Sec. 536-111. - Definitions.
Unless otherwise clearly indicated by the context, the terms defined in this section shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section when used in this chapter and chapter 875. If a term defined in this section is inconsistent or conflicts with any term defined in a rule promulgated by the fire prevention and building safety commission, then the term, as defined by the fire prevention and building safety commission, will be applied to the rules promulgated by the fire prevention and building safety commission and incorporated by reference under article VIII of this chapter.
Building equipment means any machine, device, apparatus or material used as part of permanent heating, ventilation, air conditioning, electrical, plumbing sanitary, emergency detection, emergency communication, or fire or explosion systems.
Building standards and procedures means regulations, standards or requirements relative to either construction or the condition of existing structures or building equipment established by or under federal law, state law or city ordinances. Building standards and procedures shall specifically include rules promulgated by the fire prevention and building safety commission, adopted herein by reference, and the substantive and procedural provisions of this chapter.
Class 1 structure means any part of the following, as defined in IC 22-12-1-4:
(1) A building or structure that is intended to be or is occupied or otherwise used in any part by any of the following:
a. The public;
b. Three (3) or more tenants; or
c. One (1) or more persons who act as the employees of another;
(2) A site improvement affecting access by persons with physical disabilities to a building or structure described in subdivision (1); or
(3) Any class of buildings or structures that the Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission determines by rules to affect a building or structure described in subdivision (1), except as listed below.
Class 1 structure includes a structure that contains three (3) or more condominium units (as defined in IC 32-25-2-9) or other units that:
(1) Are intended to be or are used or leased by the owner of the unit; and
(2) Are not completely separated from each other by an unimproved space.
Class 1 structure does not include a building or structure that:
(1) Is intended to be or is used only for an agricultural purpose on the land where it is located; and
(2) Is not used for retail trade or is a stand used for retail sales of farm produce for eight (8) or less consecutive months in a calendar year.
Class 1 structure does not include a Class 2 structure or a vehicular bridge.
Class 1 structure does not include a structure that is intended to be or is occupied solely to provide periodic maintenance or repair of:
(1) The structure; or
(2) Mechanical or electrical equipment located within and affixed to the structure.
Class 2 structure means any part of the following, as defined in IC 22-12-1-5:
(1) A building or structure that is intended to contain or contains only one (1) dwelling unit or two (2) dwelling units unless any part of the building or structure is regularly used as a Class 1 structure; or
(2) An outbuilding for a structure described in subdivision (1), such as a garage, barn, or family swimming pool, including an above-ground swimming pool, unless any part of the outbuilding is regularly used as a Class 1 structure.
Class 2 structure does not include a vehicular bridge.
Construction means any of the following:
(1) Fabrication of any part of an industrialized building system or mobile structure for use at another site;
(2) Erection or assembly of any part of a Class 1 or Class 2 structure at the site where it will be used;
(3) Installation of any part of the permanent heating, ventilating, air conditioning, electrical, plumbing, sanitary, emergency detection, emergency communication, or fire or explosion suppression systems for a Class 1 or Class 2 structure at the site where it will be used;
(4) Work undertaken to alter, remodel, rehabilitate, or add to any part of a Class 1 or Class 2 structure; or
(5) Work undertaken to relocate any part of a Class 1 or Class 2 structure, except a mobile structure.
Cooling system means a system that utilizes a source of energy to accomplish the cooling (not below a constant temperature of sixty (60) degrees Fahrenheit) of more than one (1) partitioned space in a structure or to accomplish the cooling of all or part of a structure by distribution of air through ductwork extending more than twelve (12) inches from the appliance collars, or distribution of liquid or vapor through on-site piping.
Division of construction and business services or division means the division of construction and business services of the department of business and neighborhood services.
Electrical power distribution system means a system for the distribution of electrical current both within and on the exterior of a structure, from an electrical power source to receptacles or equipment that uses electricity; provided, however, that class 2 and class 3 circuits (as defined by the Indiana Electrical Code) shall not be considered part of an electrical power distribution system for purposes of this definition.
Heating system means a system that utilizes a source of energy including, but not limited to, electricity, fossil fuels, geothermal, solar and wind, to accomplish the warming of more than one (1) partitioned space in a structure or to accomplish the warming of all or part of a structure by distribution of air through ductwork extending more than twelve (12) inches from the appliance collars, or distribution of liquid or vapor through on-site piping; provided, however, that a structural design that utilizes largely natural means to cause flow of thermal energy from the sun to accomplish warming of all or part of a structure shall not be considered a heating system for purposes of this definition.
Industrialized building system means any part of a building or other structure that is in whole or in substantial part fabricated in an off-site manufacturing facility for installation or assembly at the building site as part of a Class 1 structure, a Class 2 structure, or another building or structure. However, the term does not include a mobile structure or a system that is capable of inspection at the building site.
