Sec. 1109. (a) As used in this section, “local governmental agency” includes any agency, officer, board, or commission of a local unit of government that may issue:

(1) a permit; or

(2) an approval of a land use or an approval for the construction of a development, a building, or another structure.

     (b) As used in this section, “permit” means any of the following:

(1) An improvement location permit.

(2) A building permit.

(3) A certificate of occupancy.

(4) Approval of a site-specific development plan.

(5) Approval of a primary or secondary plat.

(6) Approval of a contingent use, conditional use, special exception or special use.

(7) Approval of a planned unit development.

     (c) If a person files a complete application as required by the effective ordinances or rules of a local unit of government or a local governmental agency for a permit with the appropriate local governmental agency, the granting of the permit, and the granting of any secondary, additional, or related permits or approvals required from the same local governmental agency with respect to the general subject matter of the application for the first permit, are governed for at least three (3) years after the person applies for the permit by the statutes, ordinances, rules, development standards, and regulations in effect and applicable to the property when the application is filed, even if before the issuance of the permit or while the permit approval process is pending, or before the issuance of any secondary, additional, or related permits or approvals or while the secondary, additional, or related permit or approval process is pending, the statutes, ordinances, rules, development standards, or regulations governing the granting of the permit or approval are changed by the general assembly or the applicable local legislative body or regulatory body, regardless of whether such changes in the statutes, ordinances, rules, development standards, or regulations are part of a zoning ordinance, a subdivision control ordinance, or a statute, ordinance, or regulation that is based on the general police powers of the local unit of government. However, this subsection does not apply if the development or other activity to which the permit relates is not completed within ten (10) years after the development or activity is commenced.

     (d) Subsection (e) applies if:

(1) either:

(A) a local governmental agency issues to a person a permit or grants a person approval for the construction of a development, a building, or another structure; or

(B) a permit or approval is not required from the local governmental agency for the construction of the development, building, or structure;

(2) before beginning the construction of the development, building, or structure, the person must obtain a permit or approval for the construction of the development, building, or structure from a state governmental agency; and

(3) the person has applied for the permit or requested the approval for the construction of the development, building, or structure from the state governmental agency within ninety (90) days of issuance of the permit by the local governmental agency.

     (e) Subject to subsection (f), if the conditions of subsection (d) are satisfied:

(1) a permit or approval issued or granted to a person by the local governmental agency for the construction of the development, building, or structure; or

(2) the person’s right to construct the development, building, or structure without a permit or approval from the local governmental agency;

is governed for at least three (3) years after the person applies for the permit by the statutes, ordinances, rules, development standards, regulations, and approvals in effect and applicable to the property when the person applies for the permit or requests approval from the state governmental agency for the construction of the development, building, or structure, even if before the commencement of the construction or while the permit application or approval request is pending with the state governmental agency the statutes governing the granting of the permit or approval from the local governmental agency are changed by the general assembly or the ordinances, rules, development standards, or regulations of the local unit of government or the local governmental agency are changed by the applicable local legislative body or regulatory body, regardless of whether such changes in the statutes, ordinances, rules, development standards, or regulations are part of a zoning ordinance, a subdivision control ordinance, or a statute, ordinance, or regulation that is based on the general police powers of the local unit of government. However, this subsection does not apply if the development or other activity to which the permit or approval request relates is not completed within ten (10) years after the development or activity is commenced.

     (f) Subsection (d) does not apply to property when it is demonstrated by the local or state governmental agency that the construction of the development, building, or structure would cause imminent peril to life or property.

     (g) This section does not apply to building codes under IC 22-13.

     (h) The following provision is considered to be included in any regulation adopted under section 601(d)(2)(B) of this chapter that sets forth requirements for signs:

“The owner of any sign that is otherwise allowed by this regulation may substitute noncommercial copy in place of any other commercial or noncommercial copy. This substitution of copy may be made without the issuance of any additional permit by a local government agency. The purpose of this provision is to prevent any inadvertent favoring of commercial speech over noncommercial speech, or the favoring of any particular noncommercial message over any other noncommercial message. This provision prevails over any more specific provision in this regulation to the contrary.”.

     (i) Notwithstanding any other law, a local governmental agency must, not later than twelve (12) business days after a person has filed a complete application for a permit for which approval is ministerial under IC 36-7-4-402 or an improvement location permit issued under the 800 series of this chapter and meets all conditions required under this chapter and any other statute, issue the permit to the person.

As added by P.L.49-2006, SEC.1. Amended by P.L.126-2011, SEC.40; P.L.253-2017, SEC.3; P.L.211-2017, SEC.2; P.L.125-2019, SEC.2.