The Department of Business and Neighborhood Services accepted bids through Oct. 8 for its second demolition package of 2026. The city has not said when work on the selected properties will begin. The sites are part of an effort to address buildings that officials say can pose fire risks, attract trespassing and criminal activity, and hinder neighborhood recovery.

“Blight begets additional blight within our neighborhoods, and that in turn decreases the quality of life for our neighbors,” department spokesperson Dawn Olsen said. Removing dangerous buildings, she said, can help residents regain faith and pride in their neighborhoods.

Indianapolis has substantially reduced the number of properties awaiting demolition over the past decade, Olsen said. The backlog stood at about 50 as of early August, down from roughly 500 a decade earlier. The city demolished 41 structures in 2024 and 57 in 2025, and expects to demolish about 80 in 2026. It anticipates about 50 demolitions in 2027.

More than 150 structures were selected for demolition under the city’s Unsafe Building Program in 2024 and 2025. Indianapolis also put 107 structures out to bid in 2025. An additional $3 million in city funding approved in 2024 helped support the recent increase in demolition work.

The process can take more than a year, Olsen said, because it may involve administrative hearings, public bidding and asbestos removal. The city’s recent large-scale projects include the former Towne & Terrace apartment complex, whose demolition began in 2023 and was completed in fall 2025, and the Courtyards at Roselawn Park, cleared in early 2025. The city finished demolishing the 19-acre Oaktree Apartments site in 2020 after legal disputes with the owners; the property had been vacant since 2014.

A separate city initiative, the Continuous Vacancy Program, took effect Jan. 1, 2026, and targets properties that have remained out of compliance for about six years. Owners with at least three consecutive repair orders and no meaningful rehabilitation efforts can face an initial $500 penalty and annual fines of up to $5,000. About 60% of properties potentially covered by the program are owned by trusts or entities outside Indiana, Olsen said.

“The goal at the end of the day is compliance,” Olsen said, adding that the department wants to work with owners to ensure buildings are safe. Residents can report deteriorating vacant properties through the Mayor’s Action Center’s RequestIndy service, which can prompt an inspection and possible enforcement.