Indianapolis-Marion County Revised Code § 537-41 Boarding standards.
Sec. 537-41. - Boarding standards.
The following standards apply to the boarding of buildings as ordered under IC 36-7-9-5(a)(8):
(1) If ordered to seal a building, the owner shall comply with the standards set forth in this section.
(2) The owner shall comply with all exterior maintenance standards contained in Article II of these standards.
(3) All openings of a building shall be closed. Openings that are more than one (1) square foot in area and located less than twenty (20) feet above the ground or that are accessible from a part of the building such as a fire escape or other means of access shall be secured by the following means:
a. Plywood or oriented strand board, covered with a weatherproofing substance such as exterior paint or varnish, similar in color to the exterior of the building and cut to the inside dimension of the exterior of the opening, shall be placed in all openings in such a way that no portion of the plywood extends outside the existing frame. The plywood shall be placed against any existing exterior window slide trim or a furring strip. If there is no slide trim or furring strip, an equivalent block shall be installed. The slide trim, furring strip or block shall be sufficient to prevent the plywood from being pushed inward. The plywood or oriented strand board shall be affixed to the exterior frame by use of two and three-quarters-inch or longer ring nails spaced a maximum of eight (8) inches apart.
b. Where the inside dimension of the opening exceeds twenty-six (26) square feet in area, additional exterior support shall be provided by placing continuous pieces of nominal two-inch by four-inch framing grade lumber on the outside of the plywood in such a manner that every carriage bolt used in the opening passes through and joins such a piece of nominal two-inch by four-inch lumber, the plywood and the interior brace. The round head of the bolt shall be on the outside of such pieces of nominal two-inch by four-inch lumber that gives exterior support. The pieces of nominal two-inch by four-inch framing grade lumber shall be covered with a weatherproofing substance such as exterior paint or varnish, similar in color to the exterior of the building.
c. In case of a ground level door that is most exposed to view from a public street, the following method of securing shall be used: The door shall be placed in good repair including, but not limited to, closing any openings in the door, repairing hinges on the door and providing for an adequate closure to the opening; and the door shall be locked by the use of not less than two (2) hasp locks and padlocks to be located equidistant from the top and bottom casing and each other. If no door exists, or if it is impractical to repair the existing door, the opening shall be secured in the manner described in this subsection, substituting, however, a piece of plywood for the door.
(4) Any opening that is less than one (1) square foot in area or that is both more than twenty (20) feet above the ground and not accessible from a part of the building shall be covered so as to prevent entry of birds, rats or other animals and shall be made weathertight. The covering shall be painted in a color similar to the exterior of the building.
(5) The materials used to secure the openings of a building pursuant to these standards shall meet the following specifications:
a. Plywood or oriented strand board: no less than one-half-inch exterior grade;
b. Braces: no less than nominal two-inch by four-inch framing grade lumber; and
c. Bolts: no less than three-eighths-inch carriage bolts.
(6) The division of property and land use services may allow the use of other materials and methods of securing openings, including the use of existing doors, if it is shown that, as related to the particular circumstances, the objectives of these standards would be met by the use of such materials and methods.
(G.O. 135, 1991, § 1; G.O. 63, 2009, § 36; G.O. 41, 2016, § 2)