Spencer County, Indiana

Permits, utilities and flood notes for Spencer County, where the county seat is Rockport, plus the towns we cover here.

Towns in Spencer County

Permits

Building department: Spencer County Plan Commission & Building Inspector, Courthouse, 200 Main Street, Room 3 (1st floor), Rockport, IN 47635; phone (812) 649-6010; [email protected]; Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4 p.m. The county asks people to call before coming in because it is a one-person office.

  • County permit office and staff. The Spencer County Plan Commission & Building Inspector office lists Kay Erwin as Administrator and Greg Sermersheim as Building Inspector (812-489-8896), and handles building permits, variances, rezoning, subdivision exemptions and floodplain determinations for the unincorporated county. Source
  • What needs a county permit (incl. HVAC). Spencer County requires a building permit before new construction over $2,000, alterations or repairs over $5,000, any electrical, plumbing or mechanical work costing more than $750 or an upgrade in electrical or gas service capacity, and the installation of any heating, ventilating or air conditioning system. Source
  • County permit paperwork. A Spencer County building permit application must include building plans, contractor information, a septic permit or sewer receipt if applicable, the recorded deed and a site plan; in a floodplain, an elevation certificate showing the building 2 feet above the Base Flood Elevation is required. Source
  • County permit fees. Spencer County charges an Improvement Location Permit fee in addition to building permit fees (figured once all information is turned in), takes cash or checks only, and lists $35 each for relocation, addition or modification of gas or electric service (no Improvement Location Permit needed) and $60 for a permanent residential swimming pool. Source
  • County inspection stages. Spencer County asks builders to notify the building inspector, with 24 hours' notice if possible, at each applicable step: footings, underground plumbing, framing, rough-in electrical, rough-in plumbing, rough-in heating and air conditioning, gas meter, electrical and final inspection. Source
  • Rockport issues its own permits. Inside Rockport city limits, building permits for building or remodeling are issued at City Hall (426 Main St.) by the Deputy Clerk-Treasurer (812-649-2242, [email protected]), not by the county. Source
  • Septic permits (county health dept). The Spencer County Health Department issues permits for new and replacement onsite sewage (septic) systems under Indiana rule 410 IAC 6-8.3; its application states that no construction may begin before a written permit is issued and that the department must be notified for inspection before the system is covered. Source
  • Septic permit steps and fee. The Spencer County Health Department's septic permit guide says to first get a soil evaluation from an Indiana Registered Soil Scientist, then submit the application with a $50 application fee, the recorded deed and a floor plan; the department then issues minimum system specifications and the owner picks a registered septic installer from its list. Source
  • Existing septic inspection. An inspection of an existing septic system is requested from the Spencer County Health Department, 200 Main Street, Rockport (812-649-4441), for a $10 fee; the form warns not to have the tank pumped before the inspection. 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

