Barndominium Builders in Putnam County, Indiana
We build barndominiums across rural Putnam County, Indiana: post-frame and pole barn homes, steel-frame shells, shouses with a shop bay, kit packages and turnkey builds. West of Hendricks County along I-70 and US 231, Putnam County has more small farms than the Indianapolis collar counties and room for a home, a shop and a pasture. Start with the project survey and we will scope the build and the Putnam County permits.
- One county office permits the unincorporated county plus Cloverdale, Bainbridge, Roachdale and Russellville
- Get the ILP before breaking ground: early starts pay twice the permit fee
- Designed to the Putnam County row of the state code table: 30-inch footings, 20 psf ground snow
- Pole barn, steel-frame, shouse and kit options, built turnkey or to a finished shell
Putnam County at a glance
- County
- Putnam County
- Population (2025)
- 37,876
- Residential permits
- Putnam County Planning and Building Department, Greencastle
- ZIP codes
- 46135, 46105, 46120, 46128, 46172, 46170, 46175
Barndominium services in Putnam County
Kits, shells and turnkey builds for Putnam County parcels. We price against your land rather than a rate card.
- Barndominium Kits Barndominium kits and shell packages for Indiana land, drawn to your county's row of the state residential code table. Start with a free project survey.
- Custom Plans Custom barndominium floor plans drawn for your Indiana lot, county and budget — shop bays, lofts and porches included. Start with a free plan survey.
- Turnkey Builds One contract from bare land to move-in: parcel checks, zoning, septic and well, plans, the permits your county issues, construction, inspections and handover.
- Post-Frame Homes Post-frame and pole barn homes for Indiana land — posts, trusses and girts designed to your county's frost and snow row. Start with a free project survey.
- Steel Construction Red-iron clear-span frames designed to your county's own snow, wind and seismic row in the Indiana code, on drawings sealed by an Indiana-registered PE.
- Shouses Shop and house under one roof. In Indiana the wall between them is a fire-code detail, a zoning question and, if you hire help, a building-class one.
- Metal Homes Metal building homes clad to the Indiana Residential Code, checked first against the local design standards and covenants that can limit metal siding.
- Site Preparation Footings to your county's frost depth, septic soils read by a soil scientist, and drives the county highway office permits — Indiana ground, prepared in order.
- Permitting & Approvals One residential code covers all of Indiana, but permits are local. We find which offices govern your parcel, then carry zoning, septic and building approvals.
Putnam County build facts
The local facts that shape a barndominium budget and schedule in Putnam County, each with its source.
Permits, land & local facts
Residential permits: Putnam County Planning and Building Department, Greencastle
- Who issues the permit
- The Putnam County Building Department issues permits for all unincorporated areas of the county and the Towns of Cloverdale, Bainbridge, Roachdale and Russellville.
- Permit before you dig
- Putnam County charges twice the current permit fee to anyone who starts building before obtaining an improvement location permit or other required permits.
- Footings and snow load
- The 2020 Indiana Residential Code county table (675 IAC 14-4.4, Table R301.2(1)) sets a 30-inch minimum footing depth, a 20 psf ground snow load and seismic design category B for Putnam County.
- Stormwater on larger sites
- Putnam County's Stormwater Management Ordinance applies to any development that disturbs an acre or more of ground, including building ponds.
- Small-farm country
- The 2022 Census of Agriculture counted 728 farms in Putnam County on 174,378 acres; 343 of them were under 50 acres.
Source: co.putnam.in.us
Source: co.putnam.in.us
Source: law.cornell.edu
Source: co.putnam.in.us
Source: nass.usda.gov
- Septic permit
- The Putnam County Health Department enforces state and local on-site sewage rules and permits septic systems for homes in the county.
Source: in.gov
Building a barndominium in Putnam County: permits & land
Indiana's statewide residential code is the 2020 Indiana Residential Code (675 IAC 14-4.4), based on the 2018 International Residential Code. Building permits and inspections for houses are issued locally, by the city, town or county, not by the state. So for a parcel in Putnam County the questions are who issues the building permit, who issues the zoning permit, and who approves the septic system.
