Indianapolis building permits
Building permits in Indianapolis are issued by the City of Indianapolis Department of Business and Neighborhood Services (DBNS)1. You can apply and request inspections online through aca-prod.accela.com2.
On this page
- Building department contacts
- Do you need a permit in Indianapolis? Common projects
- Building codes in force in Indianapolis
- Indianapolis building permit fees
- How to get a building permit in Indianapolis
- Permit expiration and extensions
- Inspections in Indianapolis
- Building without a permit in Indianapolis
- Doing the work yourself (owner-builder)
- Indiana rules that also apply in Indianapolis
- Sources
Building department contacts
City of Indianapolis Department of Business and Neighborhood Services (DBNS)1
Building permits
- Apply online
- aca-prod.accela.com2
- Phone
- (317) 327-87003
- [email protected]3
- Address
- 200 E. Washington St., Suite 107, Indianapolis, IN 46204 (City-County Building)1
- Hours
- 9 AM-4 PM Monday-Friday1
- Inspections
- By automated phone line 317-327-5525 using the permit number4
Department of Metropolitan Development, Current Planning (Planner on Call)5
Zoning and planning
- Phone
- (317) 327-51556
- [email protected]6
Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission (IHPC)6
Historic preservation
- Phone
- (317) 327-44066
- [email protected]6
DBNS Infrastructure review (drainage/stormwater, driveway and right-of-way permits)7
Public works and right-of-way
- Phone
- (317) 327-85837
- [email protected]7
Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County (septic permits)6
Health department
- Phone
- (317) 221-22668
DBNS contractor licensing (general, electrical, HVAC, wrecking, plumbing registration)9
Contractor licensing
- [email protected]9
Mayor's Action Center (reports of unlicensed contractors or non-permitted work)4
Code enforcement
- Phone
- (317) 327-46224
To look up permits already issued for an address (useful before you buy, or to check a contractor's work), use the city's official permit search: aca-prod.accela.com2.
Do you need a permit in Indianapolis? Common projects
Each project below has its own page with Indianapolis's exact rule, the official wording, fees and inspections.
| Project | Permit needed? | Key limit in the city rule |
|---|---|---|
| Fence | Usually not | – |
| Deck | Depends on size or scope | Exempt up to this height above grade: 30 inches10 |
| Shed | Depends on size or scope | Exempt up to this area: 120 square feet10 |
| Roof | Depends on size or scope | Like-for-like replacement exempt? Listed-contractor roof replacement exempt (Sec. 536-201(b)(2)); owner-occupant may overlay one layer of shingles over a single existing layer without a permit10 |
| Pool | Yes | – |
| Water heater | Depends on size or scope | Like-for-like replacement exempt? Yes10 |
Building codes in force in Indianapolis
These are the model codes Indianapolis enforces, with the edition and the date it took effect. Plans are reviewed and work is inspected against them. For the state framework, see Indiana building codes.
| Code | Title as adopted |
|---|---|
| International Residential Code (IRC) | Indiana Residential Code (675 IAC 14)10 |
| International Building Code (IBC) | Indiana Building Code (675 IAC 13)10 |
| International Plumbing Code (IPC) | Indiana Plumbing Code (675 IAC 16)10 |
| National Electrical Code (NEC) | Indiana Electrical Code (675 IAC 17)10 |
| International Mechanical Code (IMC) | Indiana Mechanical Code (675 IAC 18)10 |
| Energy code, commercial | Indiana Energy Conservation Code (675 IAC 19)10 |
| State code | Indiana Swimming Pool Code (675 IAC 20)10 |
| International Fire Code (IFC) | Indiana Fire Code (675 IAC 22)10 |
Adopted by: Indianapolis Revised Code Sec. 536-801 (incorporation by reference of 675 IAC)10.
Indianapolis building permit fees
Fees come from the Fee Schedule (as of January 5, 2026)3, effective 3.
How valuation is set. Flat rate or square footage (no valuation table)4.
