Indianapolis, downtown

A dumpster inside the Regional Center

Downtown Indianapolis has a tighter version of the street permit rules. If your building sits inside the Regional Center, plan the box around shorter work hours, meters and events.

Is your address inside it?

The city's right-of-way checklist defines the Regional Center as the area bordered by and including:

• 16th Street on the north
• I-65/I-70 on the east
• Morris Street on the south
• the Belt Railroad on the west

It also takes in half a block on each side of Meridian Street from 16th Street up to 30th Street.

What changes downtown

• Shorter hours. Work in the right-of-way downtown is allowed from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., against 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on most neighborhood streets. Deliveries and swaps have to fit that window unless DBNS approves other hours in writing.
• Extra restrictions. The city's license and permits administrator can add conditions in the Regional Center to keep traffic moving.
• Events. Around a special event, the city can deny or delay permits near the event area. Check the calendar before booking a box for a race weekend or a convention week.
• Meters, buses and the trail. Your application has to say if the box blocks ParkIndy meters, an IndyGo stop, the Cultural Trail or another trail. Meters stay put until you have a permit and the meter software has been taken offline, and the meter fees while they are out of service are yours.
• Neighbors' access. Owners or tenants next to the work cannot lose access to the street without 48 hours' notice.

Fees

The $40 application fee applies. The 2026 schedule prices some downtown closures higher than the same closure elsewhere: closing a thoroughfare completely is $250 a day inside the Regional Center and $100 outside it. Which line covers a roll-off is not settled in the city's documents, so ask DBNS for the figure before you sign a rental.

Practical notes

A parking lane on a side street is usually simpler to permit than a lane on a thoroughfare. Measure the space first and give the hauler the exact spot. If the building has an alley or loading dock, that may avoid the street altogether.