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Things to Remember When Operating a Downtown Street Level Business

Indianapolis has a vibrant Downtown. Successful street level businesses present a strong and visually appealing storefront and maintain a high standard of cleanliness and maintenance. To ensure that your business and Downtown presents a successful and vibrant image, IDI suggests the following:

• Maintain clean, fully merchandised storefronts
• Do not display temporary signs on exterior
• Adopt responsibility for the cleanliness of the sidewalk outside your store
• Place trash containers for removal at the rear of property
• Remove snow from the sidewalk outside your store

Approval Process

To open your business smoothly, be sure to obtain all required permits and approvals. There may be two approval processes for businesses.

1. Regional Center For all external alterations or changes in use, businesses must meet underlining zoning and Regional Center overlay requirements. This includes signs, windows, and sidewalk cafes. Once Regional Center approval is obtained, businesses must get a permit from DMD permits, division.
2. Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission (IHPC) If a building is located in a historic district, the business must go through IHPC for all external alterations including sign, windows, and sidewalk cafes. They will issue a certificate of appropriateness. The certificate of appropriateness will allow the business to obtain a permit from DMD permits, division.