The Starke County Plan Commission shared an announcement yesterday to remind residents about how parcel splits and boundary line adjustments work in Starke County.
The announcement states that splits and adjustments must be reviewed and approved by the county’s Planning and Building Department before being processed by the Starke County Auditor and Recorder.
This requirement is not a new ordinance, but the announcement shared that the office is strictly enforcing these existing county regulations to help ensure that property divisions are completed correctly and to help property owners avoid issues in the future.
According to the Starke County Subdivision Control Ordinance, no parcel of land may be transferred, sold, or filed with the County Recorder until it receives the proper approval and endorsement from the Planning and Building Department.
This stricter enforcement is intended to protect property owners from creating parcels that do not comply with county standards. Officials noted that in some cases, parcel splits have bypassed the department in the past, potentially creating non-conforming or unbuildable lots.
If a newly created parcel does not meet area requirements established by the ordinance, future building permits may not be issued for the property.
Residents who are planning to divide their land or alter boundary lines are encouraged to contact the Planning and Building Department before finalizing any surveys or visiting the Auditor’s Office.
In order to help streamline the process, the department has implemented a Zoning Compliance Routing Form. The form is available on the county website; and property owners whose parcel splits meet zoning standards or qualify for legal exemption will receive approval through the routing form process, and will then be able to move forward with final recording steps through the Auditor and Recorder.
Those with questions about parcel splits, minimum lot requirements, or the approval process should reach out to the Starke County Planning and Building Department.
