Hendricks County, Indiana - Planning and Building Department

Hendricks County, Indiana

county

355 S Washington St Suite G80, Danville, IN 46122

Required

Required

WHERE AND HOW. The Hendricks County Planning and Building Department is at 355 South Washington Street, Suite G80, in the Hendricks County Government Center, Danville, Indiana 46122, on (317) 745-9255, open 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday. Permits are applied for online through the County's Citizens Permit and Complaint Portal, live since February 1, 2022, which takes Improvement Location Permit applications, accepts review and inspection fee payments, shows permit status and schedules inspections; the County notes a 3.25% service fee on card payments and asks that the Contractor Listing fee be paid by contacting the office. THE ORDER OF OPERATIONS IS THE THING TO GET RIGHT, and it is unusual. The County states it: "Application is made at the Planning & Building Department first and then at the other necessary departments (Health Department, Clean Water Department and Surveyor). Once all other departments have given their approval, a representative from the Planning & Building Department will contact you to notify you that your permit from our department is ready to be picked up along with the remaining balance of fees." Which other offices are in the chain depends on the job - Health on (317) 745-9216 for septic, well and bedroom changes, Clean Water on (317) 718-6068, Engineering on (317) 745-9238 for driveways, and the Surveyor on (317) 745-9237. WHO MAY APPLY. "You must be the property owner or a listed contractor with this department to apply for any building permits." A property owner applying in their own name must file a Contractor Listing Affidavit with the application. DEADLINES AND POSTING. Permits must be picked up within 30 days of issuance or they are voided, and must be posted before any inspection. Under the Zoning Ordinance an Improvement Location Permit expires if the work is not completed within two years of issuance, or if the first required inspection has not been approved within one year; one extension of up to six months may be granted by the Director for good cause. INSPECTIONS. Schedule before 4:00 PM at least one day prior, and quote the permit number. Morning requests are worked 9am to 12pm and afternoon requests 12pm to 3pm, and the site must be ready in that window. A reinspection fee of $100 to $400 is charged where a scheduled inspection was cancelled without notifying the department, where the work was called in but not ready, or where an inspection was late or skipped. AUTHORITY AND APPEALS. Building Code Ordinance No. 2022-29 Section 3 authorises and directs the Building Commissioner to administer and enforce the code, and Section 7 provides that all permits shall be issued by the Building Commissioner. Section 13 lets the Commissioner order work stopped in writing where it is being done contrary to the code. Section 17 gives a right of appeal "first through the Board of County Commissioners and then to the Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission of Indiana in accordance with the provisions of IC 22-13-2-7 and IC 4-21.5-3-7". Section 19 sets the penalty for a violation at not less than $10.00 and not more than $200.00, with each day a separate offence. ONE SCOPE POINT. This is the COUNTY department. Several Hendricks County towns - Avon, Brownsburg, Plainfield and Danville among them - run their own building departments, so confirm which office holds the job before applying.