Who issues the permit
Putnam County Planning and Building Department, Greencastle. The Putnam County Building Department issues permits for all unincorporated areas of the county and for the Towns of Cloverdale, Bainbridge, Roachdale and Russellville, and conducts the inspections. Inspections need at least 24 hours' notice. The City of Greencastle is not on that list.
Zoning and land
Putnam County Planning and Building Department (Area Plan Commission staff). The department administers the Putnam County Unified Development Ordinance and issues the improvement location permit. Russellville's adoption of the UDO made the Putnam County Plan Commission an Area Plan Commission, and county zoning now covers the former Greencastle two-mile fringe.
Septic and well
Putnam County Health Department, Environmental Services. The Putnam County Health Department enforces the state and local rules on on-site sewage disposal and permits residential septic systems in the county.
Design figures
- Minimum footing depth: 30 inches, from the Putnam County row of the state code table (675 IAC 14-4.4, Table R301.2(1)).
- Ground snow load: 20 psf, from the Putnam County row of the state code table (675 IAC 14-4.4, Table R301.2(1)).
Have land in or near Putnam County? Send us the parcel and we will map the permit path and price the build.
Floor plans for Putnam County builds
- Small Barndominium A small barndominium sized to the minimum house size your county's zoning sets — from 240 square feet in one Indiana district to 1,200 in another — with the state's tiny-house rules available below 400 square feet.
- 3-Bedroom Barndominium A three-bedroom barndominium planned around what Indiana's septic rule counts as a bedroom, so the den does not quietly become bedroom four.
- 4-Bedroom Barndominium A four-bedroom barndominium sized for a full household, with the septic step-up, basement-bedroom egress and upstairs layout planned in from the start.
- Modern Barndominium A modern barndominium — dark metal, big glass, low or shed roofs — checked first against the local design standards and covenants that decide whether that look is allowed on your lot.
- Barndominium with a Shop A barndominium with a shop under the same roof, planned around what the county's zoning lets the shop be used for — hobby, storage or a home business.
- Barndominium with a Garage A barndominium with an attached or detached garage, built to the dwelling-garage separation Indiana rewrote for itself and to your county's zoning.
Where we build around Putnam County
Keep reading
The questions that usually come next for a Putnam County build.
How Much Does a Barndominium Cost in Indiana?
Sourced cost ranges for kits, shells and turnkey builds, and what moves the number.
Read itAre Barndominiums Legal in Indiana? Codes, Zoning and Permits
Permits, zoning and septic approval for a barndominium, and who decides each.
Read itHow Long Does It Take to Build a Barndominium in Indiana?
How long a build takes from parcel to occupancy, and what sets the permit clock.
Read itBarndominium builders near Putnam County
Nearby areas we build in. The permit office, zoning and septic authority can change at a city or county line.
Sources for this page
The primary documents behind the Putnam County figures above. We would rather you checked them than took our word for it.
- Who issues the permitSource for the who issues the permit fact above.co.putnam.in.us
- Footings and snow loadSource for the footings and snow load fact above.law.cornell.edu
- Small-farm countrySource for the small-farm country fact above.nass.usda.gov
- Septic permitSource for the septic permit fact above.in.gov
Building in Putnam County: common questions
5 questions we get asked most often about building in Putnam County. If yours is not on the list, ask it directly.
Do you build barndominiums near Greencastle and Cloverdale in Putnam County?
Who issues the building permit for a barndominium in Putnam County?
How much does a barndominium cost to build in Putnam County?
Do I need a stormwater permit for a barndominium in Putnam County?
Can I order a barndominium kit for land in Putnam County?
Ready to build in Putnam County?
Tell us about your land and the home you want. We will come back with a plan, a permit path for your parcel and a price to build it.