The short version

Vacant houses are handled by the city's Department of Business and Neighborhood Services (DBNS). Occupied housing problems are handled by the Marion County Public Health Department.
Unsafe building orders can require boarding, repair or demolition, come with deadlines, and are recorded on the property, so they follow it to the next owner.
Missed deadlines can mean civil penalties and city work billed to you, and unpaid amounts can become liens on your tax bill.
You can look up cases online, and you have a short window to ask for a hearing if you disagree with an order.
You can fix it, sell it with the case open, or in some cases have the house torn down yourself. Waiting rarely makes it cheaper.

Who enforces what

Indianapolis splits the work between two offices, and it helps to know which one you are dealing with:

Department of Business and Neighborhood Services (DBNS), the city agency for permits, licenses and inspections. For houses, it enforces Indiana's Unsafe Building Law and the city's vacant building standards (Chapter 537 of the city code) on vacant buildings. It also handles things like high weeds and grass, trash and illegal dumping.
Marion County Public Health Department. Problems in occupied housing, such as a rental with no heat or a pest problem, are enforced by the health department, not DBNS. Its number is (317) 221-2150.

Cases often start with a complaint. Neighbors report vacant houses, weeds and trash through RequestIndy or the Mayor's Action Center at (317) 327-4622. An inspector then looks at the outside of the house and decides whether there is a violation. A complaint is not a finding; the inspection is what counts.

Unsafe building orders

Indiana's Unsafe Building Law lets the city order an owner to board up, repair or demolish a vacant, unsafe building. Each order says what work is needed and by when. The main kinds, as DBNS describes them:

Vacant Board Order. Seal the house against break-ins. If the owner does not, the city's contractor does the work and the owner is billed.
Order to Repair. Bring the vacant house up to the city's vacant building standards. DBNS says these orders generally allow six months for the work.
Order to Demolish. For houses in the worst shape, often with at least two failing structural parts. It has to be confirmed at a hearing, and the city's demolition process can take over a year. The owner can still repair the house or have it demolished privately in the meantime.

Deadlines to push back are short. DBNS says board and repair orders become final 10 days after they are issued unless you ask for a hearing in writing within those 10 days. If you think an order is wrong, or you need more time, ask right away. Hearing information is on the order and on the DBNS Nuisance Abatement Hearings page.

Orders stay with the house. DBNS records unsafe building orders on the property, and any future owner is bound by them, along with any unpaid fees and penalties.

Long-term vacant houses

Starting in January 2026, DBNS is piloting a Continuous Vacancy Program under a state law and an update to the city code. In short: when a vacant house has had at least two repair orders expire without the work being done, the city can mark it with continuous vacancy status. If it stays vacant and in disrepair, a civil penalty can be charged every 90 days, up to $5,000 a year, on top of penalties for missing the repair order.

DBNS lists ways to get that status removed, such as having taxes current and either an active repair permit with work underway, or keeping the house clean, secured and actively offered for sale or rent. If you get this notice, read the DBNS page and call them.

How penalties and costs add up

Civil penalties. DBNS says missing a repair order can bring civil penalties of up to $5,000.
City work, billed to you. If the city boards, mows, cleans up or demolishes, the owner is billed for the cost.
Liens on the tax bill. Unpaid costs and penalties are certified as liens and added to the property tax bill. That matters because unpaid property tax bills can eventually put a house on the county's tax sale list. See our guide to the Marion County tax sale.
Court. Some code cases, especially health cases on occupied housing, can end up in court.

To ask for a review of a civil penalty, DBNS has an informal hearing request form online. Ask early, before an unpaid penalty lands on your tax bill.

How to find open cases

Online. The city's Citizen Access Portal for permits and cases lets anyone search enforcement cases by address, including unsafe building hearing information.
By email or phone. For unsafe building cases, DBNS lists BNS.UnsafeBuildings@indy.gov and (317) 327-4600. For other violations, contact the inspector named on the notice.
Your tax bill. Liens for city work and penalties show up on the property tax bill. The Treasurer's office can explain any charge you do not recognize.
Health department cases on occupied housing: call (317) 221-2150; some statuses are also online through the health department's own portal.

Before you decide anything, get the full list: every open case, what each one needs, and every deadline.

Your options

Fix it and close the case. Best if you plan to keep the house or the work is small, like weeds or trash. Pull the permits the work needs, then ask the inspector for a compliance inspection.
Ask for time or a hearing. If you are working on it but need longer, or you think the order is wrong, ask in writing, and do it inside the deadline.
Secure it and keep it clean while you decide. Boarding, mowing and trash removal on your own schedule are usually cheaper than the city's contractor.
Sell it as-is. The buyer takes on the work the city wants, and the price reflects it. You can list it, or sell to a cash buyer who buys houses with open cases.
Demolish it yourself. For a house under a demolition order, a private demolition may cost less and move faster than waiting for the city. Get quotes from licensed wrecking contractors and a permit.

If you sell with an open case

Tell the buyer everything. Indiana's Unsafe Building Law requires an owner to give full information about an unsafe building order to a buyer before agreeing to transfer the property.
Tell the city. The same law requires the seller to send the city the buyer's name, address and phone number and a copy of the sale document within five days after the transfer or agreement. Your title company or attorney can help.
Liens get paid at closing. Liens that show up in the title search, including city liens on the tax bill, are usually paid from the sale.
Get the price in writing, with the repairs spelled out. Then use our checklist before you sign with any cash buyer, including us.

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