  • Electric utility (CenterPoint Energy). Southern Indiana Gas and Electric Company d/b/a CenterPoint Energy is authorized by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to provide electric service in all or parts of Pike, Gibson, Dubois, Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick and Spencer Counties, to about 150,000 customers in southwestern Indiana. Source
  • Electric co-op (Southern Indiana Power). Southern Indiana Power is a member-owned electric cooperative headquartered in Tell City; the IURC territory map places Dale in Southern Indiana REC's territory, so some homes in the county are co-op members rather than CenterPoint customers. Source
  • Natural gas utility (CenterPoint). CenterPoint Energy's southwest Indiana natural gas utility serves more than 113,000 customers in Daviess, Gibson, Knox, Martin, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick counties (as reported in 2020); check with CenterPoint for gas availability at a specific rural address. Source
  • Rural water: Finch Newton Water. EPA records show the rural Finch Newton Water, Inc. system (Chrisney address) buys its water from Patoka Lake Regional Water and from the Grandview Municipal Water Utility. Source
  • Rural water: Reo Water. Reo Water, Inc. is a registered public-supply groundwater system in Spencer County with five wells (135-300 gallons per minute) in the Ohio River Outwash Aquifer System, located on the Richland City topographic map. Source
  • CenterPoint furnace rebates (2026). CenterPoint Energy's 2026 Indiana Residential Rebate Program lists natural gas furnace rebates of $200 for 96% AFUE and $250 for 97%+ AFUE, plus $50 for a furnace tune-up. Source
  • CenterPoint water heater rebates (2026). CenterPoint Energy's 2026 Indiana rebates for water heaters are $100 for a natural gas water heater (0.67+ EF), $200 for a natural gas tankless water heater, $500 for a natural gas heat pump water heater and $500 for an electric heat pump water heater. Source
  • CenterPoint rebate rules (2026). CenterPoint's 2026 program requires qualifying products to be installed before Dec. 31, 2026 and rebates to be applied for within 60 days of installation at CenterPointEnergy.com/SmartSavings; participating contractors may offer instant discounts on heat pumps, central air conditioners and natural gas furnaces. Source
  • Solid waste: Large items and appliances. Spencer County residents can drop off large items only at the Chrisney Drop-Off Center using prepaid $1 trash tags: five tags ($5) for a single item or a freon appliance, and twenty tags ($20) for a pickup-truck load; no cash is accepted at the center and contractors may not dump worksite materials. Source
  • Solid waste: HHW, electronics and tires at the district office. The Spencer County district office (918 E. County Road 800 N, Chrisney) accepts household hazardous waste such as oil-based paint and farm and household chemicals weekdays 8 am-4 pm instead of one-day events, takes electronics for a small cash-only fee ($5 per TV, monitor, or laptop; $3 per modem, printer, or DVD/VHS player), and takes tires year-round for a fee. Source

Flooding

  • NFIP communities and FIRM date. FEMA's Community Status Book lists unincorporated Spencer County (CID 180237A), the City of Rockport (180239A), the Town of Grandview (180238A) and the Town of Gentryville (180394A) as National Flood Insurance Program communities, each with a current effective flood map dated May 18, 2015. Source
  • County floodplain permit and FPG. Spencer County's flood hazard regulations name the Spencer County Plan Commission Administrator as Floodplain Administrator, require a floodplain development permit before any development in a special flood hazard area, and set the Flood Protection Grade at the regulatory flood elevation plus two feet. Source
  • Mechanical equipment in the floodplain. In Spencer County flood hazard areas, electrical, heating, ventilation, plumbing and air conditioning equipment, utility meters and other service facilities must be at or above the Flood Protection Grade or designed to keep water out; improvements costing 50% or more of a structure's market value count as substantial improvements. Source
  • How to check a property's flood zone. The county's floodplain map page points owners to the Indiana DNR flood elevation portal (dnrmaps.dnr.in.gov/appsph/fdms/) and to the county GIS map (spencer.in.wthgis.com), where a 'Flood Plains' layer can be checked by address or parcel. Source
  • Ohio River at Owensboro gauge. The NWS Ohio River gauge at Owensboro, Ky. (OWBK2), across the river from Spencer County, has an action stage of 24 ft, minor flood stage of 40 ft, moderate 44 ft and major 49 ft; its record crest is 54.8 ft on Jan. 29, 1937, and it reached 47.72 ft on April 11, 2025. Source
  • Ohio River at Cannelton gauge. Upstream at the Cannelton Lock and Dam gauge (CNNI3, Perry County), minor flood stage is 42 ft; the record is 60.8 ft (Jan. 27, 1937), and recent high crests were 51.05 ft on April 10, 2025 and 50.68 ft on Feb. 27, 2018. Source
  • April 2025 Ohio River flood. During the April 2025 Ohio River flood, 14News reported at least 50 roads closed across Spencer County and five water rescues by sheriff's deputies in one week. Source
  • Mine subsidence insurance. Spencer County is one of 26 southwestern Indiana counties eligible for the Indiana Mine Subsidence Insurance Fund; the optional coverage (up to $500,000 per structure) is added through a property insurance agent because standard homeowner policies do not cover mine subsidence. Source

Sources

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