Monroe County BZA approves home-based deer processing business with conditions

The Monroe County Board of Zoning Appeals on Aug. 5 approved a conditional-use permit allowing S and W Deer Processing to operate a home-based deer-processing business from an accessory structure at 6911 South Ketchum Road, with conditions intended to limit visual impacts and define the size of the business area. The board voted 4-0 to approve the conditional use, with specific timelines and requirements.

Planning staff had recommended denial, saying the petition did not meet several CDO standards for home-based businesses, including limitations on the portion of an accessory structure used for business, a prohibition on exterior signs, and that the structure’s visual character be consistent with surrounding properties. Planning staff told the board the structure used for processing measured about 40 by 35 feet under a single roof and that staff’s measurements suggested the business used more than 50% of the structure’s interior area, a limit in chapter 8.11 conditions for home-based businesses.

At the hearing, petitioners identified in the record as Miss Webb and Mr. Graves told the board the site contains multiple ConEx shipping containers joined under one roof and that they could remove two outer containers from business use and remove an existing sign. Miss Webb said the 40-foot container is a walk-in cooler and that the two outer 20-foot containers are personal storage and could be excluded from the business calculation. She said the business is seasonal, operating roughly September through January, and that customers do not enter the processing structure.

Board members and staff discussed two overlapping limits: a zoning requirement that no more than 50% of the total interior floor area of a residence or accessory structure be used for a home-based business, and a state building-code threshold that structures used by the public or over 500 square feet must meet commercial building-code requirements. Planning staff advised the board that the building department will determine the applicable building-code standard when the petitioner applies for after-the-fact permits.

The board approved the conditional use with four conditions: allow the petitioner until Aug. 6, 2026 to paint the building exterior to better match the neighborhood; require the site plan be modified so that the business does not use more than 50% of the primary residence or associated accessory structure (in line with chapter 8.11); require the petitioner to obtain a land-use certificate by Aug. 6, 2026; and remove the outdoor sign by Aug. 6, 2026 (the petitioners said they could remove the sign within days). The board noted that failure to meet the conditions could lead to withholding or revocation of a permit or land-use certificate under county procedures.

Petitioners also said they follow state rules for disposal of animal waste, hauling carcasses to the landfill or donating carcasses for food, and that they are listed on the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) site as permitted processors in Monroe County. The board heard letters of neighbor support and accepted petitioners’ statements that parking and customer access would remain limited and that the operation had been intermittent and seasonal. With the stated conditions the board concluded the use could proceed while staff retained the authority to verify compliance and act on any substantiated violation.

The motion to approve was seconded, and the vote was 4-0 in favor. The board and staff emphasized that any intensification of the business or use of adjacent lots for client parking or activities would require further approvals and could trigger enforcement.