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Marion County, Indiana · Indianapolis
Marion County, Indiana (Indianapolis) building permit search
To look up a building permit in Marion County, Indiana, search the address in the City of Indianapolis’ Accela Citizens Access portal — no account is needed to research permit history. Permits for Indianapolis and most of Marion County are issued by the city’s Department of Business and Neighborhood Services (BNS). In September 2026, 546 permits filed in Indianapolis and Lawrence made our monthly reports: 146 new homes, 270 remodels, 111 commercial and 19 pools.
Search a Marion County, Indiana permit by address
- Open the city’s Accela Citizens Access portal. You do not need an account to research permit history.
- Choose the permit search and enter the street number and street name. The address search is picky: if nothing comes back, enter less, or search by parcel number.
- Open a record to see the permit type, status, filing date, contractor and inspections.
That is the official, free lookup, one address at a time. County Permit Reports is not the permit office and cannot issue, change or speed up a permit.
Need every permit, not one address? Our monthly reports put every permit filed in Indianapolis — and six more Indianapolis-metro counties — in one sortable Excel file. All-Access subscribers also get the live permit explorer, updated as each town publishes.
Applying for a building permit in Indianapolis
Who issues it: the City of Indianapolis Department of Business and Neighborhood Services, for Indianapolis and most of Marion County. A few towns inside the county, Lawrence among them, run parts of their own permitting — if the address is in one, start with that town’s building office.
Where to apply: online, through the same Accela Citizens Access portal. Applying needs an account; plans upload as PDFs. Requirements differ for residential (Class 2) and commercial (Class 1) permits, and fees are listed on the city’s license and permit fees page.
Checking status: the city emails applicants when a permit is in line for review and again once it has been reviewed, and the status shows on the record in the portal.
The office: 200 E. Washington St., Suite 107, Indianapolis · 317-327-8700 · 9 AM–4 PM, Monday–Friday.
Office details as published on indy.gov, checked October 13, 2026.
Marion County building permits, September 2026
Permits filed in Indianapolis and Lawrence, as delivered in the September 2026 reports. A dated snapshot, not a running total.
| Report | Sep 2026 | Aug 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| New homes | 146 | 158 |
| Remodel & additions | 270 | 232 |
| Commercial | 111 | 129 |
| Pool | 19 | 17 |
| Total | 546 | 536 |
Indianapolis residential building permits
New homes. 146 new-home permits in September. The median declared value was $210,000, against $387,000 across the whole metro — Indianapolis builds the entry-level homes; the suburbs build the bigger ones. The builders on the most Indianapolis new-home permits:
| Builder | Sep 2026 permits |
|---|---|
| Arbor Homes | 24 |
| D.R. Horton | 15 |
| Lennar | 11 |
| M/I Homes of Indiana | 9 |
Remodels and additions. 270 permits, the biggest residential category in the city, with a median declared value of $45,000. The work is spread thin: no contractor was named on more than five of them.
Trade by trade: new construction in Indianapolis · remodel · pool.
Indianapolis commercial building permits
111 commercial permits in September, with a median declared value of $200,000. The largest single permit was a $64 million non-residential project. 97 of the 111 were filed as structural non-residential work — new buildings, additions and build-outs. See the commercial permits page for Indianapolis.
Finding the permit history of a property
The same portal search shows every permit on record for an address, so you can see what was built, by whom and whether it passed inspection. To check that a contractor pulled the right permit for your project, look the address up and compare the permit type and contractor name against your contract. If you cannot find it, call BNS before work continues.
Are building permits public record in Indiana?
Generally, yes. A permit is a record of a public agency, and Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act opens those records to inspection. What varies is how each town publishes them — a searchable portal in Indianapolis, spreadsheets or PDFs elsewhere.
Questions people ask
- How do I search for a building permit by address in Marion County, Indiana?
- Use the City of Indianapolis Accela Citizens Access portal: open the permit search, enter the street number and name (or the parcel number), and open the record. No account is needed to research permit history.
- How do I apply for a building permit in Indianapolis?
- Apply online through the Accela Citizens Access portal run by the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services. You need an account to apply, plans upload as PDFs, and each permit is applied for separately.
- Where can I check the status of my Indianapolis building permit online?
- Open your permit record in the Accela Citizens Access portal. The city also emails applicants when a permit is in line for review and again once it has been reviewed.
- Where is the Indianapolis building permits office?
- The Department of Business and Neighborhood Services is at 200 E. Washington St., Suite 107, Indianapolis. Phone 317-327-8700, open 9 AM to 4 PM, Monday to Friday.
- How long does it take to get a building permit approved in Indianapolis?
- The city does not publish one standard review time; it depends on the permit type and the plans. Ask BNS at 317-327-8700 for your permit, and watch for the review emails.
- How do I verify a contractor pulled the correct permit for my project?
- Search your address in the Accela Citizens Access portal and compare the permit type and contractor on the record with your contract. If no permit appears, ask the contractor for the record number, or call BNS.
- Are there subscription services for building permit alerts in Indianapolis?
- County Permit Reports delivers every permit filed across seven Indianapolis-metro counties as a monthly Excel report, by the 10th business day of the following month. All-Access subscribers also get a live permit explorer updated as each town publishes. Plans start at $99 a month with a 7-day free trial.
- How many building permits are filed in Indianapolis each month?
- In September 2026, 546 permits filed in Indianapolis and Lawrence made the County Permit Reports files: 146 new homes, 270 remodels and additions, 111 commercial and 19 pools. August 2026 was 536.
- Are building permits public record in Indiana?
- Generally, yes. Permits are records of a public agency, and Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act opens those to inspection. How each town publishes them varies.
Every Indianapolis permit, every month
All four reports plus the live permit explorer — every permit in the metro, one row each, with builder, address and job value.
Start the 7-day free trial →Only need one trade? Single reports start at $99 a month on the plans page.