or privy is built, altered, repaired or expanded⁴. A new-system application requires a survey by a state-registered soil scientist, plus the county application, plans and specifications⁴. The Pulaski County Health Department administers permits and inspections under county rules that incorporate Indiana health standards; call 574.946.6080 or visit 125 South Riverside Drive in Winamac²⁶²⁷. Do the soil work early: only 0.7% of mapped Pulaski County soils avoid a severe limitation rating for a conventional septic drain field¹². The applicant must notify the Health Officer for final inspection before underground portions are covered²⁸. If public sanitary or combined sewer becomes available within 200 feet of a property line serving a residence or business on private sewage disposal, the county code requires a direct connection²⁹.

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

Pulaski County's long-term RV occupancy rule on private land could not be confirmed, so ask Building, Planning, and Zoning about the parcel, zoning district and proposed use before buying or moving an RV onto the site⁸. Using a travel trailer, camper or similar vehicle as an accessory dwelling unit is prohibited in unincorporated Pulaski County³⁰. Camping units are otherwise a campground or RV park use, defined as land with two or more campsites occupied or intended for occupancy overnight or longer, and that use is allowed only in zoning districts that list it³¹. Indiana's campground rules do not answer that private-lot question because they regulate qualifying campgrounds and distinguish individually deeded lots³². Tiny-home occupancy is also unconfirmed, but Pulaski County's district tables set dwelling minimums that can prevent some tiny-house plans⁹. Listed standards include a 950-square-foot minimum for a one-story principal dwelling and 400 square feet for an accessory dwelling, depending on district and dwelling type⁹. Accessory dwellings are permitted in some districts and special or conditional in others¹⁰. A tiny home therefore needs confirmation of both its proposed use and the parcel's district before design or purchase⁸.

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

1. Ask Building, Planning, and Zoning whether the county, Winamac or Francesville has zoning jurisdiction, then identify the parcel's district³⁸.
2. Check the district's uses, lot area, setbacks, dwelling-size rules and building-height limits before finalizing plans^212324922.
3. Arrange the state-registered soil scientist's survey and submit the septic application to the Health Department⁴.
4. Obtain the Health Department's permit for a new or replacement private well before construction begins⁵.
5. Assemble the approvals, construction documents and site plan required for a complete county building-permit application¹⁸.
6. If the driveway connects to a state highway, apply through the INDOT Electronic Permit System; other roads fall under the governmental unit with jurisdiction³³.
7. Schedule the required construction inspections and leave septic components uncovered until the Health Officer completes the final inspection¹⁴²⁸.

What should you check before buying land in Pulaski County?

Start with zoning jurisdiction, because the county ordinance does not govern Winamac, Francesville or their extraterritorial zoning jurisdictions³. Verify septic feasibility rather than assuming a conventional system will fit: only 0.7% of mapped soils avoid severe conventional drain-field limits, and a new-system application requires a state-registered soil scientist's survey¹²⁴. Check flood exposure before designing a building because the county application flags work in the 100-year floodplain and identifies floodway situations that may require state approval³⁴. Confirm legal road access with the Highway Department for a county road or INDOT for a state highway; the county department covers roads outside town limits that are not state highways³⁵³³. Pulaski County's effective property-tax rate is about 0.5%, with a median annual bill of about $646³⁶³⁷.

Watch-outs

• Pulaski County zoning does not cover Winamac, Francesville or their extraterritorial zoning jurisdictions, so confirm jurisdiction before using county standards³.
• Only 0.7% of mapped county soils avoid severe limits for a conventional drain field, and a state-registered soil scientist's survey is required for a new septic application¹²⁴.
• Using an RV or camper as an accessory dwelling is prohibited in unincorporated Pulaski County, and we could not confirm whether an RV may serve as a primary residence on private land; ask Building, Planning, and Zoning about the parcel, zoning district and proposed use³⁰⁸.
• No owner-builder exemption could be confirmed, and the published final-inspection step does not establish which projects receive a certificate of occupancy; ask the Building Department before self-contracting or occupying a finished project¹¹¹⁶⁸.

Sources

1. Pulaski County, Indiana, Unified Development Ordinance (2026 county census)
2. Pulaski County, Indiana, Unified Development Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
3. Unified Development Ordinance – Pulaski County, quoted and re-checked
4. Pulaski County Code: Public Works, Water and Sewage, quoted and re-checked
5. Pulaski County Code: Public Works, Water and Sewage, quoted and re-checked
6. Pulaski County, Indiana, Unified Development Ordinance (2026 county census)
7. Health Department – Pulaski County (2026 county census)
8. Pulaski County Building, Planning, and Zoning (pulaskionline.org)
9. Pulaski County, Indiana, Unified Development Ordinance # 2025-03, quoted and re-checked
10. Pulaski County, Indiana, Unified Development Ordinance # 2025-03, quoted and re-checked
11. (2026 county census)
12. 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
13. Pulaski County Building Department Building Permit Application, quoted and re-checked
14. Building Permit Application, quoted and re-checked
15. Building, Planning, and Zoning – Pulaski County, quoted and re-checked
16. Pulaski County Building Department Inspection Requirements, quoted and re-checked
17. Building Permit Application, quoted and re-checked
18. Pulaski County Building Department Building Permit Application, quoted and re-checked
19. Pulaski County Development Fee Schedule, quoted and re-checked
20. Pulaski County, Indiana, Unified Development Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
21. Pulaski County, Indiana, Unified Development Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
22. Pulaski County, Indiana, Unified Development Ordinance # 2025-03, quoted and re-checked
23. Pulaski County, Indiana, Unified Development Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
24. Pulaski County, Indiana, Unified Development Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
25. Unified Development Ordinance – Pulaski County, quoted and re-checked
26. Pulaski County Code: Public Works, Water and Sewage, quoted and re-checked
27. Pulaski County Health Department (pulaskionline.org)
28. Pulaski County Code: Public Works, Water and Sewage, quoted and re-checked
29. Pulaski County Code: Public Works, Water and Sewage, quoted and re-checked
30. pulaskionline.org, quoted and re-checked
31. Pulaski County, Indiana, Unified Development Ordinance #2025-03, quoted and re-checked
32. Environmental Public Health: 410 IAC 6-71 Campgrounds (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
33. INDOT Driveway Permit Guide 2024 (Indiana statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
34. Building Permit Application, quoted and re-checked
35. Pulaski County Highway Department (pulaskionline.org)
36. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
37. Median property tax bill: 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.