Lafayette, IN Building Safety: Door Locking Hardware (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum lock throw
- 1 inch (25 mm)
- Applies to
- rented dwelling, rooming, housekeeping units
- Sliding bolts
- not an acceptable deadbolt
- Maximum fine
- $1,000 per IPMC § 104.4
- Adopted
- IPMC 2024 ed., Ord. No. 2025-50
- Enforced by
- Building Commissioner / Code Enforcement
Summary
In the City of Lafayette, Indiana, every door into a rented dwelling unit, rooming unit or housekeeping unit must carry a deadbolt lock under the city's Property Maintenance Code. The deadbolt must open from the inside without a key, tool or special knowledge and have a throw of at least 1 inch. A sliding bolt does not satisfy the requirement, and the Building Commissioner enforces the standard citywide.
304.18 Building security. Doors, windows or hatchways for dwelling units, room units or housekeeping units shall be provided with devices designed to provide security for the occupants and property within. ... 304.18.1 Doors. Doors providing access to an individual dwelling unit, rooming unit or housekeeping unit that is rented, leased or let shall be where equipped with a deadbolt lock, the deadbolt shall be designed to be readily openable from the side from which egress is to be made without the need for keys, special knowledge or effort and shall have a minimum lock throw of 1 inch (25 mm). Such deadbolt locks shall be installed according to the manufacturer's specifications and maintained in good working order. For the purpose of this section, a sliding bolt shall not be considered an acceptable deadbolt lock.
Full Breakdown
IPMC § 304.18, adopted into the Lafayette Municipal Code at § 13.03.010 as part of the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code (Ord. No. 2025-50, adopted Nov. 3, 2025), requires that doors, windows and hatchways for dwelling, rooming and housekeeping units be provided with devices that give the occupants security. Section 304.18.1 spells out the door standard for any such unit that is rented, leased or let: a deadbolt that opens from the egress side without a key, tool or special knowledge, with a minimum throw of 1 inch, installed to the manufacturer's specifications and kept in good working order.
The section expressly rules out a sliding bolt as an acceptable deadbolt. Related subsections cover the rest of the opening: § 304.18.2 requires a window sash locking device on any operable window within 6 feet of ground level that gives access to a rented unit, and § 304.18.3 requires a securing device on basement hatchways serving a rented unit. The city enforces these standards through the Property Maintenance Code's general notice-and-order process at § 104.2, which requires an order issued under Lafayette Municipal Code § 13.05.060, followed by prosecution under Chapter 13.05 if the owner does not comply.
Section 104.4 sets the penalty: a fine of up to $1,000 for any violation of the chapter that has no other stated penalty, with a separate offense committed for each day the violation continues.
Violations & Fines
A landlord who fails to install or maintain a code-compliant deadbolt on a rental unit's door violates IPMC § 304.18.1 as adopted at Lafayette Municipal Code § 13.03.010. The Building Commissioner or Code Enforcement can issue a notice of violation under § 104.2, and an uncorrected violation carries a fine of up to $1,000 under § 104.4, with each additional day treated as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this deadbolt rule apply to owner-occupied homes in Lafayette?
What kind of lock satisfies the requirement?
What happens if a landlord ignores a deadbolt violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lafayette
Compare Lafayette to another location·View the Indiana building safety overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.