Boone County, IN Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Section 90.04(B)(3), part of the Litter Control chapter adopted by Ordinance 2004-16 on November 8, 2004, makes it "the duty of any person owning, leasing or occupying a house or other building or premises, including vacant lots visible from any public place or private premises, to maintain the house, building or premises in a reasonably clean and orderly manner," and separately makes it unlawful to abandon, neglect or disregard a property's condition so as to permit litter to accumulate on it or disperse from it.

The Boone County Health Department and Area Plan Commission enforce the maintenance duty under § 90.03. A violation carries a fine of up to $2,500 under § 90.99(B)(1), and each day the violation continues can count as a separate offense, so an unmowed or trash-strewn lot left uncorrected can compound quickly. Before a fine is imposed, enforcement personnel issue a written notice describing the violation and giving the owner 15 days to abate it; a recipient who disputes the notice can deny it before the Violations Clerk within seven days and get a Hearing Board hearing, but if the county ultimately abates the lot itself after a failed order to comply, it can seek reimbursement in court or file a lien against the property for the cost of the work under § 90.99(B)(6).