Off-grid site report

Marion County, IN

39.8601, -85.9767

Read this before you act on anything below. This is my researched starting point for Marion County, IN, not legal advice and not a guarantee. Rules change, and the deciding facts on any specific parcel (setbacks, perc results, overlay districts, deed restrictions, road frontage) live at the county or town office, not in any database. Before you buy land or build, confirm the current rules directly with the local zoning and health offices - the sources on this page tell you exactly who to call.

The local rulesMarion County, IN

Zoning & raw-land occupancy

Varies locallyMarion County has countywide zoning through the Indianapolis-Marion County Unified Development Ordinance, administered by the Dept. of Metropolitan Development (DMD). The excluded cities of Beech Grove, Lawrence, Southport and the town of Speedway run their own separate zoning, so which office you deal with depends on exactly where your land sits. source

Dwellings, tiny homes & RVs

RestrictedAccessory/secondary dwelling units are explicitly addressed in the UDO (one per lot, capped at 720 square feet), but I could not confirm any official rule on tiny-home minimum sizes or on RVs used as permanent residences. If you're planning a small home or an RV as your main dwelling, call DMD directly before you commit to a site plan. source

Building permits & codes

RestrictedBuilding permits are required and Marion County/Indianapolis enforces the state's IRC-based residential code through local plan review and inspection. I found a secondhand claim about a specific code edition and a department name for ADU permitting, but couldn't confirm those details officially, so ask DMD/Business and Neighborhood Services which code edition and process applies to your build. source

Septic & composting toilets

Generally allowedSeptic systems are permitted in Marion County under the county's own ordinance (Chapter 14 of the Health and Hospital Corporation code), layered on top of the state's onsite sewage rule (410 IAC 6-8.3), and installers must be IOWPA-certified. The Marion County Public Health Department handles this permitting. source

Greywater reuse

Unclear - verifyI found no Marion County-specific greywater ordinance, and the county's septic code just folds greywater handling into the general state onsite sewage rules without a separate greywater permit or exemption path. This is not confirmed one way or the other, so check directly with the Marion County Public Health Department before setting up a standalone greywater system. source

Rainwater harvesting

Generally allowedNo Marion County ordinance restricting rainwater harvesting turned up in official sources, so this appears to follow the state's general baseline of allowing it, with any plumbing tie-ins subject to the state plumbing code.

Private wells & water rights

Generally allowedPrivate wells are permitted, but the Marion County Public Health Department requires its own permit and fee on top of state DNR driller licensing, and the same goes for repairing or replacing a well pump. Water testing isn't mandated for people drinking their own well water.

Living disconnected from utilities

Unclear - verifyI couldn't find an official Marion County statement either requiring utility hookups or explicitly blessing full off-grid disconnection. Since septic and private wells are both clearly allowed alternatives to public sewer and water, going off-grid for those two seems workable, but going off-grid electrically for occupancy purposes is not confirmed, so check with DMD directly. source

Open the full county page with sources →

Sun30-year normals

Peak-sun hours, annual average: 4.7 hrs/day
Worst month (sizes an off-grid array): 2.9 hrs/day
Yearly output per 1 kW of panels: 1,341 kWh

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Weather1991-2020

Precipitation: 44 in/yr
Snowfall: 19 in/yr
Heating degree days: 5,869 (cold)
Frost-free season: Apr 23 to Oct 18

How far help isstraight-line

Hospital Peyton Manning Children's Hospital At St. Vincent: 12.1 mi
Fire station Lawrence Fire Station 3: 1.5 mi
Hardware store Menards: 3.6 mi
Grocery Viet Hua Food Market: 5.5 mi

From OpenStreetMap. Road miles will be longer, often much longer in hill country.

Plan this spot

These open with this location's real numbers already filled in (ZIP 46236).

Size a solar system Heat loss & insulation Firewood per winter Rainwater harvest Garden size Panel tilt

Sources: US Census Bureau geocoder; NLR PVWatts v8 (solar); NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 climate normals (nearest station) or Open-Meteo (ZIP-centroid) for weather; Open-Elevation; OpenStreetMap contributors. Public data retrieved Aug 22, 2026; agencies update their layers on their own schedules. Planning data, not a survey or legal advice.