Indiana Building Code: Which Editions Are Adopted

Direct answer

2014 Indiana Building Code (2012 IBC basis), effective 1 December 2014, with the 2020 Indiana Residential Code (2018 IRC basis) in Indiana. 2012 IBC, IFC, IMC and IFGC with 2014 Indiana amendments, the 2018 IRC for one- and two-family homes, and ASHRAE 90.1-2007 for commercial energy. Indiana is updating its commercial codes: the Department of Homeland Security has posted final-rule documents (dated 1 June 2026) adopting the 2024 IBC as the 2026 Indiana Building Code and the 2024 IFC as the 2026 Indiana Fire Code, with the effective date still blank. Under a 2026 law (HEA 1003), the Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission's duties are being transferred to the Department of Homeland Security. This was checked on 2026-10-01 against Indiana Department of Homeland Security (Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission rules, 675 IAC), which is the source that controls. The cross-state comparison further down this page comes from the ICC adoption chart dated January 2024, so where the two disagree the record above is the newer one.

Content and cited inputs reviewed by Harth team · Published 2026-09-07 · Updated 2026-10-01.

Which codes has Indiana adopted now?

2014 Indiana Building Code (2012 IBC basis), effective 1 December 2014, with the 2020 Indiana Residential Code (2018 IRC basis).

2012 IBC, IFC, IMC and IFGC with 2014 Indiana amendments, the 2018 IRC for one- and two-family homes, and ASHRAE 90.1-2007 for commercial energy.

Transition: Indiana is updating its commercial codes: the Department of Homeland Security has posted final-rule documents (dated 1 June 2026) adopting the 2024 IBC as the 2026 Indiana Building Code and the 2024 IFC as the 2026 Indiana Fire Code, with the effective date still blank. Under a 2026 law (HEA 1003), the Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission's duties are being transferred to the Department of Homeland Security.

Local adoption: The state rules apply statewide; local units enforce them and may adopt local amendments only with state approval. Class 2 (one- and two-family) structures are permitted and inspected locally under the Indiana Residential Code.

Checked 2026-10-01 against Indiana Department of Homeland Security (Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission rules, 675 IAC). Confirm the edition and effective date for the specific permit jurisdiction before relying on it.

The cross-state record

For comparison across states, every I-Code the ICC Master I-Code Adoption Chart (January 2024) tracks, as it records Indiana. Where this disagrees with the record above, the record above is newer:

Indiana has a recorded edition year for 7 of the 17 codes: 2018 for the residential and residential energy codes; 2012 for the building, fire, mechanical and fuel gas codes; 2006 for the plumbing code. For the commercial energy code the chart records ASHRAE 90.1-2007 in place of an IECC edition. No adoption at all is recorded for the private sewage, green construction, existing buildings, swimming pool and spa, performance, wildland-urban interface, zoning and green building standard codes.

Source: ICC Master I-Code Adoption Chart (January 2024).

How Indiana compares with its neighbours

Statewide editions in force, checked 2026-10-01; “Local” means no state adoption, “(limited)” a state adoption for some buildings only, and * a state-titled code built on that edition.

Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky differ from Indiana on the building code alone. A practice working across that border is working to two editions, whatever the office standard says.

Where Indiana sits in the national record

Of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, 1 enforce the 2012 IBC statewide, 33 a later edition, 0 an earlier one, and 17 have no statewide IBC edition in force. Indiana is therefore behind most of the country on the building code, which matters for anyone carrying a detail or a code-analysis sheet in from a neighbouring state.

Across all 17 codes the January 2024 ICC chart tracks, Indiana has a recorded edition for 7, which ranked it 26th of 51. A low count is not a gap in regulation — it usually means the state legislates through its own documents, or leaves the discipline to local adoption.

What the chart does and does not tell you

The chart's own legend matters more than the numbers:

• An edition year means one or more state or local agencies adopted that edition. It does not mean every building in the state is designed to it.
• “Some jurisdictions only” is the chart's X: the code is in use somewhere in the state but is not the standard for all buildings.
• “Not adopted” is a blank cell — no state or local jurisdiction reported adopting that code.
• “State-written code” means the state publishes its own document in place of the model edition, so the model text is a reference, not the law.

ICC states plainly that not every jurisdiction notifies it of an adoption, and this chart is dated January 2024. Treat it as the starting point for a search, never as the answer.

How to confirm the edition that governs a Indiana project

1. Open Indiana Department of Homeland Security (Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission rules, 675 IAC) and find the currently adopted code list with its effective date.
2. Check whether the permit authority for the project address is the state or a local programme with its own adoption.
3. Read the state amendments alongside the model edition — an amended table or definition changes the requirement even when the edition matches.
4. Record the permit application date. A code change usually applies from an effective date, and applications filed before it are normally reviewed under the previous edition.
5. Get the answer in writing from the authority having jurisdiction before it drives a design decision.

Indiana code-basis worksheet

Fill this in once per project and keep it with the drawing set. Every row is a question a plan reviewer can ask, and the answer changes with the address and the application date, not with the state.

This worksheet records a determination; it does not make one. The authority having jurisdiction decides which edition and which amendments apply.

Where can you explore related guidance?

• Explore all code adoption guidance
• Illinois Building Code: Which Editions Are Adopted
• Ohio Building Code: Which Editions Are Adopted
• Michigan Building Code: Which Editions Are Adopted
• Kentucky Building Code: Which Editions Are Adopted

Sources and method

Adopted editions transcribed from the ICC Master I-Code Adoption Chart (January 2024), reproduced with the chart's own legend so an “X” is not mistaken for a statewide adoption. ICC notes that not all jurisdictions report their adoptions and publishes updates at iccsafe.org/adoptions. The current edition, its effective date and the state amendments are published by Indiana Department of Homeland Security (Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission rules, 675 IAC), which controls.

Source links

• iccsafe.org

• iccsafe.org

• in.gov