Greenwood, IN Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)

Greenwood's Fire Prevention Code, adopted by Ordinance 91-50 and amended by Ordinance 92-25, defines INSTITUTIONAL OCCUPANCY as any building where persons are cared for by others due to age, illness, or physical or mental limitations, expressly listing hospitals, nursing homes, juvenile detention facilities and day care centers. Because a Greenwood child care center falls within that definition, Section 6-102 "When Required, Types" applies: each institutional occupancy, along with Class I structures, assembly buildings and educational occupancies, must install and maintain fire appliances suitable to the type of occupancy and probable class of fire, including hydrants and fixed, wheeled or portable extinguishers, with additional systems required for hazardous processes.

Section 6-103 lets the Fire Chief or an authorized representative designate the specific type and location of appliances, applying the NFPA National Fire Codes (including standards for foam, dry chemical and wet chemical extinguishing systems) as amended each January 1. Section 6-104 requires portable extinguishers with readable pressure gauges to be visually inspected monthly for discharge, low pressure, blocked nozzles or damage, and tested by a service company at least annually to NFPA standards. If the Fire Chief issues a notice and order to abate a violation and the owner does not comply, the Greenwood Corporation Counsel can bring an action for mandatory or injunctive relief in Greenwood City Court or any court of general jurisdiction in Johnson County under Section 6-70.

Section 6-71 ties an unresolved violation to the general penalty at Section 1-13: a fine not exceeding $2,500, with each day the condition continues charged as a separate offense.