Indianapolis, Indiana · city zoning districts · 11 districts
Indianapolis, IN zoning map & districts
Indianapolis's Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), adopted in 2016, consolidated numerous long-standing township-era zoning ordinances into a single code covering nearly all of Marion County following the 1970 city-county consolidation (Unigov). The Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD) administers the UDO, with the Metropolitan Development Commission acting as plan commission and board of zoning appeals for most of the county; a handful of included municipalities (Beech Grove, Lawrence, Southport, Speedway) retain their own zoning authority within Marion County's borders.
The code Unified Development Ordinance (UDO)
Indianapolis zoning map
Zoom in for district codes
- Special purpose 33
- Residential 16
- Commercial 6
- Industrial 4
- Downtown / core 4
- Mixed-use 2
Source: IndyGIS MapIndy Zoning application, retrieved 2026-08-30. Basemap: © OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.
District lookup only. No bulk standards and no ordinance citations are held for this city yet. Not a zoning verification.
Source: the official IndyGIS MapIndy Zoning application , retrieved 2026-08-30 — the authoritative source for current boundaries.
Indianapolis's UDO text and zoning maps are maintained by the Department of Metropolitan Development; parcel zoning is confirmed through DMD's online zoning map on the Marion County GIS portal or by contacting DMD's Current Planning division. A few Marion County municipalities (Beech Grove, Lawrence, Southport, Speedway) are excluded from UDO jurisdiction and maintain separate zoning.
A published summary is never the authority. The adopted ordinance and the city's official zoning map govern, and both change — verify the district and every standard on your parcel before you rely on it.
How zoning works in Indianapolis
The UDO organizes districts by broad category — Dwelling (D-series, by permitted density), Commercial (C-series), Industrial (I-series), Mixed-Use (MU-series), and Special Use (SU-series, for institutional and quasi-public uses) — with additional overlay districts for corridors, historic areas, and airport-noise zones. Developers should check both the base UDO district and any applicable overlay, since Indianapolis layers form and use standards separately from its density-based dwelling classifications.
Indianapolis zoning districts by family
The 11 district codes below are the ones that decide most projects in Indianapolis, grouped by what they are for rather than by the order the ordinance prints them.
| Code | District | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Residential 6 districts | ||
| DA | Dwelling – Agricultural | Large-lot agricultural and very low-density rural residential; UDO/GIS code has no hyphen (DA, not D-A). |
| D1 | Dwelling District | Lowest-density single-family, large minimum lots; GIS code is D1, not D-1. |
| D3 | Dwelling District | Standard single-family suburban density; GIS code is D3, not D-3. |
| D5 | Dwelling District | Higher-density single-family and small-lot product; GIS code is D5, not D-5. |
| D8 | Dwelling District | Townhome and low-rise multifamily density; GIS code is D8, not D-8. |
| D11 | Dwelling District | Highest-density dwelling tier. Live parcel data tops out at D11; "D-12" does not exist as a current district. |
| Mixed-use 1 district | ||
| MU2 | Mixed-Use District | Walkable mixed-use combining residential and commercial; GIS code is MU2, not MU-2. |
| Commercial 2 districts | ||
| C3 | Commercial District | Community-scale commercial corridors; GIS code is C3, not C-3. |
| C5 | Commercial District | Higher-intensity commercial, used in denser corridor and downtown-adjacent areas; GIS code is C5, not C-5. |
| Industrial 2 districts | ||
| I2 | Industrial District | Light industrial and warehousing; GIS code is I2, not I-2. |
| I4 | Industrial District | Heavy industrial uses; GIS code is I4, not I-4. |
Indianapolis zoning — common questions
- Does Indianapolis's UDO apply to all of Marion County?
- The UDO covers nearly all of Marion County following the 1970 Unigov consolidation, but a handful of included municipalities — Beech Grove, Lawrence, Southport, and Speedway — retain their own separate zoning ordinances and are excluded from UDO jurisdiction.
- What does a D-8 dwelling district allow in Indianapolis?
- D-8 is one of the UDO's higher-density dwelling classifications, permitting townhome and low-rise multifamily product; the D-series number generally correlates with maximum permitted density, from D-A (agricultural) up through D-12 (highest density).
- How do I find the zoning for a property in Indianapolis?
- The Department of Metropolitan Development publishes an interactive UDO zoning map through the Marion County GIS portal, searchable by address or parcel number, and DMD's Current Planning division can confirm base zoning plus any overlay.
Keep reading
← Indiana zoning — who holds the zoning power in Indiana, under which enabling statute, and the reforms that override local rules.
Other Indiana cities
- Bloomington 16 districts
- Carmel 15 districts
- Evansville 6 districts
- Fishers 5 districts
- Fort Wayne 6 districts
- South Bend 12 districts
The zoning reference → — every state, plus city-level district guides like this one.
Indianapolis zoning summaries on this page are provided for information, not legal advice. Confirm every project against the current adopted code for the jurisdiction.