Indiana · Penalties if you skip one

What you can build without a permit in Indiana

By Mario Bailey Last checked · 11 official sources

Quick answer

Across the 2 Indiana jurisdictions we have verified, 1 of 20 project rules need no permit at all, 14 turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes, and 5 require a permit regardless. Electrical work is where the answer most often comes with a published condition rather than a flat yes: 2 of the 2 jurisdictions that answer publish one. The numbers are not statewide: shed thresholds alone run from 120 to 200 sq ft depending on the jurisdiction.

How to read this page

"No permit" means the jurisdiction publishes that the work needs no building permit. "Depends" means it publishes a size, height, depth, cost or scope condition that decides the answer, quoted in its own words in the last column; the number beside it is the figure that condition turns on, and which side of the number is exempt is stated by the condition, not by us. Exempt from a building permit is not exempt from zoning, setbacks, height limits, flood rules, an HOA, or a separate electrical, plumbing or mechanical permit, and several of the conditions below say exactly that.

Electrical

All 2 make the electrical answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Fort Wayne Depends Electrical permits for Fort Wayne come from the Allen County Building Department, which was created in part to enforce electrical standards adopted by the county and its incorporated cities and towns.
Indianapolis Depends DBNS requires an electrical permit for any construction activity related to an electrical power distribution system, with four published exceptions: replacement of an attic fan, bathroom exhaust fan, range hood exhaust fan or whole house fan; installation of a single-phase circuit not exceeding 60 amperes at a nominal 120/240 volts that is part of installing, modernizing, replacing, servicing or repairing a heating system, space heating equipment, cooling system, space cooling equipment, a water heater or a food waste disposer for which a building permit has been issued; installation of household appliances such as window air conditioners, refrigerators, ranges, clothes washers, dryers, dishwashers, disposers and trash compactors when the installation does not include installing an electrical circuit; and connection, provision or use of temporary electrical power for on-site construction.

Fence

Indianapolis requires no fence permit at all. 1 of 2 makes the fence answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Indianapolis No permit Indianapolis and Marion County are consolidated under Unigov, so DBNS administers Class 2 (one- and two-family dwelling) building permits across almost all of the county; the zoning ordinance names Beech Grove, Lawrence, Southport and Speedway as excluded cities and towns that keep their own zoning jurisdiction and their own boards of zoning appeals, so a property inside those corporate boundaries is not on the DBNS track.
Fort Wayne Depends Fort Wayne runs no building department of its own: the city's "Get a Building Permit" page redirects to the Allen County Building Department, and its "Find Zoning Info" page redirects to allencounty.in.gov.

HVAC

All 2 make the HVAC answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Fort Wayne Depends The Allen County Building Department issues HVAC permits for Fort Wayne addresses, and its Residential Permit Guide asks the deciding question directly: "Does the work involve any mechanical, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, or structural alteration?" If yes, a permit is required and a construction plan is the submittal.
Indianapolis Depends DBNS requires a heating and cooling permit for any construction activity related to a heating, venting, air conditioning or refrigeration system, and publishes only two exceptions: replacement of a water heater with one that is identical as to venting arrangement and type of fuel or energy input, and extension of heating or cooling duct work.

Patio

All 2 make the patio answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Fort Wayne Depends Fort Wayne draws the patio line at footings, not at size.
Indianapolis Depends 18 inches patio height above grade at which an improvement location permit becomes required.

Plumbing

All 2 make the plumbing answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Fort Wayne Depends Plumbing permits for a Fort Wayne address are issued by the Allen County Building Department under Allen County Code 6-2-7, which requires a permit before any construction, addition, alteration or repair over one dollar and exempts only maintenance and service work as defined in 6-2-4.
Indianapolis Depends 20 percent share of a structure's piping replaced in kind with piping of the same performance specifications and capacity.

Shed

All 2 make the shed answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes, and the 2 that state a number publish figures from 120 to 200 sq ft.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Fort Wayne Depends 200 sq ft gross floor area of a detached accessory building such as a shed, garage, carport, pole barn or gazebo.
Indianapolis Depends 120 sq ft shed base area, for a shed under 15 feet high, not on a permanent foundation and with no utility connection.

Deck

1 of 2 makes the deck answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. Fort Wayne requires a permit for deck work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Indianapolis Depends 18 inches deck height above grade, excluding handrails, at which an improvement location permit becomes required.
Fort Wayne Permit required Decks need both permits at every size.

Pool

1 of 2 makes the pool answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. Fort Wayne requires a permit for pool work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Indianapolis Depends 18 inches above-ground pool or hot tub depth, for a pool 15 feet or less in diameter, at which an improvement location permit becomes required.
Fort Wayne Permit required A permit is always required for a pool in Fort Wayne; what changes with size is which permits.

Roof Replacement

1 of 2 makes the roof replacement answer turn on a size or scope condition the jurisdiction publishes. Fort Wayne requires a permit for roof replacement work regardless of size.

Jurisdiction Permit Published figure What the rule says
Indianapolis Depends The DBNS Homeowner's Building Permit Guide states plainly that "Re-roofing and replacing siding will require a permit" and that the application is a Structural Renovation Permit which requires no plans for review if no structural changes occur.
Fort Wayne Permit required Roofing sits entirely with the Allen County Building Department.

If the work is already built

Indiana splits buildings into two classes and only one of them carries a statewide permit offense. For a Class 1 structure (commercial, public, three or more tenants), building with no state design release is a Class C infraction under IC 22-15-3-7(c), and a Class C infraction carries a judgment of up to $500 under IC 34-28-5-4(c).

Indiana penalties, the after-the-fact path, and what the statute actually says

The 20 answered rules come from 11 official sources, each linked from the permit page behind every jurisdiction name. See the full picture for the state on the Indiana permit requirements page, or the national view of which projects need a permit at all on Do you need a building permit?

This page compiles what each Indiana jurisdiction publishes, with a last checked date. It is not legal advice, and a project that is exempt from a building permit can still need zoning approval or a trade permit. Confirm with the office linked from the jurisdiction's page before you build.