Each line is worded as in Indianapolis’s schedule; formulas are not added up into a total (how permit fees work).
| Fee | Type | As the schedule states it |
|---|---|---|
| Structural Permit - Residential (STR): Construction or placement of, or additions to, Class 2 primary structures | Flat fee | Application $40 per application; Review $175 (≤2,000 sqft) $25 per additional 500 sqft; Issuance $750 (≤2,000 sqft) 2,000 sqft; $100 per additional 500 sqft11 |
| Structural Permit - Residential: Construction or placement of, or additions to, accessory Class 2 structure | Per square foot | Application $40; Review $150 (≤1,000 sqft) $25 per additional 500 sqft; Issuance $300 (200 - 1000 sqft) $25 per additional 500 sqft11 |
| Structural Permit - Residential: Remodeling, alteration, or repair of Class 2 structures; no addition | Per square foot | Application $40; Review $150 (≤1,000 sqft) $25 per additional 500 sqft; Issuance $200 (≤1,000 sqft) $50 per additional 500 sqft11 |
| Structural Permit - Residential: Misc. Residential (Class 2) | Flat fee | Application $40; Review $100 (≤1,000 sqft) $25 per additional 500 sqft; Issuance 15011 |
| Improvement Location Permit - Residential (ILP): Single-family Accessory Buildings and Additions | Flat fee | $32 per application; 10811 |
| Drainage Permit (DRN) | Flat fee | $40 per application; $650 for the first 3 hours, $200 per hour after; 20011 |
| Floodplain Development Permit: Single-family Accessory Buildings, Additions, and Craft permits | Flat fee | $32 per application; 11711 |
| Wrecking Permit: Residential--Accessory Structure Demolition | Flat fee | $40 per application; 9411 |
| Wrecking Permit: Residential--Primary Structure Demolition | Flat fee | $40 per application; 12711 |
| Plumbing Permit: Residential Structure--Repair, Alteration, Remodel | Per square foot | $153 (≤ 1,000 sf) $23 (per 500 sf over 1,000 sf)11 |
| Electrical Permit: Repair to Existing Structure or Residential Addition | Per square foot | $169 (≤ 1,000 sf) $23 (per additional 500 sf over 1,000 sf)11 |
| Reinspection fee | Re-inspection | $17511 |
| Accelerated inspection: same day, Class 2 | Expedited review | $23211 |
| Permit Renewal | Flat fee | $5611 |
| Request to Transfer a Building Permit | Flat fee | $4811 |
| Permit Amendment | Flat fee | $10111 |
In Indianapolis’s fee table, a line with two amounts gives the application fee first and the review fee (in dollars) second; the issuance fee, where there is one, is a separate column.
How to get a building permit in Indianapolis
- Project idea: draw plans per the Residential Plan Submittal Checklist and verify zoning compliance13
- Submit the application online (or in person)13
- Plan review (typical first review 10-15 business days)13
- Revisions if requested13
- Permit issued after fees are paid13
- Construction and required inspections13
- Close the permit with a Certificate of Completion and Compliance, which triggers the final inspection13
- Apply online
- Yes2
- Over-the-counter permits
- Re-roofing/siding with no structural change is a Structural Renovation Permit with no plan review4
- Posting the permit
- Permit, plans and details must be on the job site12
Permit expiration and extensions
Inspections in Indianapolis
Indianapolis’s inspection stages, in order. Do not cover work until the stage has passed (how inspections work).
