Wayne County, IN Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)

Section 151.06(A)(1) requires a building permit from the Building Commissioner's office before work begins on the construction of all new structures, alterations, additions or repairs exceeding $1,000, moving any building or structure, constructing a swimming pool, or installing a modular or manufactured home. Under subsection (B), every permit issued expires one year from the date it was issued unless the holder gets an extension or renewal; § 151.07 lets a holder of an unexpired permit take one free six-month extension, or renew a permit that lapsed no more than six months earlier for half the original fee.

Fees under § 151.09 start at a $35 minimum, scale to $2 per $1,000 of cost (minimum $100) for commercial, institutional or industrial work, and double automatically if work starts before the permit issues. Once a permit is issued, § 151.10 requires the applicant to request footing, foundation, under-slab, framing and final inspections at least 24 hours in advance, and no work may be covered until it passes. The Building Commissioner can issue a written stop-work order under § 151.12 for work done contrary to the chapter, with each day of continued violation a separate offense, and no certificate of use and occupancy may issue under § 151.13 until the work complies.

Violating the chapter under § 151.15 draws a fine of $100 to $1,000 per violation under § 151.99, with each day of ongoing violation a separate offense, and failure to pay a fine within ten days can result in a summons. An aggrieved permit applicant may appeal a Building Commissioner decision to the Board of Commissioners and then to the state Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission under I.C. 22-13-2-7 and I.C. 4-21.5-3-7.