Evansville, IN Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)
Key Facts
- Authority
- Code Official, City Building Commission
- Basis
- discretion, visual observation, or personal knowledge
- Search limits
- owner consent or administrative warrant required
- Fee
- set by Board of Public Safety
- Ordinance
- G-2011-6, passed April 5, 2011
Summary
Evansville's Code Official can inspect a registered rental dwelling on his own initiative, based on visual observation or personal knowledge of noncompliance, without waiting for a complaint to come in first.
Inspections may be performed at the discretion of the Code Official or in those instances where the Code Official has probable cause to believe there is noncompliance with the provisions of the property maintenance code based either upon visual observation of the property; the personal knowledge of the Code Official; or upon the written complaint of any resident of the City, any governmental agency, the dwelling unit's tenant, the tenant's legal representative, the owner, or the owner's agent.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance G-2026-12, passed June 22, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Under Evansville Municipal Code § 15.16.030(C), the Code Official does not need a tenant complaint to inspect a registered rental dwelling for property-maintenance-code violations. Inspection can be triggered by the Code Official's own discretion, by visual observation of the property, or by personal knowledge of noncompliance, in addition to written complaints. Actual entry still requires the owner's or occupant's permission or an administrative search warrant, since the ordinance expressly preserves Fourth Amendment protections. A registration fee schedule set by the Board of Public Safety covers inspection costs, though no fee is charged if the inspection turns up insufficient evidence of a violation.
Violations & Fines
A building found in violation must register as a substandard rental within 10 days, or a Building-Commissioner-approved period, or face further Code Official enforcement and re-inspection fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Evansville require a tenant complaint before inspecting a rental?
Can Evansville's Code Official enter a rental without permission?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Evansville
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