Morgan County, IN Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules: Encroachment Permits (2026)

Placing any pipe line, cable, fiber optic line or other underground transmission device under, along or across a county street, road or right-of-way in unincorporated Morgan County, Indiana requires advance approval from the County Board of Commissioners under § 110.03(A). Before doing any work, the applicant corporation or person must submit detailed plans and specifications showing the device's location relative to property lines, sewers, fences, waterways, streets and other improvements (§ 110.03(B)); no excavation may begin until the Commissioners, or their designee, approve those plans (§ 110.03(C)).

The applicant must also post a bond set by the Commissioners guaranteeing compliance, with a continuing bond required for any utility that repeatedly places or repairs lines along county roads (§ 110.03(D)), and carry public liability insurance of at least $3,000,000 per person and $1,000,000 per accident before starting work (§ 110.03(F)). Placement is barred within four feet of a traffic lane or roadway edge without specific written Commissioners approval (§ 110.03(E)), and no new line may be laid between November 1 and March 15 without written consent, though repairs during that window need the same written consent (§ 110.03(J)).

Lines must run at least 36 inches below the surface (§ 110.03(K)), and any crossing of a paved county road must be drilled and sleeved in steel pipe rather than cut through the pavement (§ 110.03(L)). After the work, the permittee must refill and tamp excavations and restore sod, curbing, paving, pipes, drains, ditches and bridges to their prior condition (§ 110.03(G)).