Notice to Enter Clause
in Your Lease
What it actually means, what Indiana law says, what's specific to Indianapolis - and exactly what to do. In plain English.
Quick Summary - What You Need to Know
- Indianapolis's row on the comparison reads Reasonable notice, no hours. § 32-31-5-6(g) requires reasonable written or oral notice of the intent to enter, and the section states no number of hours or days.
- Entry must also come at reasonable times, and a landlord “shall not abuse the right of entry or use a right of entry to harass a tenant.”
- The tenant's side is § 32-31-5-6(e): consent may not be unreasonably withheld for inspections, necessary or agreed repairs and services, or showing the unit to purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workers or contractors.
- Under § 32-31-5-6(f), a landlord may enter without notice in an emergency that threatens the safety of the occupants or the landlord's property, and without consent under a court order or after abandonment or surrender.
- A lease cannot trade this away: § 32-31-5-1(c) makes a waiver of the chapter void. The Indianapolis sections we read set no entry rule of their own.
Understanding the Notice to Enter Clause
Your landlord may hold a key to your home. An entry clause is the part of the lease that says when that key may be used, for what, and how much warning comes first.
Indiana answers the warning question with a standard rather than a number.
The standard is in Ind. Code § 32-31-5-6(g). A landlord “shall give a tenant reasonable written or oral notice of the landlord's intent to enter the dwelling unit” and may enter “only at reasonable times”.
The section attaches no hours to that notice, which is why Indianapolis sits on the comparison on this page as a row without a bar.
The same section works in both directions. You may not unreasonably withhold consent for listed purposes such as repairs and showings, and the landlord may not use entry to harass you. § 32-31-5-1(c) makes a waiver of the chapter void, so signing the lease does not sign those rules away.
What renters assume
Indiana must set a fixed notice period, like the 24 hours or 48 hours on other rows of the comparison, and once my Indianapolis landlord gives that much warning any visit is allowed.
What is actually true
§ 32-31-5-6(g) requires “reasonable written or oral notice” and entry “only at reasonable times”, with no number of hours. Notice alone does not settle it: the landlord also “shall not abuse the right of entry or use a right of entry to harass a tenant.”
Indianapolis makes 24 rows on the comparison on this page. Nine of the 24 rows draw no bar: Indianapolis reads Reasonable notice, no hours; Austin, Atlanta, Nashville, Denver and Boston read no requirement; Philadelphia reads no statute; Detroit reads permission required (no hours); and Charlotte reads no hours set.
The other 15 rows carry a figure. Ten sit at 24 hours: Miami, Los Angeles, New York City, Portland, Las Vegas, Columbus, Newark, Baltimore, Minneapolis and Kansas City. Four sit at 48 hours, in Seattle, Phoenix, Chicago and Washington, and Milwaukee sits at 12 hours.
A blank Indianapolis bar does not mean no rule touches entry. § 32-31-5-6(g) requires reasonable written or oral notice and entry only at reasonable times, and a bar has no way to draw a standard measured in reasonableness rather than hours. Read the label as a statement about hours, not about notice.
Plain English Version
In Indianapolis, Indiana law says your landlord must give you reasonable notice before coming in, and that notice can be written or spoken. The landlord may come in only at reasonable times, and the section sets no number of hours.
You in turn may not unreasonably refuse entry for inspections, repairs, services or showings. In an emergency that threatens safety or the property, the landlord may enter without notice.
Your lease cannot waive these rules, and complaining in writing about a violation is protected under Indiana's retaliation chapter.
Entry Notice Clause Example - What the Wording Looks Like in Indianapolis, IN
The sample clause below is real lease language - a court quoted it word for word, and then ruled on it. What the judge decided is at the bottom of this block.
Find the equivalent paragraph in your own lease and read the two side by side. The wording will differ; the moving parts rarely do.
Lessor hereby reserves, and the Lessee hereby grants to the Lessor or his agents, the right to enter said leased premises at reasonable times, for the purpose of making repairs or to inspect the premises, to show the dwelling to prospective tenants after notice of termination.
Quoted from the published opinion in Kalmas v. Wagner, 133 Wn.2d 210 (Wash. 1997) (en banc). Judicial opinions are not subject to copyright; the lease language is reproduced in limited part for commentary under 17 U.S.C. § 107.
“hereby grants to the Lessor or his agents”
The tenant's grant is one half of a two-sided rule Indiana already writes into statute. Ind. Code § 32-31-5-6(e) says a tenant “may not unreasonably withhold consent” to the landlord's entry for listed purposes, so the consent this clause collects at signing overlaps one the statute already expects. What the statute adds is the landlord's half: notice, reasonable times, and no harassment under § 32-31-5-6(g).
