Evansville
Evansville-Vanderburgh Building Commission
In short
Evansville-Vanderburgh Building Commission issues 5 permits we publish for Evansville, last verified 2026-09-06. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.
What this agency issues
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Building Permit | Evansville-Vanderburgh Building Commission | By IBC occupancy classification, minimum $50: Assembly ('A') $0.08/gross sq ft; Business ('B') $0.06/gross sq ft; Educational/Institutional ('E'/'I') $0.08/gross sq ft; High Hazard ('H') $0.08/gross cubic ft; Mercantile ('M') $0.06/gross cubic ft. No separate 'alteration' rate exists — a tenant buildout is billed at the same per-sq-ft rate as new construction for its occupancy class, plus any trade permits needed (e.g., a commercial electrical remodel is $50). | one-time, per project | 2026-09-06 |
| Animal Establishment Permitonly if it applies to you | Evansville-Vanderburgh Building Commission | $125 per premises, a year — only if the practice also boards or grooms animals | annual | 2026-09-06 |
| Certificate of Occupancy | Evansville-Vanderburgh Building Commission | No fee | issued once per qualifying occupancy | 2026-09-06 |
| Fire Protection System Permits | Evansville-Vanderburgh Building Commission | Fire sprinkler: repair/relocate up to 50 heads $30; relocate over 50 heads or add up to 10 heads $60; new install or add over 10 heads $90. Fire alarm: alteration/addition to an existing system $35; new system $60. Fire suppression hood: $35. | one-time, per system installation | 2026-09-06 |
| Contractor Certificate of Registration | Evansville-Vanderburgh Building Commission | Building Contractor $360 new / $210 renewal; Unlimited Roofing Contractor $360 new / $210 renewal; Residential Contractor $210 new / $150 renewal; specialty contractor categories (fire sprinkler, pool, framing, concrete, masonry, drywall, siding/gutters, etc.) $180 new / $90 renewal; Tradesman Master License $300 new / $125 renewal; Tradesman Journeyman $35 new / $25 renewal; Apprentice $25/year (years 1–5), $35 (year 6+); registering an out-of-jurisdiction state license $25–$60; Special Sub-Contractor $300 one-time. A late fee of $25 applies after January 31. | annual — 3 hours of continuing education required for renewal | 2026-09-06 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
About each permit
Commercial Building Permit
This is the city's own fee chapter, established by Ordinance G-2017-29 — Vanderburgh County's separate, textually similar chapter 15.08 governs only unincorporated county projects, not addresses inside Evansville city limits.
Animal Establishment Permit
Quoted directly: 'Veterinarians who engage in boarding, grooming or other business in addition to the treatment and/or medical care of animals shall obtain a permit as herein provided for such boarding, grooming or other business. This chapter shall in no way regulate the occupation of a veterinarian licensed by the State of Indiana.' A clinic doing only treatment/medical care needs no city permit at all.
Certificate of Occupancy
The section 15.05.470 building and construction fee schedule itemizes no separate fee for a certificate of occupancy, so the cost is effectively bundled into the building permit fee. Quoted directly: 'Upon completion of any building, structure, or alteration, and if no violation of this chapter exists, the Building Commissioner shall issue to the owner a certificate of occupancy.'
Fire Protection System Permits
These are Building Commission-administered system-installation fees. The Evansville Fire Department publishes no recurring or annual inspection fee — the fire code (chapter 8.20) delegates fee-setting for other permit categories to the Board of Public Safety administratively without a published schedule, and publishes no food-truck-specific fire permit fee either.
Contractor Certificate of Registration
Requires a $25,000 surety bond payable to the City of Evansville, plus general liability insurance ($1,000,000 for most master licenses, $500,000 for residential contractors, $300,000 for specialty contractors) and proof of workers' compensation or an exemption affidavit.
Contact
- Jurisdiction
- Evansville
- Phone
- (812) 436-7867
- Website
- www.evansvillegov.org/
Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.
Sources
Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- Evansville Municipal Code section 15.05.460 and 15.05.470, Certificate of Occupancy and Building Permit FeesCity of Evansville · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-06
- Evansville Municipal Code section 5.70, ContractorsCity of Evansville · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-06
- Evansville Municipal Code section 6.05, Animal ControlCity of Evansville · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-06
- Evansville-Vanderburgh Building Commission — Contractor License FeesEvansville-Vanderburgh Building Commission · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-06
Other offices serving Evansville
The full permit list for this jurisdiction
Industry permit lists that include this agency
Indiana jurisdictions
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.