County Drains

Whitley County has an extensive drainage system that is comprised of underground tiles and open ditches.  Some drains are taxed which means there has been an assessment rate established and a maintenance fund exists.  Other drains are non-taxed which means they were established as county regulated drains, typically through the Commissioner's or the Circuit Courts, but an assessment rate has not been established and thus a maintenance fund does not exist. 

The drains can be viewed on the Whitley County Beacon site. 

Go to the Drain Repair site to learn about repairs to county drains. 

The overseeing body for county drains is the Whitley County Drainage Board. 

Permanent structures cannot be constructed within 75 feet of a tile drain or from the top of bank of an open ditch without approval of the Drainage Board. This includes woody vegetation, structures and driveways. Proximity to drains will be checked when applicable permits are applied for. 

Following are some statistics of the system:

Open Drains            207 drains 326 miles

Tiled Drains          1,278 drains 499 miles

Taxed Drains           692 drains 655 miles

Non-Taxed Drains   793 drains 170 miles

Total Drains          1,485 drains 825 miles