STATE-SET, AND HENDRICKS COUNTY ADOPTS IT BY REFERENCE IN A FORM THAT FLOATS FORWARD. The residential rule that applies in Hendricks County is 675 IAC 14-4.4, the 2020 Indiana Residential Code. Its opening section provides that "That certain document being titled the 2018 International Residential Code for One and Two Family Dwellings, first printing August 2017, published by the International Code Council ... is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set out in this rule save and except those revisions made in this rule", and that "This rule shall be known as the 2020 Indiana Residential Code." It was filed November 26, 2019 and readopted on November 18, 2025 by the Readopted Final Rule at Indiana Register 20251210-IR-675240566RFA, effective January 1, 2026; every one of the rule's 245 sections carries that readoption in its own history line. WHAT THE COUNTY ITSELF ENACTED. Hendricks County Building Code Ordinance No. 2022-29, passed and approved by the Board of County Commissioners in 2022, is the County's own building code and was read in full. Section 1 names it the "Building Code of the County of Hendricks, Indiana". Section 5 adopts the state rules by reference and, unusually clearly, says they float: "Building rules of the Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission as set out in the following Articles of Title 675 of the Indiana Administrative Code are hereby incorporated by reference in this (ordinance, chapter, code) and shall include later amendments to those Articles as the same are published in the Indiana Register or the Indiana Administrative Code with effective dates as fixed therein." That matches what Indiana law provides for such a citation: IC 22-13-2-3(b) states that a reference to the commission's rules by citation to the Indiana Administrative Code "shall be construed to include all amendments as of the date that the reference is written and any later amendments to that provision, unless accompanied by a reference to a specific edition or supplement to the Indiana Administrative Code." So there is no frozen edition to look up in Hendricks County - the County tracks whatever 675 IAC 14 currently says. Section 5 also incorporates the International Building Code for commercial work on the same floating basis, and states that copies of the adopted codes are on file in the office of the Hendricks County Planning and Building Department. THE COUNTY'S ONE STATED MODIFICATION IS NOT A ROOFING ONE. Section 5(3) of the ordinance reads "Hendricks County modified this section to have higher building code standards. a. R315.3 Location", and the text that follows is about where carbon monoxide alarms must be installed. That is the only local modification the ordinance states, and nothing in the ordinance's twenty sections addresses roof covering, underlayment, flashing, layers or materials. WHY THE STATE ANSWER GOVERNS ANYWAY. IC 22-13-2-3(a)(2) gives the commission's rules precedence over "any ordinance or other regulation adopted by a political subdivision that covers the same subject matter as the commission's fire safety rules or building rules", and IC 22-13-2-3(c) provides that "A city, town, or county may not adopt an ordinance that conflicts with or includes more stringent or detailed requirements than the commission's rules." So the technical roofing answers in Hendricks County are the statewide Indiana answers, and what the County adds is administration - permits, fees, inspections and its contractor register. ONE VOCABULARY WARNING: "Class 2 structure" in Indiana means a one or two dwelling unit building. It is a STRUCTURE class and has nothing to do with a fire class or an impact class of roof covering.

Required — STATE-GOVERNED, NOT COUNTY-SET, and unconditional on a shingle roof. Hendricks County cannot vary it: IC 22-13-2-3(c) provides that "A city, town, or county may not adopt an ordinance that conflicts with or includes more stringent or detailed requirements than the commission's rules." The operative text is published first-hand by the Indiana State Building Commissioner, on Indiana Department of Homeland Security letterhead, in the Ice/Water Shield and Metal Drip Edge guidance of February 25, 2020, which reproduces the adopted Section R905.2.8.5 in full: "A drip edge shall be provided at eaves and rake edges of shingle roofs. Adjacent segments of drip edge shall be overlapped not less than 2 inches (51 mm). Drip edges shall extend not less than ¼ inch (6.4 mm) below the roof sheathing and extend up back onto the roof deck not less than 2 inches (51 mm). Drip edges shall be mechanically fastened to the rood deck at not more than 12 inches (305 mm) o.c. with fasteners as specified in Section R905.2.5 Underlayment shall be installed over the drip edge along eaves and under the drip edge along rake edges." The word "rood" in that passage is a typographical error in the published guidance, quoted here as printed; it plainly means the roof deck. The Indiana rule amends Section R905.2.8 only by deleting the word "approved" and does not touch R905.2.8.5, so this text governs as published. Hendricks County Building Code Ordinance No. 2022-29 was read in full and adds nothing on the point. About drip edge

