Porter County, IN Building Safety: Plumbing Permits (2026)

Sec. 6-138 of the county code incorporates the building rules of the state fire prevention and building safety commission, listed by article of 675 IAC, into the county code, and Article 16, the Indiana Plumbing Code, is named specifically among the ten adopted articles, along with any later state amendments to those rules. 4 for anyone to inspect. Plumbing installations tied to construction, alteration or repair of a building fall under the county's general permitting scheme in Article V: Sec. 6-209 bars any structure from being built, altered, changed, placed, removed or erected without a permit issued by the building commissioner, and requires an improvement location permit before excavation, footings or foundation work begin.

Sec. 6-210 requires the application to include plans and specifications showing the work to be done, and imposes up to a five-working-day wait after the improvement location permit issues. A design release from the state building commissioner and state fire marshal under IC 22-15-3-1 must be attached where applicable. Permits lapse under Sec. 6-211 if work is not started within 180 days or finished within 24 months, and no certificate of occupancy issues under Sec. 6-212 until the building commissioner signs off that the permitted work was completed. Sec. 6-107 lets the building commissioner withhold new permits from anyone who owes outstanding fees, including returned checks, on a prior permit.