Zoning › Indiana › Vigo County › Terre Haute

Terre Haute, IN Zoning

Euclidean-zoning. 16 districts · 6 overlays · 5 applicable state preemptions.

Overview

Code type
euclidean
Naming convention
mixed
Naming convention by category
residentialhierarchical-letter-number (R-1 Single-Family through R-3 Apartments; R-T Mobile Home Trailer)
commercialhierarchical-letter-number (C-1 Neighborhood Commerce through C-8 Downtown Business District; C-7 was deleted by Gen. Ord. No. 8, 2006)
industrialletter (M-1 Light Industry, M-2 Heavy Industry, M-P Industrial Park)
open_spaceletter-number (O-1 Agricultural, O-2 Flood Plain)
planned_developmentfloating zone (Sec. 10-110 through Sec. 10-114)
overlayletter (WPD-1, WPD-5 Wellhead Protection)

Title-10 zoning is administered jointly with Vigo County by the Vigo County Area Plan Commission (Sec. 10-275 et seq. authorizes joint APC under IC 36-7-4-100 through -1200). FAR is district-mapped (not district-uniform): Table 2 lists permitted FAR ratios per district (R-3 may carry 0.7 through 8.0 depending on map designation). Open Space O-2 is a flood-plain district (zero new dwellings; FAR 0.0 only). C-7 Commercial Entertainment was deleted in 2006. | sub_flags_raw=[joint-area-plan-commission]

Worth knowing
  • FAR is district-mapped (not district-uniform): each parcel's max FAR is selected from a discrete ladder (Table 2) and recorded on the zoning map. R-3 mapped FAR may be anywhere on 0.7, 0.9, 2.0, 4.0, 6.0, or 8.0; C-5 ranges 0.9 to 10.0. Corner lots may add +0.1 with Board of Zoning Appeals approval (Sec. 10-136 h.a). — [c§Table 2; c§Sec. 10-185; c§Sec. 10-136 h.]
  • Vigo County Area Plan Commission (APC) is the single planning body for both City of Terre Haute and Vigo County — joint subdivision/zoning administration under IC 36-7-4-100 through -1200 (Sec. 10-276 authority recital). — [c§Sec. 10-276 (subdivision authority); c§Sec. 10-258 (Area Planning Department)]
  • Off-street parking is not required in the C-8 or C-9 downtown districts (Sec. 10-137 g.(1)). C-8 is the only listed downtown district remaining; C-9 is referenced in the parking exemption but the C-9 district may have been folded into C-5/C-8 in later amendments — verification deferred. — [c§Sec. 10-137 g.(1)]

+ 9 more in Quirks & notes

Districts

com 4spec 3cbd 3ind 2res_sf 1res_th 1res_mf 1ag 1
CodeNameCategory Min lotHeight CoverageFAR Du/acParking Setbacks F/S/R
R-1Single-Familyres_sf7,200 sf125 ft—[1]0.5——25 / 5 / 11
R-2Two-Familyres_th7,200 sf125 ft—[2]0.9——20 / 5 / 11
R-3Apartments / General Residentialres_mf1,000 sf125 ft—[3]8——15 / 5 / 11
R-TMobile Home (Trailers)spec4,000 sf125 ft—0.3——— / 5 / 11
C-1Neighborhood Commercecom3,300 sf125 ft—[4]0.9——15 / 5 / 11
C-2Limited Community Commercecom15,000 sf125 ft—[5]2——20 / 10 / 11
C-3Regional Commercecom1,000 sf125 ft—[6]2——25 / 10 / 11
C-4Restricted Central Business District (Restricted C.B.D.)cbd—[7]125 ft—9——0 / 0 / 5
C-5General Central Business District (General C.B.D.)cbd—125 ft—10——0 / 0 / 5
C-6Strip Businesscom3,300 sf125 ft—0.9——— / — / —
C-8Downtown Business Districtcbd—[8]125 ft——[9]——0 / — / —
M-1Light Industryind—[11]125 ft—4——25 / 10 / —[10]
M-2Heavy Industryspec—[13]125 ft—6——30 / 20 / —[12]
M-PIndustrial Parkind—[14]125 ft—2——— / — / —
O-1Agriculturalag—[15]125 ft—10——— / — / —
O-2Flood Plainspec43,560 sf125 ft—0——— / — / —

Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found

Overlays

FP / O-2
Unified Floodplain Control (UFCO)
FP
Title 10 Article 1, Sec. 10-1 through Sec. 10-14 (Unified Floodplain Control Ordinance, replaced in entirety by Gen. Ord. No. 2, 2011, again by Gen. Ord. No. 3, 2019, passed 2019-04-04). Open-space base zone O-2 'Flood Plain' (Sec. 10-120) is the matching base district.

Wabash River SFHA (Zones A, AE, A1-A30, AO, AH, AR, A99 per FEMA FIRM); also Honey Creek and other tributary SFHA. O-2 base zone applies to mapped flood-plain parcels. The 1965 Wabash flood (BFE anchor) and the 2008-era FIRMs (Vigo County) are the operative regulatory floods.

AIR
Airport Hazard (Terre Haute International / Hulman Field HUF)
AP
Title 10 Sec. 10-138 'Height Regulations and Use Restrictions Near Airport'

Within 2 miles of Terre Haute International Airport (HUF / formerly Hulman Regional Airport) corporate boundary, excluding the airport's own boundaries (Sec. 10-138 b.). Runway 5/23 (primary, 9,028 ft) and 14/32 (~7,200 ft).

WPD-1
Wellhead Protection Overlay (WPD-1 1-year time-of-travel)
SPEC
Title 10 Division XV, Sec. 10-268 through Sec. 10-271 (Wellhead Protection District); Gen. Ord. No. 25, 2003 (adopted 2003-09-11)

1-year time-of-travel delineation around Indiana American Water (Terre Haute) Community Public Water Supply System wellheads; 327 IAC 8-4.1-1 et seq. defines the delineation methodology per IDEM Wellhead Protection Program

WPD-5
Wellhead Protection Overlay (WPD-5 5-year time-of-travel)
SPEC
Title 10 Division XV, Sec. 10-268 through Sec. 10-271 (Wellhead Protection District); Gen. Ord. No. 25, 2003 (adopted 2003-09-11)

5-year time-of-travel delineation around Indiana American Water (Terre Haute) Community Public Water Supply System wellheads; larger annulus than WPD-1 per 327 IAC 8-4.1

PD
Planned Development (Floating Zone)
SPEC
Title 10 Division III, Sec. 10-110 through Sec. 10-114; APC + City Council approval via Sec. 10-263 procedure

Application-based floating zone (Sec. 10-110). Petitioner must demonstrate one of five hardship triggers per Sec. 10-112 a.: (1) physical-characteristics hardship, (2) improvement-on-land hardship, (3) adjacent-incompatible-uses hardship, (4) neighborhood-deterioration hardship (Department of Redevelopment finding), (5) parcel near district boundary line.

AOB
Adult-Oriented Business Locational
SPEC
Title 10 Division XVI, Sec. 10-272 through Sec. 10-274-4; Gen. Ord. No. 8, 2006 (2006-06-08)

Application-driven locational overlay; restricts adult-oriented businesses to specific commercial districts and bars co-location with C-1, C-1R, etc. (Sec. 10-207 enumerations list adult oriented business as a defined Special Use only in select commercial zones).

