Fire codes

Indiana Fire Code & Departments

Legacy adoption vintage (2018) with a volunteer-heavy roster (526 volunteer vs 64 career departments).

NFPA Fire Code Adopted 2018

Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission Codes

Indiana uses NFPA-based fire codes administered through the Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission.

NFPA Fire Code · fires rank #14 of 51

Indiana adopts NFPA Fire Code (2018), shared by 11 of 51 states in this extract. 872 fire departments; the state ranks #14 of 51 nationally by annual fires (USFA).

  • Annual-fires rank #14 of 51 nationally
  • 11 of 51 states share this code type
  • 64 career / 526 volunteer depts
872
Fire Departments
21,919
Total Personnel
526
Volunteer Depts
64
Career Depts

Largest Fire Departments in Indiana

#1
Indianapolis Fire Department
Indianapolis
819 personnel
#2
Gary Fire Department
Gary
355 personnel
#3
Evansville Fire Department
Evansville
282 personnel
#4
Hammond Fire Department
Hammond
185 personnel
#5
Carmel Fire Department
Carmel
159 personnel
View all 872 departments in Indiana →

Indiana: volunteer-led legacy code desk

Legacy vintage (2018) with volunteer share 89% (526 volunteer vs 64 career among typed orgs). Rural companies often rely on the state fire marshal for plan review while the statewide floor ages in place.

Enforcement capacity is volunteer-dominant: 526 volunteer vs 64 career departments (11% career among typed orgs), with 21,919 personnel on HIFLD. In this mix, statewide code language matters most where the state fire marshal or county inspector fills gaps rural companies cannot staff full-time. Largest roster in-state: Indianapolis Fire Department (819 personnel, 3.7% of the state total).

USFA annual-fires rank for Indiana is #14 of 51 (~43,600 fires/year ; 94 fire deaths; 372 injuries). Pair that incident load with the adoption vintage above when judging how hard the code is tested in the field. Figures: HIFLD Open Data ( FEMA / U.S. Fire Administration ), USFA published statistics, and state code-adoption records in this portal's extract.

Same NFPA Fire Code family: nearest adoption peers

  • DE · adopted 2018 (same model year)
  • IA · adopted 2018 (same model year)
  • ME · adopted 2018 (same model year)
  • NH · adopted 2018 (same model year)
  • RI · adopted 2018 (same model year)
  • VT · adopted 2018 (same model year)

Frequently Asked Questions

What fire code does Indiana use?
Indiana adopts the Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission Codes (adopted 2018). Indiana uses NFPA-based fire codes administered through the Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission.
How many fire departments are in Indiana?
Indiana has 872 fire departments registered in the HIFLD database, including 64 career departments and 526 volunteer departments with 21,919 total personnel.
How current is Indiana's adopted fire code?
Indiana shows adoption year 2018 in this extract (legacy band, 2018 or earlier). Local amendments can still tighten sprinkler or wildland rules beyond the statewide floor.
How does Indiana's fire load compare nationally?
USFA ranks Indiana #14 of 51 by annual fires (~43,600 fires/year in this extract). Pair that load with the adoption vintage and department mix on this page, high-load states stress code enforcement differently than low-load peers on the same code family.
Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFireData

Keep reading: Methodology (HIFLD + USFA join notes for this extract).