Vanderburgh County, IN Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- I.C. 36-7-9-1 et seq. (adopted in full)
- Geographic scope
- Unincorporated areas of the county
- Civil penalty (willful noncompliance)
- Up to $5,000
- Additional penalty (ongoing noncompliance)
- Up to $5,000 more
- Demolition completion deadline
- 30 days from contract award
- Sealing requirement
- 1/2-inch plywood minimum
Summary
Vanderburgh County abates dangerous and neglected buildings in the unincorporated county under its Unsafe Building Ordinance, County Code Section 15.08.180, which adopts Indiana's Unsafe Building Law at I.C. 36-7-9-1 et seq. in full. A Hearing Authority can order repair, rehabilitation, demolition, or removal, and willful noncompliance draws a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation.
(C) Unsafe Building and Unsafe Premises: (1) For the purpose of this section, the building, structure, or any part of a building or structure located within the unincorporated areas of the County that is in an impaired structural condition that makes it unsafe to a person or property; a fire hazard; a hazard to the public health; a public nuisance; or dangerous to a person or property because of a violation of a statute or ordinance concerning building condition or maintenance is considered an unsafe building. ... (9)(A) If the Hearing Authority finds that there has been a willful failure to comply with an order issued by the Building Commissioner, the Hearing Authority may impose a civil penalty of not more than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00).
Full Breakdown
C. and governs every unsafe-building proceeding in the county. A building or portion of a building located within the unincorporated areas of the County that is structurally impaired, a fire hazard, a hazard to public health, a public nuisance, or dangerous because of a code or ordinance violation is defined as an unsafe building, and the parcel it sits on becomes unsafe premises. When the joint City-County Building Commissioner determines a building is unsafe, the Department must order it repaired, rehabilitated, demolished, or removed. C.
36-7-9-7 and can grant additional time to comply, including requiring a performance bond. Buildings ordered sealed against trespassers must have every opening covered with at least half-inch plywood or material of equal strength. Demolition work must plug and cap utility lines, remove or collapse septic tanks and drywells, clear all debris except material used as clean fill, restore the site to grade with clean compacted soil, repair any damaged sidewalk, and finish within thirty days of the demolition contract being awarded; the demolition contractor must also carry liability insurance the Building Commissioner deems adequate. C. 36-7-9-14.
Violations & Fines
A willful failure to comply with a Building Commissioner's order draws a civil penalty of up to $5,000 under Section 15.08.180(9)(A), and the Hearing Authority can add up to $5,000 more if significant repair work still hasn't happened and the property is dragging down neighboring property values. An unpaid penalty more than thirty days past due can be certified to the County Auditor for collection or turned into a lien against the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the county's unsafe building ordinance cover buildings inside Evansville?
What can Vanderburgh County do about a dangerous, abandoned building?
What are the rules for demolishing a condemned building in the county?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Vanderburgh County
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