Access control installation in Indiana

The contractor licenses page on the Indianapolis website makes this clear. Electrical, HVAC and wrecking contractors get licensed by the local municipality; no state license exists. There is no state license in Indiana for anyone who installs alarm or security systems either.

So you need to ask at the local level. Phone the building or permit office that covers the city or county where the doors sit. Find out two things: whether door access wiring calls for a licensed contractor and whether it calls for a permit.

Contractor licensing inside the Consolidated City of Indianapolis falls to the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services, or BNS. Work that adds or fixes a system for distributing electrical power falls under that rule. Lawrence, Beech Grove, Speedway and Southport are outside this; each one checks on its own.

That rule does not name low-voltage wiring (the thin cable that runs from a reader to a door controller). Running a fresh power line to a maglock or gate operator comes nearer to fitting that rule. Before you start, ask BNS how they view your specific job.

• The business must have at least one license holder who passes the exam and gets approval from the Board of Electrical Examiners.
• For combined coverage, carry general liability insurance that provides no less than $500,000 per occurrence.
• A surety bond for the license or permit, set at $10,000.
• Every odd-numbered year, licenses run out on December 31.

Every month BNS publishes lists of licensed contractors by trade, along with a Citizen Access Portal that shows permit and license records. The city says to confirm insurance, the bond and workers’ compensation coverage as well.

For other Indiana towns, request the local office's own list. When no license is needed, get proof of insurance from the installer and a written scope that lists every door.

The Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission creates Indiana's own codes. The rules list shows the Indiana Building Code from 2014; it follows the 2012 IBC and took effect December 1, 2014. The 2014 Indiana Fire Code follows the 2012 International Fire Code and started on the same date.

The Indiana Electrical Code, 2009 Edition, which follows the 2008 National Electrical Code, is what governs the wiring. How a maglock must let people exit a building is still set by these earlier code editions. If an installer works mostly with newer editions, they ought to look at the Indiana versions.

Your local government handles it for electrical work. In Indianapolis the office is BNS. Plumbing follows a different path: plumbers get licensed by the State of Indiana, then they register with the city.