Until Further Notice, our office will be working by appointment. Please call the office to schedule your appointment.

Planning & Zoning

Zoning Maps

Need to see how a particular parcel is zoned? View our zoning maps.

Note that any parcel that is categorized as:

  • City of Madison
  • City of Madison Buffer
  • Town of Hanover
  • Town of Hanover Buffer

is under the zoning control of the City of Madison or the Town of Hanover. The Jefferson County Planning & Zoning Office has no jurisdiction in those areas. You will need to contact the City of Madison or the Town of Hanover for planning, zoning, building inspection and floodplain issues in those areas.

The Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Office has no jurisdiction in those areas.

City of Madison

View the City of Madison’s website.

City of Madison's phone number 812-265-8324

Town of Hanover

View the Town of Hanover's website

 Town of Hanover's phone number 812-866-2131

Floodplain Maps

Need to see if a parcel lies within the floodplain? You can view the official Indiana DNR floodplain maps.

There are special requirements and restrictions that apply to any of these that occur in the floodplains:

  • Construction
  • Demolition
  • Excavation
  • Improvement
  • Landscaping
  • Paving
  • Remodeling
  • Surface grading

When to Contact Us

You must contact our office for an Improvement / Building Permit for any of the listed activities that occur within the floodplain in parcels that are in the Jefferson County Zoning jurisdiction. 

In addition, any of the listed activities that occur within the Floodway portion of the Floodplain require a permit from the Indiana DNR before we can issue a local permit. Repairs and maintenance of existing structures, farming and gardening do not require permits from our office or the DNR.

Zoning Violations

Do you feel there is a property that is in violation of our planning and zoning ordinance? Please fill out our Zoning Complainant Form and return it to our office and we will investigate your complaint.

Note that your complaint will become a matter of public record and will be subject to Freedom of Information Act Requests and therefore available to anyone who requests it. We will NOT investigate anonymous or oral complaints - complaints must be written and signed.

Jurisdiction

Also note that we have jurisdiction only in areas that are under zoning control of the Jefferson County Plan Commission. We have no jurisdiction in areas that are under the City of Madison or the Town of Hanover zoning control. Please see our Zoning Map to view the zoning for any parcel in the county. 

Description & Duties of the Planning & Zoning Office

In Jefferson County, the County Surveyor serves as the Director of the Jefferson County Planning & Zoning Office. Building Inspection & Floodplain Administration are also functions of the Planning & Zoning Office. The County Surveyor is a voting member of the Plan Commission by virtue of the elected position and a technical advisor (non-voting) to the Board of Zoning Appeals. The administrative office and staff of the Planning & Zoning Office is co-located and shared with the Surveyor’s Office.
The Plan Commission over sees and approves new plats of subdivisions in the county (outside of the City of Madison’s and Town of Hanover’s zoning jurisdictions). The Plan Commission acts in an advisory capacity to the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners and sends recommendations to the Board of Commissioners on proposed new laws regarding zoning and subdivision regulations. The Board of Zoning Appeals holds hearings to consider and make decisions on appeals to the Jefferson County Zoning Ordinance.

The Plan commission office staff writes building permits and approves surveys in the County Zoning. The office provides zoning enforcement for the county through its Zoning Enforcement Officer. The Secretary serves as secretary to the Surveyor and to the Jefferson County, Indiana, Board of Zoning Appeals and the Jefferson County, Indiana, Plan Commission. The secretary handles preparation of the appeals for the Zoning Board of Appeals and any applications or items to go before the Plan Commission. The building inspector issues building permits, conducts inspections of new construction and issues Certificates of Occupancy for completed construction.