“at reasonable times”
Here the clause and Indiana's statute use the same idea, and the statute adds the step the clause leaves out. § 32-31-5-6(g)(3) says a landlord “may enter a tenant's dwelling unit only at reasonable times”, and (g)(2) requires “reasonable written or oral notice of the landlord's intent to enter the dwelling unit” first. Neither subsection carries a number of hours, and notice may be given orally.
“making repairs or to inspect the premises”
Both purposes are on Indiana's list. Under § 32-31-5-6(e), the tenant may not unreasonably withhold consent for the landlord to inspect the unit, to make necessary or agreed repairs, decorations, alterations or improvements, or to supply necessary or agreed services. The urgent version has its own rule: § 32-31-5-6(f) allows entry “without notice to the tenant in the case of an emergency that threatens the safety of the occupants or the landlord's property.”
“to show the dwelling to prospective tenants”
Showings are covered in Indiana's text too. § 32-31-5-6(e) lists exhibiting the unit to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workers or contractors among the purposes for which consent may not be unreasonably withheld. Each showing still carries the landlord's duties: reasonable notice, a reasonable time, and a landlord who “shall not abuse the right of entry or use a right of entry to harass a tenant.”
The clause held - because the landlord followed the statute. The agent gave the notice the state's landlord-tenant act requires before entering to show the unit, so the tenants “had no reasonable expectation other than that entry for inspection would occur” and the brief entry was not unreasonable. The court was careful about what the clause bought: it and the statute together grant only a limited right to inspect.
One court, one lease, one state. That answer is not automatically yours, and your lease may be worded to land differently. Use this to know what to look for and what to ask - your state's tenant hotline or a local tenant attorney can answer it for your document.
Indiana Law on Notice to Enter Clause
- The whole rule is three clauses in § 32-31-5-6(g): a landlord "(1) shall not abuse the right of entry or use a right of entry to harass a tenant; (2) shall give a tenant reasonable written or oral notice of the landlord's intent to enter the dwelling unit; and (3) may enter a tenant's dwelling unit only at reasonable times." Notice may be oral, and the section states no number of hours or days.
- The tenant's side is in § 32-31-5-6(e): "A tenant may not unreasonably withhold consent to the tenant's landlord to enter the tenant's dwelling unit in order to" inspect it, make necessary or agreed repairs, decorations, alterations or improvements, supply necessary or agreed services, or exhibit it to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workers or contractors.
- The exceptions are narrow. Under § 32-31-5-6(f) a landlord may enter "without notice to the tenant in the case of an emergency that threatens the safety of the occupants or the landlord's property", and without the tenant's consent "under a court order" or "if the tenant has abandoned or surrendered the dwelling unit." The section does not apply at all to an abandoned unit, which § 32-31-5-6(b) defines as one where the tenants have failed to pay or offer to pay rent due and a reasonable person would conclude they have surrendered possession.
- A lease cannot trade the rule away and complaining about it is protected. Section 32-31-5-1(c) provides that "A waiver of this chapter by a landlord or tenant, including a former tenant, by contract or otherwise, is void", and § 32-31-8.5-2(2) makes "Complaining to a landlord in writing concerning the landlord's violation of IC 32-31-5-6" a protected activity under Indiana's retaliation chapter.
- Scope: § 32-31-5-1 applies Chapter 32-31-5 "only to a rental agreement entered into or renewed after June 30, 1999", and § 32-31-2.9-4 takes listed arrangements out of the residential landlord-tenant statutes unless created to avoid them, including transient occupancy in a hotel, motel or other lodging, occupancy by an employee whose right to occupy depends on employment in or about the premises, and occupancy under a contract of sale by the purchaser.
Sources include Ind. Code § 32-31-5-6(g); Ind. Code § 32-31-5-6(e); Ind. Code § 32-31-5-6(f); Ind. Code § 32-31-5-6(a), (b); Ind. Code § 32-31-5-1; Ind. Code § 32-31-8.5-2(2); Ind. Code § 32-31-2.9-3; Ind. Code § 32-31-2.9-4 - statutes change; verify the current text for your situation.
Start with Ind. Code § 32-31-5-6(g). It has three clauses.
The first says a landlord “shall not abuse the right of entry or use a right of entry to harass a tenant”. The second says the landlord “shall give a tenant reasonable written or oral notice of the landlord's intent to enter the dwelling unit”, and the third says the landlord “may enter a tenant's dwelling unit only at reasonable times.”
Notice may be oral, and the section states no number of hours or days. With no figure in the text, a written record of each request is what gives the word reasonable something to be measured against.