Not required — NOT REQUIRED BY THE TABLE IN HENDRICKS COUNTY - AND THIS IS A COUNTY-BY-COUNTY ANSWER IN INDIANA, NOT A STATE ONE. Indiana deletes the model climatic table and substitutes its own: 675 IAC 14-4.4-5 directs "Delete TABLE R301.2(1) and the corresponding footnotes and substitute to read as follows", and the substituted table runs one row per county. Row 32 is Hendricks, and it carries "No" in the column headed "Ice Shield Underlayment Required". Twenty-seven of Indiana's ninety-two counties carry "Yes" there and they are the northern tier; the other sixty-five, Hendricks among them, carry "No". The rest of the Hendricks County row reads wind speed 115 mph, seismic design category B, ground snow 20 psf, foundation depth 30 inches, winter design temperature 2 degrees, decay Slight to Moderate, termite Moderate to Heavy, weathering Severe and mean annual temperature 52.3 degrees. THE PART A ROOFER MUST NOT SKIP. A "No" in that column does not mean an ice barrier is never required on a Hendricks County roof. The Indiana State Building Commissioner's Ice/Water Shield and Metal Drip Edge guidance of February 25, 2020 states that "there are specific counties in which it is always required (per Table R301.2(1)), and specific counties in which it is required only when the roofing manufacturer's written installation instructions require it". Hendricks County is in the second group. So the question on an ordinary Hendricks County job is what the shingle manufacturer's printed installation instructions say - read them before deciding, because they, not the table, carry the answer here. Neighbouring Marion, Boone, Morgan, Montgomery and Putnam Counties all read "No" as well, so the whole Indianapolis-west corridor is consistent on this point; the "Yes" counties begin well to the north. Hendricks County Building Code Ordinance No. 2022-29 was read in full and adds nothing on the point, and could not: IC 22-13-2-3(c) bars a more stringent or more detailed local requirement. About ice & water barrier

Not required — HENDRICKS COUNTY PUBLISHES ITS INSPECTION SEQUENCE AND THERE IS NO ROOF STAGE IN IT. The County's "Building Inspections and General Requirements - 1 & 2 Family Dwellings/Accessory Structures" sheet sets out the inspections it requires, in order: Development Standard, Footings, Sub-Surface Drain, Foundation, Rough In, Insulation, Permanent Power and Final / Occupancy. None of them is a roof, roof-deck or mid-roof inspection. Roofing appears in that sheet only as timing for two other inspections: at Rough In, "The roofing does not have to be on at this time", and at Insulation, "The roofing must be complete at this time." READ THAT SHEET FOR WHAT IT IS. It is the County's general list for dwellings and accessory structures, and the County says so: "Please note that these are general inspection requirements only. Additional site-specific or structure-specific requirements may be necessary. Consult a building inspector for the specific requirements of your project." The Building Code Ordinance backs that up - Section 11 provides that after a permit issues the Building Commissioner "shall make, or shall cause to be made, the inspections of the work being done as are necessary to ensure full compliance", that he "shall in all cases designate the stage of construction when each required inspection must be requested by the permit holder", and that he "may make or require other inspections of any construction work". So the County does not schedule a mid-roof inspection as a matter of course, but the Building Commissioner may call one on a particular job. PRACTICAL POINT. Book inspections before 4:00 PM at least one day ahead, and be ready in the window - the County runs morning inspections 9am to 12pm and afternoon inspections 12pm to 3pm, and charges a reinspection fee of $100 to $400 where an inspection was cancelled without notice, called in but not ready, or late or skipped.

Not required — No impact-resistance requirement applies in Hendricks County. The 2020 Indiana Residential Code, 675 IAC 14-4.4, makes four amendments touching the model code's roofing chapter and not one of them concerns impact: 675 IAC 14-4.4-84 directs "Delete the text of the last sentence of SECTION R902.4 without substitution", the rooftop-mounted photovoltaic panel section; 675 IAC 14-4.4-85 directs "Delete the words 'approved' from the text of SECTION R905.2.6 without substitution", on asphalt shingle attachment; 675 IAC 14-4.4-86 directs "Delete the word 'approved' from the text of SECTION R905.2.8 without substitution", on flashing; and 675 IAC 14-4.4-87 directs "Delete the word 'printed' from the text of SECTION R905.2.8.4 without substitution", on other flashing. Nothing in the rule imposes a UL 2218, Class 4, Class IV or FM 4473 impact rating. Nor has Hendricks County imposed one, and it could not. Its Building Code Ordinance No. 2022-29 was read in full and contains no roof-covering performance requirement; its Zoning Ordinance names roof materials only in design standards for new construction, and rates none of them for impact. IC 22-13-2-3(c) provides that "A city, town, or county may not adopt an ordinance that conflicts with or includes more stringent or detailed requirements than the commission's rules", and IC 22-13-2-3(a)(2) gives those rules precedence over any local ordinance covering the same subject matter. An impact rating on a roof covering is the same subject matter as the state roofing chapter and would be a more stringent requirement, so a local mandate could not stand. TWO THINGS THAT GET MISTAKEN FOR AN IMPACT MANDATE IN INDIANA: the phrase "Class 2 structure", which is Indiana's STRUCTURE class for one and two dwelling unit buildings rather than any rating of the roof covering; and an insurer's premium discount for an impact-rated shingle, which is a private contract term and not a code requirement.

