Muncie, IN Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Muncie adopted its Minimum Housing Standards Code, cited as the Muncie Housing Code of 2002, under Ordinance No. 15-02 to protect health and safety in dwellings, per Muncie City Code Section 155.02. Section 155.30 sets the basic facilities every dwelling unit must supply: a private water closet, a lavatory near it, a bathtub or shower, and a kitchen sink separate from the lavatory, all connected to hot and cold running water through a public or approved private water and sewer system. Heating facilities must keep every habitable room, bathroom, and toilet room at an average of 70 degrees when the outside temperature drops to 10 below zero.

Landlords must also provide at least one off-street parking space per adult occupant and keep an adequate open-space ratio on the lot. Section 155.32 layers on occupancy math: habitable rooms need a clear ceiling height, and living area minimums run from 250 square feet for one adult occupant up to 1,900 square feet for six, with more than six occupants requiring a variance from the five-member housing board created under Section 155.21. When the building commissioner finds a dwelling unfit under Section 155.10, because it lacks maintenance, sanitary facilities, or is vermin infested, the commissioner can placard it and order it vacated under Section 155.14 until the defects are corrected and the placard is removed under Section 155.15.