License administrator means the license administrator as assigned by the deputy director of the division of construction and business services.
Manufactured home has the meaning set forth in 42 U.S.C. 5402 as it existed on January 1, 1984.
Mobile structure means any part of a fabricated unit that is designed to be:
(1) Towed on its own chassis; and
(2) Connected to utilities for year-round occupancy or use as a Class 1 structure, a Class 2 structure, or another structure.
The term includes the following:
(1) Two (2) or more components that can be retracted for towing purposes and subsequently expanded for additional capacity; or
(2) Two (2) or more units that are separately towable but designed to be joined into one (1) integral unit.
One- or two-family residential structure means a Class 2 structure.
Ordinary maintenance and repair means construction commonly accomplished in or on an existing structure for the purpose of preventing deterioration or performance deficiencies, maintaining appearance, or securing the original level of performance. Preventing deterioration or deficient performance shall include such activities as caulking windows, painting, pointing bricks, oiling machinery and replacing filters. Maintaining appearance shall include such activities as sandblasting masonry and cleaning equipment. Securing the original level of performance shall include such activities as replacing broken glass, patching a roof, disassembling and reassembling a piece of building equipment, welding a broken part and replacing a component of a heating system (but not a furnace) with an identical component. Ordinary maintenance and repair shall not include any construction that alters the prior or initial capacity, performance specifications, type of required energy or functional features of an existing structure or building equipment.
Partnership or corporation means a partnership, corporation, or other business association, including limited liability company, organized and authorized to do business under the laws of Indiana.
Person means an individual human being.
Plumbing fixture means a plumbing system that has a water supply, a drain or one that includes both a water supply and a drain, such as a water closet, lavatory, bathtub, and sink.
Refrigeration equipment means equipment that utilizes a source of energy to accomplish the cooling of a space or materials to a constant temperature below sixty (60) degrees Fahrenheit, typically for such purposes as food storage, mechanical fabrication, or industrial processing; provided, however, that plug-in electrical appliances such as freezers or icemakers that do not require more than twelve (12) amperes of current at a nominal one hundred fifteen (115) volts shall not be considered refrigeration equipment for purposes of this definition.
Service equipment means the necessary equipment, usually consisting of a circuit breaker or switch and fuses and their accessories, located near the point of entrance of electrical supply conductors to a structure or an otherwise defined area, intended to constitute the main control and means of cutoff of the electrical supply.
Space cooling equipment means equipment that utilizes a source of energy to accomplish the cooling (not below a constant temperature of sixty (60) degrees Fahrenheit) of an unpartitioned space within a structure in which the equipment is located without the use of duct work for the distribution of air extending more than twelve (12) inches beyond the appliance collars or the use of on-site piping for the distribution of liquid or vapor; provided, however, that plug-in electrical appliances such as window air conditioners that do not require more than twelve (12) amperes of current at a nominal one hundred fifteen (115) volts shall not be considered space cooling equipment for purposes of this definition.
Space heating equipment means equipment that utilizes a source of energy including, but not limited to, electricity, fossil fuels, geothermal, solar and wind, to accomplish the warming of an unpartitioned space within a structure in which the equipment is located without the use of air distribution ductwork that extends more than twelve (12) inches beyond the appliance collars or the use of on-site piping for the distribution of liquid or vapor; provided, however, that the following shall not be considered space heating equipment for purposes of this definition:
(1) Plug-in electrical appliances such as freestanding room heaters that do not require more than twelve (12) amperes of current at a nominal one hundred fifteen (115) volts;
(2) Self-contained fireplaces; and
(3) A structural design that utilizes largely natural means to cause flow of thermal energy from the sun to accomplish warming of all or part of a structure.
Structure means that which is built or constructed, such as an edifice or building of any kind, or any piece of work artificially built up or composed of parts formed together in some definite manner, or any part thereof. The word "structure" shall not include improvements such as public roadways or bridges.
Townhouse, for the purposes of subdivision, means a single-family dwelling unit constructed in a group of three (3) or more attached units in which each unit:
1. Extends from foundation to roof;
2. Is not more than three (3) stories in height;
3. Is separated from each adjoining unit by:
a. Two (2) one (1) hour fire-resistance rated walls with exposure from both sides; or
b. A common two (2) hour fire resistance rated wall; and
4. Has open space on at least two (2) sides.
(G.O. 132, 1995, § 1; G.O. 1, 2002, § 1; G.O. 9, 2005, § 1; G.O. 63, 2009, § 20; G.O. 25, 2010, § 5; G.O. 41, 2016, § 2; G.O. 40, 2025, § 1)
