Boone County, IN Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcement authority
- Executive Director or Building Inspector
- Hearing authority
- Boone County Board of Commissioners
- Governing law
- I.C. 36-7-9-1 through 9-28, Unsafe Building Law
- Maximum fine
- Up to $500 per violation per day
- Abatement fund
- County's Unsafe Building Fund, § 151.08
Summary
Boone County adopts Indiana's Unsafe Building Law, I.C. 36-7-9-1 through 9-28, to police unsafe buildings and premises. Once the county's enforcement authority inspects a structure and finds it unsafe, § 151.05 declares it a public nuisance that must be repaired, rehabilitated, demolished or removed. Notices go up at every entrance, and owners face escalating fines and possible county-ordered demolition.
I.C. 36-7-9-1 through I.C. 36-7-9-28 is hereby adopted by reference as the Unsafe Building Law. All proceedings within the county for inspection, repair, and removal of unsafe buildings shall be governed by this law and the provisions of this section. ... If deemed appropriate, unsafe building or structure notices shall be posted at each entrance to such building or structure with the following: “Do Not Enter. Unsafe to Occupy. Building Inspector, Boone County, Indiana.” The notice shall remain posted until the required repairs are made or demolition is completed. ... All buildings or portions thereof within the county which are determined after inspection by the enforcement authority to be unsafe are hereby declared to be public nuisances and shall be abated by repair, rehabilitation, demolition, or removal.
Full Breakdown
Under Boone County Code § 151.01, the county adopts I.C. 36-7-9-1 through I.C. 36-7-9-28 as its Unsafe Building Law, with the state statute controlling if the county's own rules ever conflict. The Executive Director or Building Inspector serves as the enforcement authority, and the Board of Commissioners sits as the hearing authority under § 151.01(C) and (D). Section 151.02 points to I.C. 36-7-9-4 for the definition of what makes a building, structure or set of premises unsafe, and § 151.03 authorizes the enforcement authority to order repair or removal of anything found unsafe.
Once a structure is posted under § 151.04 with a notice reading 'Do Not Enter. Unsafe to Occupy. Building Inspector, Boone County, Indiana,' no one may remove that notice or enter except to make repairs or demolish, and the sign stays up until repairs are complete. Section 151.05 then declares every unsafe building or portion of one a public nuisance, to be abated by repair, rehabilitation, demolition or removal. Reconstruction and repair work performed to correct an unsafe condition must meet the accepted trade standards adopted by the Indiana Administrative Building Council under § 151.07, and the County Council funds the abatement process through the Unsafe Building Fund created under § 151.08 and I.C.
36-7-9-14. Officials administering this chapter have no discretion to invent standards beyond what's written; § 151.06 limits them to determining compliance with the rules as adopted.
Violations & Fines
Violating the Unsafe Building Law provisions of §§ 151.01 et seq., or an enforcement authority order under them, is an ordinance violation equivalent to a Class C infraction under I.C. 36-7-9-28, with a fine of up to $500 for each violation under § 151.99(B)(1), assessed per day the violation continues. If Boone County has to sue to enforce compliance or seek an injunction, § 151.99(B)(2) lets the county recover its reasonable attorney fees from the responsible owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a building 'unsafe' under Boone County's code?
Can I be fined for an unsafe building on my property in unincorporated Boone County?
What happens once a building is posted as unsafe?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boone County
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