LaPorte County, IN Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- I.C. 36-7-9-1 through 36-7-9-28
- Enforcement authority
- Building Commissioner
- Hearing authority
- County Board of Zoning Appeals
- Unsafe conditions listed
- 17 defects, § 151.77(B)
- Fund
- Unsafe Building Fund, § 151.78
- Abandoned remnant threshold
- 6 months, § 151.77(B)(17)
Summary
LaPorte County enforces Indiana's Unsafe Building Law, I.C. 36-7-9-1 through 36-7-9-28, as its own Unsafe Building Code under § 151.75. The Building Commissioner administers the program, and the county Board of Zoning Appeals sits as the hearing authority under § 151.76, deciding which unincorporated-area structures are unsafe enough to require repair, vacation, or demolition.
Any building or structure which has any or all of the conditions or defects hereinafter described shall be deemed to be an unsafe building, provided that the conditions or defects exist to the extent that life, health, property, or safety of the public or its occupants are endangered: ... (14) Whenever a building or structure, used or intended to be used for dwelling purposes, because of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, decay, damage, faulty construction or arrangements, inadequate light, air, or sanitation facilities, or otherwise, is determined by the enforcement authority to be unsanitary, unfit for human habitation, or in a condition that is likely to cause sickness or disease; ... (17) Whenever any portion of a building or structure remains on a site after the demolition or destruction of the building or structure, or is abandoned for a period in excess of six months so as to constitute an attractive nuisance or hazard to the public.
Full Breakdown
77 supplements Indiana's statutory definition of an unsafe building with seventeen specific conditions triggering county action whenever they endanger life, health, property, or public safety. 77(B)(14) when inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, decay, faulty construction, or inadequate light, air, or sanitation makes it unsanitary or unfit for human habitation. 77(B)(17) separately reaches blighted remnants: any portion of a building left on a site after demolition, or abandoned longer than six months, that becomes an attractive nuisance or public hazard. Other listed defects include structural members overstressed beyond one and one-half times allowable working stress, storm or fire damage cutting structural strength below new-construction minimums, and exterior walls leaning far enough that a plumb line through the center of gravity falls outside the middle third of the base. C. 36-7-9-2 hearing authority for any owner contesting an unsafe-building order. C. 36-7-9-14, funding further inspection, repair, and demolition work. 80. C. 75.
Violations & Fines
Anyone who remains in or uses a building after a § 151.75 order, knowingly interferes with or delays carrying out that order, or obstructs county personnel performing unsafe-building work is subject to the same fines, penalties, and remedies set out at §§ 150.15 through 150.21, per § 151.79. Failing to comply with the state removal procedure at I.C. 36-7-9-27, also incorporated by § 151.79(D), is a separate, directly enforceable violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides if a building in LaPorte County is unsafe?
Does a partially demolished building count as blight?
What happens to fines collected under the unsafe building code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in LaPorte County
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