NO DOLLAR OR AREA THRESHOLD IS PUBLISHED, AND HENDRICKS COUNTY NAMES ROOFING NOWHERE - SO THE ANSWER COMES FROM THE GENERAL PERMIT CLAUSE. READ THIS BEFORE QUOTING A JOB. What the County enacted. Hendricks County Building Code Ordinance No. 2022-29, Section 7, is headed "Permit Required" and reads in full: "A permit shall be obtained before beginning construction, alteration, repair or placement of any building or structure, as required by the Zoning Ordinance of Hendricks County. All permits shall be issued by the Building Commissioner, and all fees provided for herein shall be paid to the Hendricks County Planning and Building Department." Section 4 sets the ordinance's reach: "The provisions of this code apply to the placement, construction, alterations, repair, use, occupancy, maintenance and additions to all buildings and structures, other than fences, in the County of Hendricks." The permit itself is an Improvement Location Permit under the Zoning Ordinance, whose Section 12.10(A) provides: "No building or other structure shall be erected, demolished, moved, added to, or altered, changed, placed, or be established or changed in use, on platted or unplatted lands without a permit issued by the Director. The Improvement Location Permit shall be issued only in conformity with the provisions of this Ordinance, the Comprehensive Plan, Subdivision Control Ordinance, Building Code and any other applicable ordinance unless the Director receives a written order from the Board deciding an appeal, special exception, or variance." WHAT IS MISSING, STATED PLAINLY. Neither instrument names re-roofing, roof covering replacement or roof repair either as work requiring a permit or as work exempt from one. The County's Residential Permit Requirements sheet lists Single Family Residence, Remodeling, Addition, Accessory Building, Swimming Pools, Demolition and roof-mounted solar panels, and does not mention re-roofing. The 2022 fee schedule prices a residential Remodel application review and inspections and a Roof Mounted Solar Panels application filing and inspection fee of $100.00, and carries no re-roof line. The Zoning Ordinance's only exemptions in this area are for agricultural structures and for structures exempt under IC 36-7-8-3(d), the "Log Cabin Rule" - both of which still require an Improvement Location Permit and are exempted only from building code inspections and inspection fees. WHAT A ROOFER SHOULD DO. Treat a Hendricks County re-roof as permit work, because it is a repair or alteration of a building and the ordinance requires a permit before beginning one, and settle the fee category with Planning and Building on (317) 745-9255 before pricing the job, because the schedule has no re-roof line to read. Note also that roof-mounted solar is treated separately and has its own $100.00 filing and inspection fee. AND THE PERMIT DECIDES WHO MAY DO THE WORK. The County's Residential Permit Requirements state: "You must be the property owner or a listed contractor with this department to apply for any building permits." A roofing company that is not on the County's Contractor Listing cannot pull the permit at all.

115 mph. Indiana replaces the model IRC Table R301.2(1) with its own county-by-county table at 675 IAC 14-4.4-5, which opens "Delete TABLE R301.2(1) and the corresponding footnotes and substitute to read as follows". The Hendricks County row, number 32, gives 115 in the column headed "Wind Speed" in miles per hour, and every one of the ninety-two county rows carries the same figure, so 115 mph is the one genuinely statewide Indiana roofing number. The same row gives seismic design category B, ground snow 20 psf, a 30 inch foundation depth, a winter design temperature of 2 degrees and Severe weathering, with a mean annual temperature of 52.3 degrees. Hendricks County cannot raise or lower any of it by ordinance, because IC 22-13-2-3(c) bars a city, town or county from an ordinance more stringent or detailed than the state rules, and its own Building Code Ordinance No. 2022-29 does not attempt to. EXPOSURE IS NOT SET BY THE TABLE AND MUST BE DETERMINED ON THE JOB: the table's own footnote to the wind column reads "Wind exposure shall be determined on a site-specific basis in accordance with SECTION R301.2.1.4." Indiana has also amended that section itself, at 675 IAC 14-4.4-4, to fix how exposure is judged on a site in a subdivision or master-planned community where neighbouring structures are not built yet - which matters in Hendricks County, where a large share of the housing stock is in subdivisions still being built out. Settle the exposure category for the particular address rather than assuming one.