State preemptions

IN-36-7-4applies
Qualifying condition
Terre Haute is a third-class Indiana city exercising zoning authority through the Vigo County Area Plan Commission under IC 36-7-4 area-plan provisions (Sec. 10-275 et seq. of Title 10 cite IC 36-7-4-100 through -1200 as the authority for the joint subdivision and zoning regulations). All Title 10 adoptions and amendments must comply with the 600-series procedure (comprehensive-plan prerequisite, notice/hearing, 90-day legislative action).
Effect
Procedural preemption: non-compliance with c§36-7-4-601 (comprehensive plan), c§36-7-4-602 (adoption/amendment procedure), c§36-7-4-603 (required considerations), c§36-7-4-604 (notice/hearing) voids the ordinance.
IN-36-1-24applies
Qualifying condition
Terre Haute is not Carmel or Fishers, so the Jan-2028 transition window does not apply; full HEA-1210 compliance runs from 2026-07-01. Owner-occupied STRs remain a permitted residential use under c§36-1-24-8 IC in any residential district (R-1, R-2, R-3, R-T); non-owner-occupied STRs may require special exception under c§36-1-24-9 but cannot be effectively prohibited. | strengthened_date=2026-07-01 (HEA 1210 of 2025)
Effect
Title 10 Article 2 may not ban owner-occupied STRs in R-1, R-2, R-3, or R-T (c§36-1-24-8 IC). Non-owner-occupied STRs may be conditioned on special exception per c§36-1-24-9 but not effectively prohibited. Permit/registration fee capped at $150. Numeric caps or quotas on residential rental properties are prohibited post-2026-07-01 (HEA 1210 of 2025). Registration permits are non-transferable (c§36-1-24-17).
IN-36-7-4-1106applies
Qualifying condition
All Indiana units, including Terre Haute, must treat manufactured homes >=950 sf occupied as permitted residential dwellings in any district where any other dwelling is permitted. Aesthetic regulation limited to permanent-foundation compatibility per c§36-7-2-12. Title 10 Division VI 'Manufactured Homes' (Sec. 10-148 through Sec. 10-159) implements this state-floor requirement locally.
Effect
Title 10 may not exclude manufactured homes >=950 sf from R-1, R-2, R-3, or O-1. May not require more than one foundation system. Foundation requirements must be structurally compatible with the manufactured home. Title 10's R-T (Mobile Home Trailer) is a permissive district, not an exclusive carve-out — exclusion from R-1/R-2/R-3 would be preempted by c§36-7-4-1106.
IN-32-31-1-20applies
Qualifying condition
All Indiana units. No General Assembly authorization for Terre Haute rent control or mandatory inclusionary zoning. Privately-owned rental property receiving government funds for express below-market rent purpose is statutorily carved out.
Effect
Title 10 may not regulate rental rates or require price-controlled set-asides through zoning (mandatory inclusionary zoning is preempted). Voluntary incentive-based density bonuses for affordable units remain permissible. LIHTC/HUD-assisted/local-fund-assisted units are statutorily carved out.
IN-HB-1001-2026applies
Qualifying condition
Terre Haute is an Indiana municipality not exempted from HB 1001 (2026). Effective 2026-07-01 (signed by Gov. Braun 2026-04-13), duplex / ADU / commercial-to-residential conversion become by-right in residential and commercial zones unless the city adopts a per-topic opt-out ordinance by December 31 of each year. Terre Haute has not (as of 2026-05-18) recorded an opt-out in the preemptions corpus.
Effect
Title 10 R-1, R-2, R-3 districts must permit duplexes by-right and ADUs by-right after 2026-07-01 absent a per-topic opt-out adopted by Dec 31, 2026. Title 10 commercial districts (C-1..C-6, C-8) must permit hotel-to-residential and office-to-residential conversion by-right under HB 1001. Impact fees and design standards previously discretionary become subject to HB 1001 reasonableness constraint. Annual opt-out cycle closes each December 31.

Adopted building codes

Statewide; NEC updating to 2023

IBC
2012
IRC
2018
NEC
2008
IFC
2012
IECC (Residential)
2018
IECC (Commercial)
ASHRAE 90.1-2007

Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.

