Gary, IN Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

Gary Municipal Code § 105-519(a) requires anyone who wants to do plumbing work in the city, other than the repairs described in subsection (b), to file a written application for a plumbing permit with the Building Commissioner describing the premises where the work will happen. That application goes straight to the city controller, who issues the permit once the applicant pays the fee set in chapter 20 for each sink, water closet, bathtub, lavatory, urinal, laundry tub, or other fixture that will discharge into a cesspool or into the city sewer system.

Subsection (b) limits what counts as exempt repair work: only forcing out waste pipes and fixing leaks qualify, while installing backwater valves, swapping in a new fixture for the same purpose, and adding or relocating fixtures, lines, soil, waste, vent, or leader pipes all require a full permit. In a building condemned for unsanitary conditions, no work is treated as a repair at all; everything must be permitted as if it were new construction. Separately, § 105-518 lets a property owner do plumbing on their own property without a license, but only after filing a written application with the Building Commissioner and paying the same fees charged to other permit applicants, due before work starts.

Every plumbing contractor must also register with the Building Commissioner and hold a state license under IC 25-28.5-1, and § 105-549 requires a $1,000.00 indemnifying bond, approved by the city controller, before any plumbing permit issues, to cover damage from improper work.