NO LOCAL LAYER RULE EXISTS IN HENDRICKS COUNTY, AND NONE COULD. The residential code that applies here is 675 IAC 14-4.4, the 2020 Indiana Residential Code, which incorporates the 2018 International Residential Code. That rule runs to 245 numbered sections and it makes no amendment at all to the model code's reroofing and roof recover section, which does not appear anywhere in it. Its only amendments touching the model roofing chapter are deletions: a sentence struck from the rooftop-mounted photovoltaic panel section, the word "approved" struck from the asphalt shingle attachment section, the word "approved" struck from the flashing section and the word "printed" struck from the other-flashing section. Nothing in the state rule addresses how many layers of covering a roof may carry, so the base International Residential Code rule on recovering an existing roof applies here as published. The County has added nothing. Hendricks County Building Code Ordinance No. 2022-29 was read in full - all twenty sections - and contains no roof-covering provision of any kind; its single stated local modification is to the carbon monoxide alarm location section. The County's Zoning Ordinance mentions roofs only in its design standards for new construction - a minimum twelve inch eave overhang on new single-family and two-family dwellings in subdivisions under Section 8.1, and a minimum 5:12 pitch with named roof materials for new multifamily buildings under Section 8.2 - and neither reaches the recovering of an existing roof. Nor could the County impose a layer rule: IC 22-13-2-3(c) bars a city, town or county from an ordinance that conflicts with or includes more stringent or detailed requirements than the state rules, and IC 22-13-2-3(a)(2) gives the state rules precedence over any local ordinance covering the same subject matter. The number of layers a particular roof may carry therefore comes out of the adopted International Residential Code itself. Settle the existing layer count with Planning and Building on (317) 745-9255 against that code before quoting a recover rather than a tear-off.

7.00% statewide, with no county or town add-on in Hendricks County. Indiana levies a single state sales tax rate. The Department of Revenue's own page listing what Indiana does tax at county level - County Innkeeper's Tax, Food and Beverage Tax and Local Income Tax - closes with the sentence "The sales tax for the entire State of Indiana is 7%." The county-level tax Hendricks County levies is an income tax, not a sales tax, so there is no local percentage to add to a materials invoice. WHO PAYS THE TAX DEPENDS ON THE SHAPE OF THE CONTRACT, NOT ON THE ROOF. Indiana Department of Revenue Sales Tax Information Bulletin #60 (March 2024) names roofing in its own definition of a contractor - "Examples of contractors include, but are not limited to, persons engaged in building, concrete work, carpentry, plumbing, heating and cooling, electrical work, roofing, plastering, tile work, road construction, landscaping, installing underground sprinkler or drainage systems, and making other improvements or repairs to real property" - and then splits on contract form. A "Time and Material Contract" is one "in which the cost of construction material and the cost of labor or other charges are stated separately"; a contractor working under one "is a retail merchant that is selling the construction material that it incorporates into real property, and must be registered with the department and collect sales tax on the material portion of their contracts", and may buy the material exempt for resale. A contractor working under any other form, such as a lump sum, is not a retail merchant: they "must pay sales or use tax on their construction material" and "do not collect sales tax from their customers". On labour the bulletin adds that "Installation charges separately stated on an invoice are not included in gross retail income." The bulletin is Department guidance and says of itself that information bulletins are not binding on the department or the taxpayer, so a roofer should settle their own contract form with an accountant.