Bounce house rules in Indiana: permits, inspection, and insurance
No state program. Inflatables are reported to be excluded from the Amusement Device Code.
Informational only, not legal advice. Amusement-device rules change between legislative sessions, and several of the entries here record changes made in the last three years. The binding authority is the agency named on this page. Confirm the current rule with them before you set up.
Reviewed August 2026
Binding authority: Indiana Department of Homeland Security, and its Code Enforcement division about event permits
Who regulates inflatables in Indiana
Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS), Elevator and Amusement Ride Safety, for the devices the program does cover. No state agency was found with jurisdiction over inflatables.
Permit or registration
No state device permit was found for inflatables. Covered rides need a prominently displayed current IDHS permit, with inspection before the first event with public riders each year. Indiana separately runs an Amusement and Entertainment Permit through IDHS Code Enforcement, which may still apply to your event.
We could not confirm the inflatable exclusion itself. It is reported consistently in agency guidance material and in the exemption section, but neither source could be opened, and the IDHS page we did read describes the permit program without mentioning inflatables at all. Ask Indiana Department of Homeland Security, and its Code Enforcement division about event permits.
Inspection
No state inspection was found for inflatables. Covered rides are inspected by IDHS inspectors certified by NAARSO or AIMS International.
Insurance required by the state
No state minimum was found.
We could not confirm whether the state requires liability coverage at all. Ask Indiana Department of Homeland Security, and its Code Enforcement division about event permits.
Operator requirements
No state operator standard was found.
We could not confirm whether the state sets operator or attendant standards. Ask Indiana Department of Homeland Security, and its Code Enforcement division about event permits.
What an operator should know
Indiana is the case where the thing you would rely on is the thing we could not read. The exclusion is reported consistently, but the only IDHS page we opened describes the permit program without addressing inflatables at all, and the exemption section itself refused the request. Ask IDHS about the device code, and ask separately about the Amusement and Entertainment Permit, which runs through Code Enforcement and is a different question with a different answer.
Frequently asked questions
Are bounce houses regulated in Indiana?
They are reported to be excluded from the Amusement Device Code, but we could not open the exemption section or the agency guidance that says so. Treat the exclusion as unconfirmed and ask the Department of Homeland Security.
Is there another Indiana permit that might apply?
Yes. Indiana runs an Amusement and Entertainment Permit through IDHS Code Enforcement, which is separate from the device code and may apply to your event regardless.
Who inspects amusement rides in Indiana?
IDHS inspectors certified by NAARSO or AIMS International, for the devices the program covers.
Sources
Every claim above traces to one of these. Where a source is marked as one we could not open, nothing on this page rests on it: it is listed so you can try it yourself.
What to do with this
Knowing the rule is the first half. These four pages are the second half: registering the business, buying the coverage the rule assumes you carry, running a setup that would survive an inspection, and putting the terms in writing before a unit leaves the truck.
Keep the paperwork with the unit
The setup you documented belongs next to the booking it covers, not in a camera roll. BounceDay files each completed checklist as a setup record on its booking, so what you can hand a venue on the day is one tap away. Your checklists are your own templates; the safety standards in them are yours, not ours.
Rules change between sessions. Confirm the current position with Indiana Department of Homeland Security, and its Code Enforcement division about event permits before you set up.
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