Hammond, IN Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)
Key Facts
- Inspection frequency
- at least once a year
- Who inspects
- Building, Code Enforcement, Health, Fire officials
- Annual fee
- $100 per property
- New registrations
- may be inspected at registration
- General penalty
- up to $2,500 first offense (§10.99)
Summary
In the City of Hammond, Indiana, every hotel, motel and rooming house must pass at least one inspection a year, carried out jointly or separately by the Building Commissioner, Code Enforcement Commissioner, Health Officer and Fire Inspector. Operators also pay a $100 annual inspection fee to the City Controller for each property.
(A) Every hotel or motel operated or maintained in the city and every rooming house operated and maintained in the city shall be inspected by the Building Commissioner or duly authorized Building Department Inspector, Code Enforcement Commissioner or duly authorized Code Enforcement Department Inspector, Health Officer or Fire Inspector at least 1 time each year. This inspection may be made jointly by the inspectors or separately. In the event of a new registration, the city may select to inspect the property at the time of registration. ... (B) It shall be the duty of every person maintaining or operating a hotel, motel or rooming house to pay to the City Controller an annual inspection fee of $100 per hotel, motel or rooming house.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 96's hotel and rooming house subchapter builds a dedicated annual inspection program on top of the general housing code. 088(A) requires every hotel or motel and every rooming house operating in the city to be inspected at least once a year, and names four officials who can do it: the Building Commissioner or an authorized Building Department Inspector, the Code Enforcement Commissioner or Code Enforcement Department Inspector, the Health Officer, or the Fire Inspector. The inspection can be done jointly by more than one of them or separately, and for a brand-new registration the city can choose to inspect at the time the property first registers rather than waiting for the annual cycle.
The stated purpose is to confirm the operator has met every requirement of the housing chapter along with the city's other health and fire prevention regulations and state law governing hotels, motels and rooming houses. 157. Inspectors who find a violation during one of these visits proceed under the chapter's separate notice and hearing sections, giving the operator written notice and an opportunity to correct problems, with a right to a hearing before the Board of Public Works and Safety if the operator's permit is threatened.
Violations & Fines
Operating a hotel, motel or rooming house without submitting to the required annual inspection, or without paying the $100 inspection fee, is enforced like other Chapter 96 violations under the general penalty in Section 10.99: up to $2,500 for a first offense and up to $7,500 for a repeat, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hammond
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