The tenant's side is § 32-31-5-6(e): “A tenant may not unreasonably withhold consent to the tenant's landlord to enter the tenant's dwelling unit in order to” do listed things. The list is to inspect the unit, make necessary or agreed repairs, decorations, alterations or improvements, supply necessary or agreed services, or exhibit it to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workers or contractors.
The exceptions are narrow. Under § 32-31-5-6(f), a landlord may enter “without notice to the tenant in the case of an emergency that threatens the safety of the occupants or the landlord's property”.
Entry without the tenant's consent is allowed “under a court order” or “if the tenant has abandoned or surrendered the dwelling unit.”
Abandonment has its own definition. The section does not apply at all to an abandoned unit, which § 32-31-5-6(b) defines as one where the tenants have failed to pay or offer to pay rent due and a reasonable person would conclude they have surrendered possession.
Two more sections give the rule its weight. § 32-31-5-1(c) says “A waiver of this chapter by a landlord or tenant, including a former tenant, by contract or otherwise, is void.” And § 32-31-8.5-2(2) makes “Complaining to a landlord in writing concerning the landlord's violation of IC 32-31-5-6” a protected activity under Indiana's retaliation chapter.
Check the scope before relying on it. § 32-31-5-1 applies the chapter “only to a rental agreement entered into or renewed after June 30, 1999”. § 32-31-2.9-4 takes out listed arrangements unless created to avoid the statutes, including transient occupancy in a hotel or motel, occupancy tied to employment on the premises, and occupancy by a purchaser under a contract of sale.
The Indiana text was read in an Internet Archive copy of the General Assembly's Indiana Code 2026 and checked against FindLaw, so read the current text of § 32-31-5-6 on iga.in.gov before relying on it.
Indiana Tenant Protections
Under Ind. Code § 32-31-5-6(g), a landlord shall not abuse the right of entry or use it to harass a tenant, shall give reasonable written or oral notice of the intent to enter, and may enter only at reasonable times. The section states no number of hours or days. § 32-31-5-6(e) bars a tenant from unreasonably withholding consent to entry to inspect, to make necessary or agreed repairs, decorations, alterations or improvements, or to supply necessary or agreed services.
The same list covers exhibiting the unit to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workers or contractors. § 32-31-5-6(f) allows entry without notice in an emergency that threatens the safety of the occupants or the landlord's property, and without consent under a court order or after the tenant has abandoned or surrendered the unit.
The section does not apply to an abandoned unit as § 32-31-5-6(b) defines it. § 32-31-5-1(c) makes a waiver of the chapter by contract or otherwise void, and § 32-31-8.5-2(2) makes a written complaint to the landlord about a violation of § 32-31-5-6 a protected activity. § 32-31-5-1 applies the chapter to rental agreements entered into or renewed after June 30, 1999, and § 32-31-2.9-4 excludes listed arrangements such as transient hotel or motel occupancy unless created to avoid the statutes.
In Indianapolis, the Revised Code chapters we read (582, 551 and 851) and Marion County health code Chapter 10 set no entry notice period or hours figure.
What's Specific to Indianapolis
Figures are the state rule, or the stronger city ordinance where one exists. Verify the current law for your own situation before relying on it.
Indianapolis is a city inside a state, so a renter here reads the Indiana Code first and the Revised Code of the Consolidated City and County second. On entry, the state section carries the whole rule we found.
We read the Revised Code on Municode, codified through Ordinance No. 42, 2026, passed June 1, 2026 (Supplement 47, Update 2). Chapter 582 (Protection of Tenants' Rights), Chapter 551 (Condominiums) and Chapter 851 (Indianapolis Landlord Registration Program) were read in full.
We also read Chapter 10 of the Marion County public health code, Minimum Standards for Residential Property and Housing, as posted on marionhealth.org.
None of those sections sets an entry notice period or an hours figure for landlord entry. Municode text searches of the Revised Code for “landlord entry notice” and “tenant access dwelling” returned no section whose title concerns a landlord entering a rental unit. That describes those chapters and searches, not every Indianapolis ordinance.
Two sections came up in those searches that we did not read: § 591-221 (Right to enter buildings and premises) in the fire prevention chapter, and § 391-104 (Solicitors entering private premises). If either touches your situation, read it yourself.
The state rule reaches Indianapolis directly. Ind. Code § 32-31-2.9-3 applies Chapter 32-31-5 to rental agreements for dwelling units located in Indiana, so § 32-31-5-6(g) is the entry rule our record finds for an Indianapolis tenancy.
Preemption is written into the state code. § 32-31-1-20(c) lists aspects of a landlord-tenant relationship a unit may not regulate unless an act of the general assembly authorizes it, including “Leasing terms and conditions” and “The rights of the parties to a lease”. None of the Indianapolis sections we read addresses entry, so our record has no city entry rule for it to reach.
