How long do we keep building permits in Indiana? Ten years after completion or last renewal. Whichever is sooner.
For Indiana local governments, building permits and construction project records run 10 years from completion of the related construction or last renewal of the permit, whichever is sooner, under series LAND 15-01. The exception: records of the government's own construction projects are permanent under GEN 23-06.
- The series
- LAND 15-01, Building Permits and Construction Project Records, on the County/Local Zoning, Planning, Development and Enforcement (LAND) schedule
- Retention, as printed
- "DESTROY ten (10) years after completion of the related construction or last renewal of permit, whichever is sooner."
- The exception
- Records of government construction projects are excluded from LAND 15-01 and fall under GEN 23-06: "PERMANENT and CRITICAL. See Retention Schedule Instructions for format and transfer options."
- Destruction paperwork
- Destroy, then file State Form 44905 (Notice of Destruction) with the County Commission of Public Records, copy to IARA (IC 5-15-6-2.5(d))
The short answer: ten years, on a per-permit clock
The rule lives in series LAND 15-01, Building Permits and Construction Project Records, on Indiana’s County/Local Zoning, Planning, Development and Enforcement (LAND) schedule. The retention, as printed:
“DESTROY ten (10) years after completion of the related construction or last renewal of permit, whichever is sooner.”
The series is broad. Per its description, it covers the building permit itself, applications, project inspection records, commercial plans or prints, and miscellaneous records of administrative decisions related to construction, for projects permitted or overseen by a local government entity. The schedule notes the 10-year period is based on IC 34-11-1-2. And the description carries one exclusion that matters more than it looks: the series does not include records of government construction projects.
The exception that surprises people: your own buildings
When the government is the builder, the file changes series entirely. Records of government construction projects belong under GEN 23-06, Historical Data on Government Buildings and Properties, on the cross-cutting County/Local General schedule. Its retention, as printed:
“PERMANENT and CRITICAL. See Retention Schedule Instructions for format and transfer options.”
So the permit file on a resident’s garage clears in 10 years, but the file on the new fire station, the town hall renovation, or the wastewater plant never does. It is permanent, and it is flagged critical, the schedule’s designation for records that must always have at least two Copies of Record, preferably in two different locations. Offices that sweep old permit boxes without checking who the owner was are the ones that lose the as-built history of their own buildings.
Working the clock in practice
“Completion or last renewal, whichever is sooner” is an event clock on each permit, not a calendar-year sweep. Two permits issued the same week can become eligible for destruction years apart, because each file’s 10 years runs from its own triggering event. That also answers the abandoned-project question: when a permit expires or the project is never built, the clock runs from the last renewal of the permit, so dead permits do eventually clear. One neighboring series is worth knowing so the files do not get mixed: certificates of occupancy (LAND 15-02) run on a different clock, 10 years after destruction of the structure.
When a batch of permit files does reach eligibility, Indiana’s destruction workflow applies: destroy the records, then file State Form 44905, the Notice of Destruction, with your County Commission of Public Records, with a copy to IARA. Prior state permission is not required for records on an approved schedule. The full workflow, including what changes for unscheduled records, is covered in our guide to Indiana retention schedules.
One contrast for anyone who works across the state line: Michigan townships keep building permits for the life of the structure plus 7 years, so Indiana’s flat 10-year rule is considerably shorter. We cover the Michigan side in the Michigan companion post.
A permit file still inside its retention period is also a record the public can ask for; APRA’s response deadlines are covered in our APRA deadlines guide.
Dekree runs this workflow for Michigan local governments today: every record filed against its retention series with destruction eligibility computed automatically. We are bringing the platform to Indiana next. If you want it in your office, email contact@dekree.ai with the subject line Indiana and we will add your office to the Indiana rollout list.
Verify it yourself
The LAND schedule is a public PDF: County/Local Zoning, Planning, Development and Enforcement schedule (approved by the Oversight Committee on Public Records, September 2025). Every county and local schedule is posted on IARA’s county/local retention schedules page. Building departments often operate under a construction code authority as well as the retention schedules; confirm your office’s practice with your agency attorney.
Common questions
How long does an Indiana local government keep building permits?
Ten years, under series LAND 15-01 (Building Permits and Construction Project Records) on the County/Local Zoning, Planning, Development and Enforcement schedule: "DESTROY ten (10) years after completion of the related construction or last renewal of permit, whichever is sooner." The clock starts from an event on each permit, either the completion of the construction or the last renewal of the permit, so every permit file has its own destruction date.
What about permits and records for our own government buildings?
Those do not belong in LAND 15-01. The series description excludes records of government construction projects and points them to GEN 23-06 (Historical Data on Government Buildings and Properties), whose retention reads "PERMANENT and CRITICAL. See Retention Schedule Instructions for format and transfer options." The file on the town hall or the fire station never becomes eligible for destruction.
Are building permits public records in Indiana?
Generally yes. Building permits held by an Indiana public agency are public records subject to the disclosure rules and exceptions of the Access to Public Records Act, so a permit file within its retention period is a file someone can request.
What paperwork is required when we destroy expired permit files?
For records that have met their scheduled retention, an Indiana local unit destroys the records and then files State Form 44905, the Notice of Destruction, with its County Commission of Public Records, with a copy to IARA, under IC 5-15-6-2.5(d). Prior permission is not required for scheduled records; the notice documents the destruction after the fact.
This article is educational information for Indiana public agencies, current as of the publication date. It is not legal advice, and statutes and court decisions change. Confirm specifics with your agency attorney. Statute text: iga.in.gov.