Bartholomew County, IN Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Bartholomew County Health Officer
- Governing chapter
- Ch. 152, Minimum Housing Standards
- Rooming house fixture ratio
- 1 toilet/tub set per 6 persons
- Hearing request window
- 10 days after notice, § 152.136
- Maximum fine
- $500 per violation, § 152.999
- Applies to
- Unincorporated Bartholomew County only
Summary
In unincorporated Bartholomew County, the Health Officer can enter and inspect any dwelling, dwelling unit or rooming unit to check compliance with the county's Minimum Housing Standards. Owners and occupants must give the Health Officer access at proper times, and occupants must let owners in to make required repairs. Rooming houses face a formal notice-and-reinspection process, and the Health Officer can order an uncorrected rooming house to close.
The Health Officer is authorized and directed to make inspections to determine the condition of dwellings, dwelling units and premises located within the county, in order that the Health Department may perform its duty of safe-guarding the health and safety of the occupants of dwellings and of the general public. ... The owner or occupant of every dwelling, dwelling unit and rooming unit, or the person in charge thereof, shall give the Health Officer access to the dwelling, dwelling unit or rooming unit and its premises, at proper times for the purpose of the inspection and examination. ... Whenever, upon inspection of any rooming house, the Health Officer finds that conditions or practices exist which are in violation of any provision of this chapter, the Health Officer shall give notice in writing that unless the conditions or practices are corrected within a reasonable period, to be determined by the Health Officer, the operation of the premises as the rooming house shall be discontinued.
Full Breakdown
002. With reasonable cause and proper credentials, the Health Officer may enter and examine dwellings, dwelling units, rooming units and their premises anywhere in unincorporated Bartholomew County. Owners, occupants or the person in charge must give access at proper times, and an occupant must likewise let the owner or the owner's agent in to complete repairs needed to meet the chapter's standards. 015 bars anyone from letting a dwelling unit for occupancy unless it has a working kitchen sink, a private toilet and lavatory, a bathtub or shower with hot and cold water, adequate garbage storage, a safe water supply and working water heating.
066 lets the Health Officer issue a written notice giving a reasonable correction period after an inspection turns up violations. A reinspection follows; if the problems remain, the Health Officer notifies the operator in writing that operations must cease, and no one may then occupy a rooming unit there. 067: one flush toilet, lavatory and tub or shower per six residents. 138.
Violations & Fines
Refusing the Health Officer entry, or an owner or occupant blocking access needed for inspection or repairs, violates § 152.002. Continuing to occupy or operate a rooming house after the Health Officer's written cease-operations notice under § 152.066 is unlawful. Any Chapter 152 violation, upon conviction, draws a fine of up to $500 under § 152.999, and each day that a violation continues past its ordered abatement period is charged as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Health Officer need a warrant to inspect a rental unit?
What triggers a rooming house shutdown order?
Can I challenge a housing inspection notice?
What's the penalty for violating the county housing code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bartholomew County
Compare Bartholomew County to another location·View the Indiana rental inspections overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.