The Lapel Board of Zoning Appeals is a quasi-judicial body that reviews variances of development standards, special uses petitions, and administrative appeals. The Board is comprised of five members.
Meetings are typically held on the first Thursday of each month at Lapel Lion’s Club (329 Main Street, Lapel, IN 46051) at 6:30 P.M. A Calendar of the Meetings and Filing Deadlines per each year has up-to-date information on the planned meeting schedule for the applicable year. If no petitions are submitted, the Board may choose to skip the meeting.
Meeting resources:
- 2025 BZA Calendar of Meetings and Filing Deadlines
- BZA Agendas
- BZA Rules and Procedures
- BZA Application Form and Information
Public Hearing Petition Participation
Some petitions reviewed by the Board of Zoning Appeals may require a public hearing. If you would like to participate in the public hearing, please review the “Article VII. Public Hearing of Petitions" procedure of the BZA Rules and Procedures to understand when and how the public may participate. Article IV of these Rules provides the general rules of conduct during the meeting.
Note that under state law, IC 36-7-4-920, no person may contact the BZA members before the public hearing with the intent to influence the member's action on a case pending before the BZA. You may submit written information to the planning staff before the meeting to be delivered to the BZA members per BZA Rules and Procedures, Article VII.
Before you apply for a Variance / Special Use
Planning Director contact information: Oksana Polhuy, oksana@lapelindiana.org.
You must contact the planning staff for a pre-filing meeting to go over your project. An overview of the project is necessary to clarify whether variances /special uses are needed, the full scope of the variances, and how to prepare an application packet.
Application Deadline
All BZA petitions require a public hearing, and thus, require public notice via newspaper and mailed notice. Due to that, the applications must be submitted at least a month prior to a scheduled meeting per the Calendar of Meetings and Filing Deadlines to ensure enough time to prepare and publish and mail the notice.
Application Requirements and Process
The BZA Application Form and Information contains brief overview of all application steps and general submittal requirements. More rules and procedures can be found in BZA Rules and Procedures.
Current BZA Members:
- Timothy Munro (citizen member)
- Cam Paddock (citizen member)
- Andrea Baldwin (citizen member, from PC)
- Amy Egly (citizen member, from PC)
- To be filled: … (citizen member)