Bolthole Index

Auglaize County, Ohio

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in St. Marys Township, Ohio

St. Marys Township in Auglaize County, Ohio has its own zoning resolution, and a construction permit is required before any structure is built, enlarged or placed on unincorporated land12. The township Zoning Inspector reviews those applications3. Septic permits and well permits do not come from the township: the Auglaize County Health Department issues them45.

At a glance

Zoning
Yes, by the township's own zoning resolution on unincorporated land1
Construction permit
Required before a structure is built, erected, enlarged or placed2
Who issues it
The township Zoning Inspector, once the plan conforms to the zoning resolution2
Septic
Auglaize County Health Department permit, after site approval45
Well
Health department permit; $250 fee6
Minimum home size
More than 800 sq ft of gross living area outside the R-4 and SR-4 districts7

Who to call

Zoning

St. Marys Township Zoning Inspector

Township zoning permits and zoning questions in unincorporated St. Marys Township

419-733-8776

Septic permits

Auglaize County Health Department, Environmental Division

Household sewage treatment system design review, permits and inspections, and well permits

419-738-3410

information@auglaizehealth.org

813 Defiance Street, Wapakoneta, OH 45895

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 24, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in St. Marys Township means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Does St. Marys Township, Ohio have zoning?

Yes. St. Marys Township, Auglaize County, has its own zoning resolution covering the unincorporated land inside the township1. The township is divided into zoning districts shown on an Official Zoning Map8, so the answer for any parcel depends on its district. Auglaize County has no single county zoning code; each township is zoned on its own9.

Outside the R-4 and SR-4 districts, a dwelling or manufactured home must provide more than 800 square feet of gross living area7. In the A-1 Agricultural District, no dwelling or other structure may exceed 35 feet in height10. Any land division must also meet the lot-size requirements of the district the parcel sits in11.

We could not confirm township rules on living in an RV, camping on private land, tiny homes or accessory dwellings. Ask the St. Marys Township Zoning Inspector before you plan on any of them12.

Do you need a building permit in St. Marys Township, and who issues it?

Yes. Before any structure is built, erected, enlarged or placed on a property in unincorporated St. Marys Township, a township construction permit is required2. It is a zoning permit, issued when the Zoning Inspector is satisfied the structure conforms to the zoning resolution, and it must stay displayed on the property until construction is finished2.

The application must be signed by the owner or applicant, and at least 3 copies must be submitted13. The Zoning Inspector's duties include reviewing zoning permit applications and making on-site inspections3. Auglaize County's own guidance for rural builders sends them to the local Township Trustees for the building permit14.

We could not confirm the permit fee amount, a certificate-of-occupancy rule, or which building code the township applies. Ask the Zoning Inspector for the current fee schedule12.

How do septic permits work in St. Marys Township?

Septic permits come from the Auglaize County Health Department's Environmental Division, which evaluates septic designs, issues permits and inspects household sewage treatment systems415. For a new home, site approval comes first. After it, the installation needs a sewage permit, and the system eventually needs an operation and maintenance permit5.

Aeration systems must be inspected every year by the health department or a service provider under state law16. The health department's 2026 operation-and-maintenance rollout names Salem and Noble Townships, and we could not confirm whether it has reached St. Marys Township16.

Across Auglaize County, USDA soil ratings give conventional drain fields a poor outlook17. Expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system.

Wells and water in St. Marys Township

A private well serving a home needs a health department permit. The application includes a site plan, the fee is $250, and a sanitarian visits the site to confirm required isolation distances6. Developments approved as a Planned Unit Development must have central water and sewer18.

Building a home in St. Marys Township: the steps, in order

  1. Call the Zoning Inspector to learn your parcel's zoning district and whether the floodplain overlay applies81912.
  2. If you are splitting a lot, confirm it meets the district's lot-size rules; county subdivision regulations also require a registered surveyor and monumented corners for new lot splits1120.
  3. Get site approval for septic from the Auglaize County Health Department515.
  4. Obtain the sewage permit and the well permit56.
  5. Apply for the township construction permit with the Zoning Inspector2.
  6. Arrange a driveway culvert permit from the authority that maintains the road you will connect to21.