Quirks & notes

  • FAR is district-mapped (not district-uniform): each parcel's max FAR is selected from a discrete ladder (Table 2) and recorded on the zoning map. R-3 mapped FAR may be anywhere on 0.7, 0.9, 2.0, 4.0, 6.0, or 8.0; C-5 ranges 0.9 to 10.0. Corner lots may add +0.1 with Board of Zoning Appeals approval (Sec. 10-136 h.a). — [c§Table 2; c§Sec. 10-185; c§Sec. 10-136 h.]
  • Vigo County Area Plan Commission (APC) is the single planning body for both City of Terre Haute and Vigo County — joint subdivision/zoning administration under IC 36-7-4-100 through -1200 (Sec. 10-276 authority recital). — [c§Sec. 10-276 (subdivision authority); c§Sec. 10-258 (Area Planning Department)]
  • Off-street parking is not required in the C-8 or C-9 downtown districts (Sec. 10-137 g.(1)). C-8 is the only listed downtown district remaining; C-9 is referenced in the parking exemption but the C-9 district may have been folded into C-5/C-8 in later amendments — verification deferred. — [c§Sec. 10-137 g.(1)]
  • C-7 Commercial Entertainment District was deleted from the district roster by Gen. Ord. No. 8, 2006, 6-8-06. No new C-7 zoning is possible; existing C-7 designations are non-conforming. — [c§Sec. 10-120 (district roster, C-7 deletion note)]
  • Annexed lands are temporarily classified O-1 (Agricultural) until reclassified by ordinance amendment (Sec. 10-123). This means newly-annexed parcels carry the O-1 'no new dwelling units' restriction by default — rezoning is required before any residential development. — [c§Sec. 10-123]
  • Wabash River floodplain is regulated through both Article 1 (Unified Floodplain Control, FP overlay) and Article 2 Sec. 10-120 (O-2 base district). Flood Protection Grade = BFE + 2 ft (Sec. 10-2 bb.); 2 ft freeboard is the operative habitable lowest-floor elevation requirement. — [c§Sec. 10-2 bb.; c§Sec. 10-2 ii. (Freeboard); c§Sec. 10-120 (O-2)]
  • City-wide building height cap is 125 ft (Sec. 10-138 a.); the Terre Haute International Airport (HUF) Sec. 10-138 b. proximity surfaces (2,500 ft and 2-mile bands) further reduce maximum height based on horizontal distance from the airport boundary and U.S. geodetic elevation 585 ft. Per-parcel ceiling = MIN(125 ft, Sec. 10-138 b. proximity calc, FAA 14 CFR Part 77). — [c§Sec. 10-138 a./b.; c§14 CFR Part 77]
  • STR regime pivot 2026-07-01: Title 10 STR provisions inconsistent with c§36-1-24-8/-9 IC become unenforceable; numeric caps prohibited; permit/registration fee capped at $150. — [c§36-1-24-8 IC; c§36-1-24-9 IC; HEA 1210 (2025)]
  • HB 1001 (2026) statewide housing-and-zoning reform effective 2026-07-01 converts duplex / ADU / commercial-to-residential conversion to by-right in residential and commercial districts. Annual local opt-out cycle closes each December 31; Terre Haute had not (as of 2026-05-18) recorded an opt-out. Title 10 R-1, R-2 duplex prohibitions and commercial-district residential-conversion friction become preempted unless opted out per-topic. — [c§HB 1001 (2026), signed 2026-04-13, effective 2026-07-01; zoning/us/indiana/preemptions.json#in-hb1001-housing-by-right]
  • Manufactured-housing preemption (c§36-7-4-1106 IC) intersects with Title 10 Division VI (Sec. 10-148 through Sec. 10-159 'Manufactured Homes') and the R-T district — Title 10 cannot exclude manufactured homes >=950 sf from R-1, R-2, R-3, or O-1. — [c§36-7-4-1106 IC; c§Sec. 10-148 through Sec. 10-159; c§Sec. 10-120 (R-T)]
  • v1 record claimed a 'Historic District (HD)' overlay (Downtown + Farrington's Grove) and a 'University Overlay (UO)' for Indiana State University vicinity. Neither overlay is enumerated in Title 10 Chapter 10 Article 2. Farrington's Grove appears in the code only as street names in the snow-route and traffic schedules (Sec. 21163 et seq.), not as a zoning overlay. Historic structures receive special variance treatment in the floodplain ordinance (Sec. 10-6 f.) but no separate HD overlay exists. ISU institutional uses are regulated through base-district use schedules and Planned Development (PD) procedures, not a discrete UO overlay. v1 entries removed from v2. — [Title 10 Article 2 enumeration (Sec. 10-120 et seq.); absence is confirmed by full-text PDF inspection 2026-05-18]
  • v1 record set state_preemptions to 'no-preemption.md' (factually wrong for IN). Indiana has at least 5 active preemptions applicable to Terre Haute: IC 36-7-4 procedural; IC 36-1-24 STR; IC 36-7-4-1106 manufactured housing; IC 32-31-1-20 rent/mandatory-IZ; HB 1001 (2026) housing-by-right effective 2026-07-01. — [zoning/us/indiana/preemptions.md; zoning/us/indiana/preemptions.json]

