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Owen County Board of Zoning Appeals approves Freeman Design variance allowing garage with property-line buffer
Summary
In Case 2026-02, the Owen County Board of Zoning Appeals granted a variance to allow a garage about 20 feet from the roadway so long as it remains at least 25 feet from the adjacent property/fence line; no public comments were offered during the hearing.
The Owen County Board of Zoning Appeals approved Variance Case 2026-02 (Freeman Design) to allow a property owner to build a garage roughly 20 feet from the roadway, provided the structure remains no less than 25 feet from the adjacent property/fence line.
The applicant told the board the building was intended for storage and vehicle parking: "Just wanting to build a garage out there for need, you know, for storage and park my vehicles in and stuff," the applicant said. The applicant said the garage would be about "20 ft from the roadway" and later described the planned structure as approximately "30 by 50" feet.
Planning staff read the variance standards and public-notice requirements into the record, citing the statutory notice procedures (IC 5-3-1-2 and IC 5-3-1-4) and explaining that the board must find the variance would not injure public health, safety, morals or general welfare and that strict application would result in practical difficulties. Staff confirmed public notice had been published and that a sign had been posted on the property; the applicant said an earlier sign had been lost and replaced.
Board members questioned the applicant about driveway access and whether a culvert would be needed; the applicant said the county had placed an apron but had not installed a culvert and that the applicant expected to pay for the culvert. Members also discussed septic location and site topography and advised the applicant to locate any survey corners on file before construction to avoid future boundary disputes. A board member noted an existing fence that approximated the property line but advised not to rely on the fence alone for final placement.
After discussion, a board member moved to approve the variance with the stated setbacks (about 20 feet from the roadway, and no less than 25 feet from the fence/property line); another member seconded the motion. The motion carried; the transcript documents the motion passed but does not record a roll-call tally or the names of the mover and seconder. The board closed the hearing on the issue and the meeting later adjourned.