What stays with Auglaize County, and what to check before you buy

Septic permits, well permits and sewage inspections stay with the Auglaize County Health Department4. For flood questions, the township zoning resolution relies on the Auglaize County Floodplain Regulations and the FEMA maps on file with the County Engineer19. Driveway access is permitted by whichever county, township or state authority maintains the adjacent road21.

The township rules above cover unincorporated land only; the answers for the rest of the county are on the Auglaize County page. Auglaize County's typical property tax rate is 1% and the median bill is $1,756 a year2223.

Watch-outs

  • Township zoning districts differ in their rules, so confirm your parcel's district on the Official Zoning Map before you buy8.
  • We could not confirm the township's permit fees, driveway rules on state routes, or any rule on camping or living in an RV; ask the Zoning Inspector12.
  • The township construction permit is a zoning permit; the septic and well permits are separate and come from the county health department25.

Sources

  1. St. Marys Township Zoning (St. Marys Township), quoted and re-checked
  2. St. Marys Township Zoning (St. Marys Township), quoted and re-checked
  3. St. Marys Township Zoning (St. Marys Township), quoted and re-checked
  4. Sewage Treatment Systems | Auglaize County Health Department (St. Marys Township), quoted and re-checked
  5. New Home Construction | Auglaize County Health Department (St. Marys Township), quoted and re-checked
  6. Private Water Systems | Auglaize County Health Department (St. Marys Township), quoted and re-checked
  7. St. Marys Township Zoning (St. Marys Township), quoted and re-checked
  8. St. Marys Township Zoning (St. Marys Township), quoted and re-checked
  9. Auglaize County - Zoning Regulations (2026 county census)
  10. St. Marys Township Zoning (St. Marys Township), quoted and re-checked
  11. St. Marys Township Zoning (St. Marys Township), quoted and re-checked
  12. St. Marys Township Zoning Inspector (www2.auglaizecounty.org)
  13. St. Marys Township Zoning (St. Marys Township), quoted and re-checked
  14. Building in Rural Auglaize County, quoted and re-checked
  15. Auglaize County Health Department, Environmental Division (auglaizehealth.org)
  16. Sewage Treatment Systems | Auglaize County Health Department (St. Marys Township), quoted and re-checked
  17. 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
  18. St. Marys Township Zoning (St. Marys Township), quoted and re-checked
  19. St. Marys Township Zoning (St. Marys Township), quoted and re-checked
  20. Building in Rural Auglaize County, quoted and re-checked
  21. Building in Rural Auglaize County, quoted and re-checked
  22. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  23. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 24, 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.

Answers from the rulebook for St. Marys Township

St. Marys Township’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Structures built, erected, enlarged, or placed in unincorporated St. Marys Township.

    • This is a township zoning construction permit, issued when the Zoning Inspector is satisfied that the proposed structure conforms to the zoning resolution.
    • Permit must remain displayed on the property until construction is completed.
    “Before any structure, as defined in this Resolution is built, erected, enlarged, or placed on a property, a construction permit is required.”
  • InspectionsLimited

    Zoning-regulated construction and uses in unincorporated St. Marys Township.

    • The resolution identifies on-site inspections as a Zoning Inspector responsibility, but the cited text does not establish a universal construction-inspection schedule.
    “The St. Marys Township Zoning Inspector shall have the following responsibilities: (A) Review Applications for Zoning Permits (B) On-Site inspections”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    All unincorporated land inside St. Marys Township, Auglaize County, Ohio.

    • The resolution applies to unincorporated areas of the township.
    “This Resolution may also be known as "The Zoning Resolution for St. Marys Township,” and may be herein referred to as "this Resolution."”
  • Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

    Unincorporated St. Marys Township.

    • Current district boundaries are determined from the official zoning map held at the township hall.
    “For the purpose of regulating and restricting the location of buildings, structures, and land uses, St. Marys Township is divided into zoning districts as shown on the Official Zoning Map.”
  • Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Dwellings and manufactured homes in all township zoning districts other than R-4 and SR-4.

    • Gross living area excludes garages, breezeways, unfinished basements, and other spaces not typically used as year-round living area.

    minimum gross living area: > 800 square feet (R-4 and SR-4 have a lower standard.)

    “Except in areas that are zoned R-4 or SR-4, no dwelling or manufactured home may be placed, erected, moved, or constructed anywhere in such areas unless such dwelling provides more than eight hundred square feet (800 sq. ft.) of gross living area”
  • Mandatory utility hookupWater and sewer (with conditions)

    Developments approved as Planned Unit Developments (PUDs) inside St. Marys Township.