Formulas

Definitions

height
Building height per Sec. 10-36 — measured from grade to highest point of structure; elevator penthouses, water towers and coolers, radio and television aerials, and similar non-habitable appurtenances are exempt under Sec. 10-138 a.
lot_coverage
Building footprint divided by lot area. Title 10 does not publish a district-by-district lot_coverage ceiling; the operative density control is FAR (Table 2) and minimum lot area per dwelling unit (Table 8).
far
Gross building floor area divided by net lot area (buildable area as determined by building lines) per Sec. 10-136 h. Excludes off-street parking floor area, patio/garden/court open space, and Civil-Defense-approved fall-out shelter area. Maximum permitted FAR is district-mapped (Table 2) and selected from the discrete ladder 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 2.0, ..., 10.0. Corner lots may add +0.1 with Board of Zoning Appeals approval (Sec. 10-136 h.a).
du_ac
Dwelling units per gross acre. Title 10 does not state du/ac directly; it is derived from Table 8 (minimum lot area per dwelling unit).
setback_front
'Building line' setback per Table 1 — depends on whether the abutting facility is an Expressway, Major, Collector, or Local street (RESIDENTIAL column ranges 110–140 ft from centerline to building line). 'Front yard' obstruction rules at Sec. 10-136 d.(2).
setback_side
Interior side-yard building line = 5 ft from property line in residential districts per Sec. 10-184; abutting Alley or other interior lot = 5 ft per Table 1.
setback_rear
Rear yard building line = 11 ft from centerline of alley, or 11 ft from rear lot line where no alley, per Table 1.
parking
Spaces per dwelling unit (residential) or per 1,000 sf gross floor area (commercial) per Table 4 (Sec. 10-137 g, as amended Gen. Ord. No. 18, 2004). Off-street parking is NOT required in C-8 or C-9 districts per Sec. 10-137 g.(1).

Capacity calculations

max_footprint_sf
lot_area_sf * (effective lot_coverage; derived per district as min(FAR / typical_floors, 1.0))
max_gfa_sf
lot_area_sf * far_district_mapped
max_units
lot_area_sf / min_lot_area_per_du_sf (per Table 8)

Massing explorer

Interactive 3D comparison across every district. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, use the slider to walk districts, and toggle applicable overlays in the right-side panel.

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Parking
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District Category Height FAR Coverage Setbacks Parking Density Min lot Overlays

Sources & references

Citations
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Research status

Publication gates

primary url presentpassed
no aggregator citedpassed
confidence tags full formpassed
overlays have parameters trigger confidencepassed
preempt section city specificpassed

Data quality

74%completeness

Verification

last_verified_at2026-05-18T00:00:00Z
verifier_specialistverification-pass
verifier_version1.0
verification_resultpassed
atomic_claims_checked34
atomic_claims_passed34
atomic_claims_failed0
notesAll confirmed claims carry c§Sec. 10-X or c§Table N citations from the primary Title 10 PDF retrieved 2026-05-18; partial claims carry explicit partial_reason and narrative_ref; not_found claims carry search_performed. No bare [confirmed] tags. No aggregators cited. v1's HD and UO overlays were retracted after primary-source confirmation that neither overlay exists in Title 10.

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