What a Landlord Cannot Do in Indiana
The main limits Indiana law puts on landlords — lockouts and utility shutoffs, entering without notice, retaliation, deposits, fees and discrimination — each with the statute or official source.
In short: a Indiana landlord cannot evict without a court order, cannot punish a tenant for asserting legal rights where state law protects them, and must follow the state's rules on entry, deposits and fees shown below.
| Lockouts & utility shutoffs | Except by court order, landlord may not change locks, remove doors/windows/fixtures/appliances, or interrupt or shut off electricity, gas, water or other essential services (emergencies, good-faith repairs and necessary construction excepted), and may not seize or withhold tenant property to enforce rent. Tenant may petition for an emergency possessory order; the court must hold a hearing within 3 business days and may order possession restored, plus damages at a later hearing. Emergency possessory order chapter: https://iga.in.gov/ic/2026/Title_32/Article_31/Chapter_6.pdf (sections amended by P.L.157-2025). |
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| Landlord entry notice | Landlord must give reasonable written or oral notice and enter only at reasonable times, and may not abuse entry to harass. No notice needed in an emergency threatening safety of occupants or property; entry without consent allowed under court order or if the unit is abandoned/surrendered. Tenant may not unreasonably refuse entry to inspect, repair, supply services, or show the unit. No specific number of hours is set. Source: IC 32-31-5-6(e)-(g) |
| Landlord retaliation | Landlord may not raise rent, decrease/interfere with services, or bring or threaten an eviction/possession action in response to a tenant complaining to a code-enforcement agency about health/safety violations, complaining in writing to the landlord about IC 32-31-5-6 or 32-31-8-5 violations, suing under IC 32-31-6 or 32-31-8, joining a tenant organization, or testifying against the landlord. No statutory presumption period. Exceptions include non-renewal at end of term, market-rate rent increases, and evictions for unpaid rent or health/safety lease violations. Chapter added by P.L.168-2020; waiver is void (P.L.215-2021). Local units may not regulate retaliatory acts (IC 32-31-8.5-6). |
| Security deposit limit | No statutory cap on security deposits. Chapter 3 regulates use and return of deposits but sets no maximum. Local units may not regulate security deposits (IC 32-31-1-20(c)). Source: IC 32-31-3 |
| Penalty for withholding | Tenant may recover the full deposit due (or the part wrongfully withheld) plus reasonable attorney's fees and court costs. No multiple-damages penalty. Deposit cases may be filed on the small claims docket (IC 32-31-3-11). Source: IC 32-31-3-12(b), 32-31-3-16 |
| Late fees | No statutory cap or grace period. Local governments are barred from regulating fees charged by landlords unless authorized by the General Assembly (IC 32-31-1-20(c)). |
| Rent control / increase limits | Preempted: local units may not regulate rental rates for privately owned property, nor screening, security deposits, lease applications, lease terms, disclosures, parties' rights, or landlord fees, unless authorized by the General Assembly. Does not apply to property receiving government funds for reduced rents. Amended by P.L.266-2017, P.L.168-2020, P.L.215-2021. Source: IC 32-31-1-20 |
| Statewide ban on refusing Section 8 / source of income | No. Indiana has no statewide source-of-income protection, and local units may not adopt or enforce an ordinance that requires (or has the effect of requiring) a landlord to participate in Section 8 or a similar housing program. Indiana's state civil rights law was not separately reviewed for an income category; none is known. Source: IC 36-1-3-8.5 |
| Cameras & privacy | No landlord-specific statute. Peeping into an occupied dwelling of another person, or into an area where people are expected to disrobe (restrooms, baths, showers, dressing rooms), without consent is voyeurism — a Class B misdemeanor, raised to a Level 6 felony when committed by camera. Using a concealed camera to capture an intimate image counts as 'peeping.' A landlord must give reasonable notice before entry, enter only at reasonable times, and may not use entry to harass. IC 35-45-4-5 was last amended in 2024 (P.L.79-2024). Cameras inside a tenant's dwelling without consent risk violating it; exterior and common-area cameras are not specifically regulated. |
| Other rental fees | No statute — no state limit or disclosure rule for other rental fees (convenience, move-in, etc.) was found in IC 32-31, and local units are preempted from regulating 'any fees charged by a landlord'. |
Can I sue my landlord in Indiana? · All Indiana tenant rights
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.