Dubois County, Indiana

Towns in Dubois County

• Ferdinand
• Holland
• Huntingburg
• Jasper

Permits

Building department: City of Jasper Department of Community Development & Planning, Jasper City Hall, 610 Main St, Jasper (812-482-4255; M-F 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.) issues building (location improvement) permits for Jasper and its two-mile planning jurisdiction. Dubois County itself has no county plan commission or county building department; Huntingburg and Ferdinand issue their own permits, and septic permits come from the Dubois County Health Department.

• No county plan commission. Dubois County does not have a plan commission; Jasper, Huntingburg and Ferdinand are the three communities in the county with their own plan commissions and zoning and subdivision rules, and their planning jurisdiction can reach up to two miles beyond their limits under state law, according to a June 2026 Dubois County Free Press report on the county's comprehensive-plan update. Source
• Jasper permits and timelines. Jasper's Community Development & Planning department issues location improvement (building), fence, pool, sign, demolition and grading/land disturbance permits; permits are generally processed within seven business days of a complete application, are valid for six months from issue, and the owner has two years to finish the project. Source
• Jasper permit fees. Jasper's posted permit fees include a $200 base fee for new single- or two-family residential construction, $50 plus $0.05 per sq. ft. for a residential accessory building, $35 for a fence, $50 (above-ground) or $75 (in-ground) for a pool, $50 for demolition, and no charge for a grading/land disturbance permit. Source
• Jasper gas license. To hold a City of Jasper gas license, the city lists passing a 50-question test, approval by the Jasper Common Council, a $25 yearly license fee and a $5,000 surety bond; questions go to the Clerk-Treasurer (812-482-6944) or the Jasper Municipal Gas Department (812-482-5252). Source
• Huntingburg building permit. Huntingburg's Site Improvement Permit (building permit) application requires a site plan with setbacks, scaled building plans with drainage information, and truss certification if manufactured trusses are used; it states all work must comply with Indiana state building codes, and that a State Design Release is not required for single-family new construction or renovation. Source
• Ferdinand permit fees. Ferdinand building/location improvement permit fees run from $10 to $100 based on fair market value and zoning district under Ordinance 1997-03; fence and permanent sign permits are $25 and a demolition permit is $25 plus bond requirements. Applications go to Ferdinand Town Hall, 2065 Main Street (zoning questions: 812-367-2280 ext. 104). Source
• Water heater / furnace permits: check locally. None of the Jasper, Huntingburg or Ferdinand permit pages reviewed say whether replacing a furnace or water heater needs a local permit, so check with the city or town permit office before the job. Source
• Septic permits (county health dept.). Under Dubois County Ordinance 2023-17 and state rule 410 IAC 6-8.3, a septic permit from the Dubois County Health Department is required before any septic system is built in the county; the process requires a soil evaluation by a certified soil scientist, plan and site review, an installer holding a county installer's permit, and a county inspection before final approval. Source
• Older septic systems. The Dubois County Health Department says septic permits began in the county in 1978, that a system built earlier or without a permit on record may be illegal and subject to an order to update, recommends checking a septic system's permit status when buying a home, and recommends pumping the tank every 3-5 years. Source
• Radon detectors / mold. The Dubois County Health Department rents digital radon detectors to county residents for 7 days (812-481-7055); it does not test for mold and says there are no federal, state or local standards for hazardous mold levels. Source

Rules change, so check with the department before work starts. A provider can usually tell you whether they pull the permit.

