Porter County, IN Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

Section 5.09 (DI-01) of the Unified Development Ordinance does not set one countywide impervious-coverage percentage; instead it directs that the maximum impervious surface coverage 'shall be per each two-page layout in Chapter 02: Zoning Districts,' and specifies that if a coverage figure is not printed on a district's two-page layout, no coverage standard applies to that district (Section 5.09(C)). Each of the county's zoning districts, from General Agriculture through Heavy Industrial, carries its own development-standards page in Chapter 02 with a stated coverage percentage next to the lot-area, setback, and dwelling-size figures.

For example, the R1 (Low Density Single-family Residential) District's Section 2.14 development-standards table lists a maximum impervious surface coverage of 35 percent of the lot area, alongside a 30-foot front setback, a 15-foot side setback for the primary structure, and a 1,000-square-foot minimum dwelling size. Impervious surface includes the roofed building footprint plus driveways, patios, and other hard-surfaced ground that sheds rather than absorbs stormwater. Because the percentage is tied to the specific district table rather than a single ordinance-wide rule, a property owner has to check the two-page layout for their own zoning district in Chapter 02 to get the exact cap that applies; R1's 35 percent does not carry over to the county's other zoning districts.