Columbus, IN Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcement authority
- Chief code enforcement officer, Department of Code Enforcement
- Hearing authority
- Board of public works and safety
- Abandonment test
- Building abandoned for more than six months
- Structural test
- Thirty-three percent damage to supporting members
- Abatement methods
- Repair, vacation, sealing or removal
- Governing section
- Columbus Municipal Code § 15.20.040
Summary
In the City of Columbus, Indiana, Chapter 15.20 (the Unsafe Building Ordinance) adopts Indiana Code 36-7-9 and defines unsafe buildings by structural, fire, sanitation and abandonment conditions. The Department of Code Enforcement enforces it, and the board of public works and safety is the hearing authority.
"Unsafe building, unsafe premises" means, that which is set out in Indiana Code, Sections 36-7-9-1 through 36-7-9-28, supplemented by the following: 1. Any building or premises which has any or all of the conditions or defects hereinafter described shall be deemed to be unsafe premises, provided that such conditions or defects exist to the extent that life, limb, health, property, public safety or welfare are endangered; ... 9. Whenever a building or premises, exclusive of the foundation, shows thirty-three percent or more damage or deterioration of its supporting member or members, or fifty percent damage or deterioration of its non-supporting members, enclosing or outside walls or coverings; 1 ... 5. Whenever any portion of a building or premises remain on a site after the demolition or destruction of the building or premises or whenever any building or premises is abandoned for a period in excess of six months so as to constitute an attractive nuisance or hazard to the public. (Prior code § 5-49)
Full Breakdown
Chapter 15.20 of the Columbus Municipal Code is cited as the Unsafe Building Ordinance of the City of Columbus, Indiana. Section 15.20.020 states its purpose: protecting life, limb, health, property, public safety and welfare, and abating unsafe premises by repair, vacation, sealing or removal of an unsafe building, plus the extermination of vermin in or about unsafe premises. Section 15.20.030 adopts Indiana Code 36-7-9-1 through 36-7-9-28 by reference as part of the chapter.
Section 15.20.040 names the actors. The enforcement authority is the chief code enforcement officer of the Department of Code Enforcement, and the hearing authority is the board of public works and safety. The definition of unsafe building adds local tests to the state ones, each applying only when the condition exists to the extent that life, limb, health, property, public safety or welfare are endangered. Examples include a building where stress in any member is more than one and one-half times the working stress allowed for a similar new building, one showing thirty-three percent or more damage to supporting members or fifty percent damage to non-supporting members and walls, one that is unsanitary or a fire hazard, and one damaged by fire, wind, earthquake or flood so that it becomes an attractive nuisance to children or freely accessible for unlawful acts. A building abandoned for more than six months so as to constitute an attractive nuisance or hazard to the public also qualifies.
Section 15.20.050 lets the department rely on an officer of the Bartholomew County board of health to find a building unsanitary or unfit for habitation, and on the fire chief or assistant fire chief to find a fire hazard. Section 15.20.060 requires all repairs and alterations to unsafe premises to follow the city building code. Section 15.20.070 establishes the unsafe building fund in the department's operating budget, administered under state statutes.
Related sections point the same way. Section 15.24.030 requires any order about unsafe buildings or premises to be issued under Indiana Code 36-7-9-5, and Section 15.04.120 makes construction started but not completed under an expired permit subject to condemnation.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 15.20 prints no fine schedule of its own. Enforcement runs through the adopted Indiana Code 36-7-9 procedure, with orders issued under Indiana Code 36-7-9-5 and heard by the board of public works and safety. Repairs ordered on unsafe premises must meet the city building code, so violations of that code carry the Section 15.04.260 fine of $100 to $500 per violation, each day a separate Class C infraction.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
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