Floyd County, IN Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- State law adopted
- I.C. 36-7-9, Unsafe Building Law
- Enforcement authority
- Director of Operations and Planning
- Hearing authority
- Board of Commissioners
- Fine per offense
- Up to $500 per day
- Civil forfeiture ceiling
- Up to $1,000
Summary
Floyd County Code § 151.01 adopts Indiana's Unsafe Building Law, I.C. 36-7-9, across unincorporated Floyd County and declares any building found unsafe after inspection a public nuisance that must be abated by repair, rehabilitation, demolition, or removal, enforced by the Director of Operations and Planning.
(A) Adoption. This section shall be known as the Unsafe Building Law of the county, and the requirements herein apply throughout the unincorporated territory of the county. ... (C) Public nuisance. All building, structures, or portions thereof which are determined after inspection by the enforcement authority to be unsafe, as defined in this section, are hereby declared to be a public nuisance, and shall be abated by repair, rehabilitation, demolition, or removal. ... (l) Whenever the building or structure has been damaged by fire, wind, earthquake, or flood, or has become so dilapidated so as to become: 1. An attractive nuisance to children; or 2. Freely accessible to people for the purpose of committing unlawful acts or maintaining a common nuisance.
Full Breakdown
The ordinance's UNSAFE BUILDING OR STRUCTURE definition lists more than a dozen specific triggers: exits too narrow or unsafe for fire escape, structural stress over one and one-half times normal working loads, fire or storm damage that weakens the structure below new-construction standards, 33% or more damage to a supporting member (or 50% to a non-supporting one), a building found unfit for human habitation by the Health Department, or a fire hazard determination by the Fire Department. A building left standing more than six months after demolition, or abandoned so long it becomes an attractive nuisance to children or freely accessible for unlawful acts, also qualifies.
01(C), triggering the order, notice, and hearing procedures under Indiana Code and letting the county seal, repair, or demolish the property and bill the cost to whoever holds a fee interest or life estate in it. The Board of Commissioners sits as the hearing authority for disputes.
Violations & Fines
Under § 151.99, remaining in or using a building in violation of a § 151.01 order, interfering with an abatement order, or obstructing county work on the property is punishable by a fine of up to $500 per offense, with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense. The enforcement authority can also ask the County Attorney to bring a civil action seeking a forfeiture of up to $1,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides a building is unsafe in unincorporated Floyd County?
What happens once a building is declared a public nuisance?
Can the county act on my building without a hearing first?
What's the fine for violating an unsafe-building order?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Floyd County
Compare Floyd County to another location·View the Indiana property maintenance overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.