Reasonableness is judged on facts, and facts are what a tenant can keep. Ask for notice in writing even though oral notice is allowed, and note the day, time, purpose and who came in for every visit.
A message proposing a day and a time window, with the landlord's reply, is the simplest record of all.
If a pattern of visits starts to feel like pressure, § 32-31-5-6(g)(1) is the clause to name: a landlord “shall not abuse the right of entry or use a right of entry to harass a tenant.” A written complaint to the landlord about a violation of § 32-31-5-6 is a protected activity under § 32-31-8.5-2(2).
Worth having. § 32-31-5-6(g) allows reasonable written or oral notice. A clause promising written notice to a named address gives you a record of every request.
§ 32-31-5-6(e) names inspection, necessary or agreed repairs and services, and showing the unit to purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workers or contractors. A clause that lists purposes lets you measure each request against it.
§ 32-31-5-6(g) requires reasonable notice and entry only at reasonable times, and § 32-31-5-1(c) makes a waiver of the chapter void. Emergencies are the exception, in § 32-31-5-6(f).
§ 32-31-5-6(b) defines an abandoned unit by unpaid rent plus circumstances a reasonable person would read as surrender, and the entry section does not apply to one. Read a broader definition in the lease against that subsection.
Sources
The law this guide relies on, and where to read it. Statutes change, so confirm the current text before you act on it.
- Ind. Code § 32-31-5-6(g); Ind. Code § 32-31-5-6(e); Ind. Code § 32-31-5-6(f); Ind. Code § 32-31-5-6(a), (b); Ind. Code § 32-31-5-1; Ind. Code § 32-31-8.5-2(2); Ind. Code § 32-31-2.9-3; Ind. Code § 32-31-2.9-4, read on web.archive.org. The Indiana General Assembly's Indiana Code 2026 prints § 32-31-5-6 with the history line As added by P.L.2-2002, SEC.16. Amended by P.L.115-2007, SEC.6., read in an Internet Archive copy saved 29 September 2026, and FindLaw's copy marked Current as of January 01, 2026 carries the same text.
Red Flags to Watch Out For
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Entry announced after the fact
§ 32-31-5-6(g) requires reasonable written or oral notice of the intent to enter. Outside an emergency under § 32-31-5-6(f), ask in writing when notice was given.
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Visits that keep coming
A landlord “shall not abuse the right of entry or use a right of entry to harass a tenant” under § 32-31-5-6(g). Log each visit's date, time and stated purpose.
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A clause waiving notice
§ 32-31-5-1(c): a waiver of the chapter by a landlord or tenant, “by contract or otherwise, is void”, however clearly the lease is worded.
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An emergency that sounds routine
§ 32-31-5-6(f) allows entry without notice in an emergency that threatens the safety of the occupants or the landlord's property. A routine inspection described as an emergency is worth questioning in writing.
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Trouble after you complained
§ 32-31-8.5-2(2) makes a written complaint to the landlord about a violation of § 32-31-5-6 a protected activity under Indiana's retaliation chapter. Keep a copy and the date.
Your Rights as a Indianapolis Tenant
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Reasonable notice first
§ 32-31-5-6(g)(2): a landlord shall give reasonable written or oral notice of the intent to enter the dwelling unit.
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Reasonable times only
§ 32-31-5-6(g)(3): a landlord may enter a tenant's dwelling unit only at reasonable times.
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No entry used to harass
§ 32-31-5-6(g)(1): a landlord shall not abuse the right of entry or use a right of entry to harass a tenant.
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A rule the lease cannot waive
§ 32-31-5-1(c) makes a waiver of the chapter by a landlord or tenant, including a former tenant, by contract or otherwise, void.
What To Do - Step by Step
Find your entry clause
Search the lease for enter, entry or access, and read it against the reasonable notice and reasonable times in § 32-31-5-6(g).
Ask what the visit is for
§ 32-31-5-6(e) lists inspection, repairs, services and showings. Ask in writing which one a visit serves before agreeing a time.
Ask for notice in writing
§ 32-31-5-6(g) allows oral notice, so a written request for a set day and time window is what gives both sides a record.
Log each visit
Record the date, the time, who came in, what they did and how long it took. A log shows where a visit went past its stated purpose.
Complain in writing if it goes wrong
A written complaint to the landlord about a violation of § 32-31-5-6 is a protected activity under § 32-31-8.5-2(2). Keep a dated copy.
Read the current text, then get help
The Indiana sections behind this page were read in Internet Archive copies of the General Assembly's Indiana Code 2026. Read § 32-31-5-6 on iga.in.gov, then take your lease and your log to an Indianapolis legal aid office or tenant attorney.