Permits and procedures

[Stuart Meade]

Feel free to start new posts regarding county requirements and permit procedure issues.

[bigtim6656]

got a question need a quick correct answer. I am looking at buying a cabin with two small lots at cagell mills sra  there is a small 55 gallon holding tank. I was told it has not been emptyed in 18 years that my relitives  have owned it. So i assume it has a bottomless barrel. (bottom cut out of it or somthing close

the lots are close to a city lot in the country  i would say 100 feet by 100 feet.
I plan to stay there alot and one day build a nice house.
The  cabin sits near a road and the lot  drops  down  to a ravean.  that seems to be dry.
It is in owen county as well if that helps. I was always told you need 3 acres for a septic but there putting in septics and there is like one lot bigger then a acre.

Can i put a septic on that small of a lot. Hoe big of a tank would i want for a 3 or 4 bed room house. As that will be the size i plan to build there. I am going to collage for construction but know nothing about septics.

[Stuart Meade]

Bigtim...

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner!

What you have described sounds really bad (both the existing "system" and lack of space for a future system).  Be vary careful!  Don't let your desire for this lot allow you to make a bad derision!
You need to make sure that you contact the County Health Department and get them involved. Become familiar with their policies and procedures.
A 55 Gallon barrel does not make a good septic tank/system, even in crazy land!  I assume that an existing absorption field does not exist. It is probaly just tiled off to a ravine or ditch.
The question that I would ask are...
1  What type and size of septic system would be required for this lot.  For this to happen, they  should require that a soil boring is done to evaluate the lot/soil.  Try to get the current owner to pay for this if you can.
Generally, the sandier soil the better (but coarse sand and gravel is bad).  Clay soils will require a large system that might not fit on the lot.

2  Find out about their policy's regarding existing homes and remodeling.  Some counties require remodeling on the house to be coupled with a new septic system that meets specs for new construction.  It is possible that this site cannot facilitate such a system.

[bigtim6656]

that is ok. I end up buying the lot and the one next to it. I had a  septic enginner come out and tell me what to do. He said on the one lot i could do a one or maybe two bedroom mound type.
If i bought the one next to it which has a large flat  area i could do a three or four room depending on what system i went with and just how much of the lot i wanted to use.
So i bought both.    the  enginner wil design the system and  walk through the entire installation
One question is if he is gets the permit and is there through the install. Can we do the install. I know this is not a easy thing but my dad was a heavy machinery operator for years and he helped a guy do septics along time ago.
Another question. Is when i get out of collage i plan to build house. My hope is two buy say 10 or 20 acres split it up build a home sell it build another and so on. Kind of like little subdivisions.  What do you need to do to become liceansed in indiana to install septics.  As  if i could it would save me some cash when i build houses. 
Also do not worry about the long time to reply though i already figured it out your website was a big help and i hope this forum takes off. If only it had a compete list of  construction forums on here from framing to foundations and so on. Thanks again.

[Stuart Meade]

I assume/hope your septic engineer knows what he's doing.  Have you personally been in contact with your local Health Department through this process?  You would need to speak with them regarding installing the system yourself.   They might not allow it.
Instead, I would recommend finding an experienced (and recommended) installer.

Regarding your question about becoming a developer...  Zoning and planning laws and policies vary from county to county.
If you want to purchase property to build one house you first need to talk with your local Building/Planning  Department(s).  Don't ever assume that a property is builder for a house, it might not be.  Some properties may “look good” but have unseen pipeline easements or regulated tiles with 150’  right-of-ways running through them making them unbuildable (or restricting your possibilities). 
If you want to subdivide a property, you should work closely with surveyor or civil engineer to help guide you through the process.
Don't forget to also get the property checked for septic and well!
Some properties might be buildable per zoning laws but are not suitable for septic.  I've even seen property that was suitable for zoning and septic but there was no way to get a well to work.

Never purchase or make a down payment unless you have check on these issues.

Hope that helps,

Stuart – Meade Septic Design, Inc

[Toxic Avenger]

I will re-iterate what Stuart mentioned above...

You MUST contact your county Health Department prior to doing any work whatsoever. 

Also, please note that it is an Indiana State Rule, and I quote, "No portion of the residential sewage disposal system or its associated drainage system shall be constructed upon property other than that from which the sewage originates unless easements, which grant permission for such construction and access for system maintenance, have been obtained for that property and have been legally approved and recorded by the proper authority or commission (usually your county recorder)." 

Even if you are the owner of two or more adjacent lots, they are still technically individual lots, and therefore an easement must be created if you plan to install a septic system on a lot other the lot you build your home.  Why?  Because who is to say that one day down the line you want to sell one or more of those lots, and it just so happens that one of those lots has YOUR septic system on it.  Well, now you either have to abandon that system, or you cannot sell the lot it is sitting on.