Utilities and rebates

• Jasper Municipal Electric. The Jasper Municipal Electric Utility was formed in 1904; its generating plant was decommissioned in 2018, and the city now buys its power from the Indiana Municipal Power Agency (IMPA) and distributes it through four substations. Source
• Jasper Municipal Gas. The Jasper Municipal Gas Utility, formed in 1954, has about 100 miles of distribution lines supplied from the Texas Eastern and ANR pipelines; the city says it is the second-largest municipal gas utility in Indiana, behind Indianapolis. Source
• Huntingburg Municipal Utilities. Huntingburg Municipal Utilities provides electric, water and natural gas service, with about 4,200 residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 94-square-mile service area that includes Huntingburg and nearby unincorporated communities (office: 508 N Van Buren, 812-683-3622; emergency 812-683-2327). Source
• Huntingburg gas. The Huntingburg Gas Utility maintains service for more than 3,300 accounts. Source
• Ferdinand utilities. The Town of Ferdinand runs its own water, electric and wastewater utilities (utility emergencies: 812-367-2281); it does not list a town gas utility. Source
• Patoka Lake Regional Water. All of Ferdinand's water is purchased from Patoka Lake Regional Water & Sewer District (2647 N. State Road 545, Dubois, Indiana), which also supplies part of Huntingburg's water and, starting in 2025, treated water imported by Jasper. Source
• Dubois REC. Dubois REC serves over 13,000 accounts in Crawford and Dubois counties and parts of Pike, Perry, Orange and Martin counties, and offers member rebates for electric water heaters, air-to-air heat pumps and geothermal heat pumps. Source
• IMPA HVAC rebates. Customers of IMPA member utilities (Jasper buys its power from IMPA) can earn rebates through IMPA's Residential Energy Efficiency Program for one-for-one replacement heat pumps and central air units rated 16.0 SEER2 or greater and for geothermal systems; a funding approval form must be submitted before the project starts and the rebate application within 30 days of completion ([email protected], 317-573-9955). Source
• CenterPoint heat pump water heater rebate (2026). CenterPoint Energy's 2026 Indiana residential rebate pays $500 for a heat pump water heater; an electric unit requires CenterPoint Energy electric service, installation must be done in 2026, and the application is due within 60 days of installation. Source
• Solid waste: Process Center for bulk, e-waste and HHW. The Dubois County Solid Waste Management District's Process Center (1103 S. 350 W., Jasper) takes items the county recycling sites don't, including TVs, computers and other e-waste, small appliances, fluorescent bulbs, paint, household hazardous waste, scrap metal, and large items such as couches and mattresses; most items carry a fee of $0.25 to $20. Source
• Solid waste: Tire drop-off. The Dubois County Solid Waste Management District accepts tires for a fee year-round at its Process Center. Source

Flooding

• Patoka River near Jasper crests. The highest crest listed by the National Weather Service for the Patoka River near Jasper is 21.2 ft on March 11, 1964, followed by 20.62 ft (May 10, 1961); more recent high crests include 17.83 ft (March 19, 2008), 17.33 ft (April 30, 2017) and 16.04 ft (April 6, 2025). Source
• Patoka River impacts (Jasper). The NWS impact statements for the Patoka River near Jasper gauge say IN 164 closes from 3rd Avenue to US 231 at 16 ft, the intersection of 4th and Main streets floods at 18 ft, and the roadway on the bridge floods at 21.5 ft. The gauge page lists no official flood-stage categories. Source
• Patoka Lake levels. At Patoka Lake, the NWS lists a record lake elevation of 549.7 ft on May 3, 2011; at 546 ft Highway 164 closes, and at 548 ft the lake reaches flood pool and spillway crest and the dam entrance road closes. Source
• June 2026 road flooding. On June 29, 2026, the Dubois County Highway Department reported 26 county roads closed by high water from the Patoka River, Straight River and several creeks (Ell, Hunley, Bruner, Indian, Little Flat), including 1st Street in Huntingburg (Bruner Creek). Source
• NFIP / floodplain manager (Jasper). The City of Jasper adopted its Flood District and Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance in 1993 and participates in the National Flood Insurance Program; the floodplain manager is in the Department of Community Development and Planning. Source
• State floodway permits. The Indiana DNR Division of Water has jurisdiction over most development in Indiana floodways (fills, excavations, bridges, utilities and non-residential structures); the fringe of the floodplain is regulated by the local community's flood rules where it participates in the NFIP. Source