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1. When is a building permit needed?

A building permit is needed for all site built dwellings and accessory structures, as well as manufactured homes, moved in homes and all additions to structures. However, a building permit is not needed for small storage sheds 120 square feet or less, fences, play houses and play equipment. Agricultural structures need to obtain a permit in order to make sure they are not being placed in any floodplain and that they have the proper setbacks. There is no fee for any agricultural structure on 40 acres or more.

Please visit our Licensing and Permitting Guide for more information.

2. What is the cost of a building permit?

For most new accessory buildings or additions, the fee is $50. For new dwellings outside of a sewer district, the fee is $200. For more detailed information visit our Licensing and Permitting Guide. 

3. How many acres do I need to build a house?

As a general rule, you need a minimum of 3 acres if you will be served by a rural or city water district and have a private septic system. You need 5 acres if you have a private well and private septic system. However, there are other considerations for whether or not a house can be built on a particular tract. Always contact Planning and Zoning prior to purchasing a tract in the rural area to determine if a house could be built there.

4. Where can I place a mobile or manufactured home in the county?

Any type of mobile or manufactured home may be placed on an operating farm of 40 acres or more for either the owner, a blood relative or an employee of the farm. Manufactured homes 1976 and newer may be placed in zoned mobile home parks. Residential designed manufactured homes (ones with pitched roof and shingles, wood or vinyl siding and on a permanent foundation) may be placed on single tracts (under 40 acres) that are zoned agriculture and are not in an area of the county planned for residential development. These manufactured homes must not be more than 5 years old at the time the permit is applied for.

Residential designed manufactured homes with a minimum width of 22 feet (commonly referred to as a double wide), and with a pitched roof with shingles and wood or vinyl siding may be placed anywhere a site built home is permitted, as long as there are no private restrictive covenants prohibiting them. If you have any questions, please contact Planning and Zoning.

5. What do I need to apply for a building permit?

Please reference our Licensing and Permitting Guide for questions on how to apply for a building permit. Applications are now all online, and can be access via our new Permitting Portal. If you are building a new house, always contact Planning and Zoning prior to purchasing a tract to ensure that a new house can be located on the tract.

6. Will I have to rezone the property?

That depends on what you wish to do and the current zoning of the property. When countywide zoning was established in 1972, the entire county was zoned A1 (agriculture), with a few exceptions. If you are wanting to establish a commercial or manufacturing use, then most likely the land would need to be rezoned. If you are wanting to build a single family home, rezoning of the property may be required.

Please check with our office for details. If you plan to develop a subdivision, then rezoning and platting is required. If you have any questions, please contact Planning and Zoning.

7. What do I need to do to rezone?

You must first check with our office to see if the zoning classification you are seeking conforms to the master plan of the county. If it does, then you need to fill out an application, pay the appropriate fee and appear before the planning commission at the scheduled hearing. All requests for rezoning must be published in the official county paper and all property owners within 1000 feet of the proposed zoning must be notified at least 20 days in advance of a hearing, of the date, time and place of said hearing. Please allow 60 to 90 days for the zoning process.

If you have any questions, please contact Planning and Zoning.

8. What is a plat and who can prepare one?

A plat is a scaled drawing on a permanent piece of paper (Mylar, linen) that shows the boundary of the tract or lots, distance measurements, building setbacks, utility and road easements and any other pertinent notes required by the planning commission. The plat has signature blocks for the owners, staff and county commissioners. An up to date Certificate of Title Commitment must accompany all plats.

Once a plat is approved, it is the responsibility of the applicant to record said plat in the Register of Deeds Office. A plat must be done by a Licensed Land Surveyor, and must also be reviewed by a separate Licensed Land Surveyor. See Plats for more information.

If you have any questions, please contact Planning and Zoning.

9. Does the county have building codes?

At this time, with the exception of ADA requirements for commercial buildings, the county has not adopted any building codes. It is the responsibility of the buyer to check the quality of construction and to make sure proper codes have been followed. If you have any questions, please contact Planning and Zoning.

10. What are restrictive covenants?

Many developers file what is called restrictive covenants with their plats. These are private agreements between the developer and buyer and can require stricter regulations than what the county requires. i.e. minimum square footage of dwellings, minimum design control, architectural approval, prohibition of livestock etc. It should be noted that the county does not enforce these regulations: enforcement is done in court through a private attorney.If you have any questions, please contact Planning and Zoning.