- Foundation inspection10
- Frame and masonry inspection10
- Rough inspection (electrical, plumbing, heating/cooling)10
- Final inspection (scheduled after the Certificate of Completion and Compliance is submitted)4
- How to schedule
- Inspector on site within 48 business hours; footing inspection within 2 business hours4
- Re-inspection fee
- 17511
- After the final inspection
- No Certificate of Occupancy; a Certificate of Completion and Compliance is filed by the permit holder14
Building without a permit in Indianapolis
| Consequence | Applies to | As the city states it | Way to fix it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily fine Indianapolis Rev. Code § 536-201(a) | Construction without a required building permit10 | Not less than $100; each day is a separate violation10 | A stop-work order for unpermitted work ends once the required permit is obtained10 |
| Civil penalty Indianapolis Rev. Code § 536-709(a) | Violations of Chapter 536, Chapter 875 or any building standard10 | Up to $2,50010 | – |
| Stop-work order Indianapolis Rev. Code § 536-705 | Construction proceeding without a required permit10 | Violating a stop-work order: $250 (Class 2 structure); $750 (Class 1 structure)11 | – |
| Civil penalty | Failure to obtain a required Improvement Location Permit (zoning)15 | $250 first offense in a calendar year11 | – |
| Permit revoked Indianapolis Rev. Code § 536-704 | False statements, code non-compliance, zoning non-conformance10 | Permit may be revoked10 | – |
| Investigation fee | Failure to file a Certificate of Completion and Compliance14 | – | – |
For how unpermitted work is usually legalized, see how to legalize unpermitted work.
Doing the work yourself (owner-builder)
- Homeowner may pull a building permit
- Yes4
- Homeowner electrical work
- Only after passing a homeowner exam4
- Homeowner plumbing work
- Limited situations; ask DBNS4
- Owner and occupancy requirement
- Owner, contract purchaser or long-term lessee using the parcel for own purposes (incl. residence or rental the owner maintains); work by owner, employees or unpaid volunteers10
- Affidavit or declaration
- Yes4
Indiana's statewide owner-builder and licensing rules are on the Indiana permit guide.
Indiana rules that also apply in Indianapolis
- Deadlines for permit decisions and inspections in Indiana
- Contractor licensing in Indiana
- Selling a home with unpermitted work in Indiana
- Private plan review and inspections in Indiana
Sources
- Department of Business and Neighborhood ServicesCity of Indianapolis, Department of Business and Neighborhood ServicesChecked November 7, 2026
- Accela Citizens Access Portal (ACA)City of Indianapolis, Department of Business and Neighborhood ServicesChecked November 7, 2026
- License and Permit FeesCity of Indianapolis, Department of Business and Neighborhood ServicesChecked November 7, 2026
- Homeowner's Building Permit GuideCity of Indianapolis, Department of Business and Neighborhood ServicesLast updated March 2021Checked November 7, 2026
- Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance (Indy Rezone)City of Indianapolis, Department of Metropolitan DevelopmentChecked November 6, 2026
- Residential Permit ChecklistCity of Indianapolis, Department of Business and Neighborhood ServicesChecked November 7, 2026
- Residential Development PermitsCity of Indianapolis, Department of Business and Neighborhood ServicesChecked November 6, 2026
- Onsite Sewage (Septic) Systems ProgramMarion County Public Health Department (Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County)Checked November 6, 2026
- Contractor LicensesCity of Indianapolis, Department of Business and Neighborhood ServicesChecked November 6, 2026
- 2016 Building Standards and Procedures of the Consolidated City of Indianapolis (Chapter 536 etc.)City of Indianapolis, Department of Business and Neighborhood ServicesEffective January 1, 2018Checked November 7, 2026
- Fee Schedule (as of January 5, 2026) [XLSX]City of Indianapolis, Department of Business and Neighborhood ServicesEffective January 5, 2026Checked November 7, 2026
- Example Plans: Residential Accessory StructureCity of Indianapolis, Department of Business and Neighborhood ServicesRevised August 8, 2016Checked November 7, 2026
- Permit Issuance Process (flowchart)City of Indianapolis, Department of Business and Neighborhood ServicesChecked November 7, 2026
- Certificate of OccupancyCity of Indianapolis, Department of Business and Neighborhood ServicesChecked November 7, 2026
- Indianapolis-Marion County Consolidated Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance (August 2026)City of Indianapolis, Department of Metropolitan DevelopmentEffective August 19, 2026Checked November 7, 2026