    • The requirement applies only to a PUD approved under the township zoning resolution.
    “All developments approved as a PUD must have central water and sewer facilities.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision of lots and parcels in unincorporated St. Marys Township.

    • The subdivision must conform with the lot-size requirements of the district where the property is located.
    • A-1 has additional subdivision limits.
    “No lot or parcel of land may be subdivided into a smaller lot or parcel except in conformance with the lot size requirements prescribed in the zoning district within which such property is located.”
  • Building in a floodplainRequired

    New structures or land uses in the Floodplain Overlay District inside St. Marys Township.

    • Use is subject to prohibited-use restrictions.
    • The proposal must demonstrate compliance with Auglaize County Floodplain Regulations.
    • Official compliance determinations use FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps on file with the County Engineer.
    “With the exception of those prohibited uses described in Section 4.03, any use that is allowed within the underlying zoning district is permitted, provided evidence is shown that the proposed new structure or land use is in compliance with the Auglaize County Floodplain Regulations.”
  • Permit processPublished (with conditions)

    Township zoning permit applications inside St. Marys Township.

    • The owner or applicant must sign the application, attesting to truth and exactness of supplied information.
    • At least three application copies must be submitted.
    • The township may require additional information needed to determine conformance.

    minimum application copies: >= 3 copies

    “The application for a zoning permit shall be signed by the owner or applicant attesting to the truth and exactness of all information supplied on the application. At a minimum, three (3) copies of the application shall be submitted.”

Rules another office applies inside St. Marys Township

St. Marys Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

  • Lot coverageSpecified

    Residential-use areas within a PUD inside St. Marys Township.

    • The limit is for impervious surface, including parking areas, loading areas, and rooftops.
    • Commercial-use areas within a PUD have a 75 percent maximum impervious surface standard.

    maximum impervious surface: <= 50 percent (Residential-use area in a PUD.)

    “For all areas proposed for residential use in the development, the amount of impervious surface proposed must not exceed fifty percent (50%) of the total developed residential area.”
  • Building heightSpecified

    Dwellings and other structures in the A-1 Agricultural District inside St. Marys Township.

    maximum height: <= 35 feet

    “No dwelling or other structure shall exceed thirty-five feet (35’) in height.”
  • Who permits septicLocal (with conditions)

    Household sewage treatment systems inside St. Marys Township, within Auglaize County.

    • Systems must adhere to Ohio Department of Health regulations.
    • The health department describes its program as operating under state and local regulations.
    “The Environmental Division evaluates septic system designs, issues permits and inspects household sewage treatment systems to ensure that they adhere to Ohio Department of Health regulations.”
  • Septic permitRequired

    New-home sewage-system installation inside St. Marys Township.

    • Site approval is required before the installation permit.
    • An operation-and-maintenance permit is eventually required for the septic system.
    “After site approval, you will need a sewage permit for installation, a well permit, and eventually an operation/maintenance permit for the septic system.”
  • Septic inspectionRequired

    Household sewage treatment systems inside St. Marys Township.

    • Existing and new aeration systems are required by state law to be inspected annually by the health department or a service provider.
    • The cited page says the 2026 operation-and-maintenance rollout covers Salem and Noble Townships; it does not establish that the routine rollout has reached St. Marys Township.

    aeration-system inspection interval: per 1 year (Inspection may be by the health department or a service provider.)

    “Existing and new aeration systems will be affected. These systems are required by state law to be inspected by us or a service provider, annually.”
  • Well permitRequired

    Private wells serving homes inside St. Marys Township.

    • Application must include a site plan.
    • The homeowner pays the $250 permit fee in person or includes it with a mailed application.
    • A sanitarian makes a site visit to confirm prescribed isolation distances.

    private water permit fee: 250 USD

    “After an initial interview, the homeowner may sign, date and pay for the permit in person or include the fees ($250) with the mailed permit application.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask St. Marys Township or Auglaize County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-built residences inside St. Marys Township.
  • Building code adopted — Buildings inside St. Marys Township.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Buildings inside St. Marys Township.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside St. Marys Township.
  • Accessory dwellings — Accessory dwelling units inside St. Marys Township.
3 more unanswered
  • Driveway access
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that St. Marys Township publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Auglaize County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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