Clark County, IN Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law adopted
- I.C. 36-7-9 et seq.
- Administering department
- County Planning and Zoning Department
- Enforcement authority
- Building Commissioner/Ordinance Enforcement Officer
- Hearing authority
- Planning and Zoning Board (or 3-member panel)
- Funding mechanism
- Unsafe Building Fund, I.C. 36-7-9-14
Summary
Clark County adopts Indiana's unsafe building statute, I.C. 36-7-9, as its own dangerous-building ordinance for the unincorporated county. The Planning and Zoning Board acts as hearing authority, and the Building Commissioner enforces orders against unsafe structures.
This Board does hereby adopt I.C. 36-7-9 et seq. as the county's unsafe building ordinance, and explicitly incorporates the definition of SUBSTANTIAL PROPERTY INTEREST found in I.C. 36-7-9-2. In the event the provisions of this subchapter conflict with the provisions of Indiana law, then the provisions of state statute shall control.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2019 S-0: Code: Local legislation current through Ordinance 31-2014, passed 12-18-2014).
Full Breakdown
C. C. 36-7-9-2, with the code specifying that state statute controls if the two ever conflict. 31 designates the County Planning and Zoning Department as the executive department that administers the ordinance, with the County Building Commissioner, also titled the Ordinance Enforcement Officer, serving as the enforcement authority responsible for identifying unsafe structures and initiating action against them. C. 36-7-9-2: the Clark County Planning and Zoning Board is the hearing authority, though the Board can form a subcommittee of at least three of its own members to act in that role, and if the Board cannot agree on a subcommittee, the full Board hears the case itself.
C. 36-7-9-14, which finances the county's cost of demolishing or repairing unsafe structures when an owner does not act. C. 36-7-9's own provisions rather than a separately numbered county process.
Violations & Fines
Section 151.99(C) provides that violations of §§ 151.30 through 151.33, the unsafe building provisions, are prosecuted as set forth in I.C. 36-7-9 et seq., meaning the enforcement mechanisms, orders, and penalties are those the state statute itself supplies rather than a distinct county fine schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Clark County, Indiana have its own dangerous building code?
Who decides whether a building in unincorporated Clark County is unsafe?
Who enforces unsafe building orders in the county?
How does the county pay for demolishing or fixing unsafe buildings?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clark County
Compare Clark County to another location·View the Indiana property maintenance overview
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