Indiana Security Camera Laws: Residential, Business, and Rental Rules

Indiana permits security camera installation on your own property for video surveillance. Audio is different: Indiana's wiretap law (IC 35-33.5) covers phone and other transmitted calls, not speech a camera microphone picks up, but the federal Wiretap Act (18 U.S.C. 2511) can make it a crime to record other people's private conversations when no participant consents. Using a camera to watch or record people in bathrooms, bedrooms, or other private spaces without consent can be voyeurism under IC 35-45-4-5.

Indiana law allows broad use of security cameras on your own property but imposes strict limits on recording other people in private settings or placing cameras on property you do not own. This guide covers Indiana's security camera laws for homeowners, businesses, landlords, tenants, and HOA communities, including the statutes that apply, privacy boundaries, and penalties for violations.

Security Cameras on Your Own Property

Homeowner Rights

Indiana homeowners have broad rights to install security cameras on their own property. You can:

• Mount exterior cameras on your house, garage, or outbuildings
• Use doorbell cameras such as Ring, Nest Hello, or Eufy
• Install cameras covering your driveway, yard, and walkways
• Place cameras in common areas inside your home (living room, kitchen, hallways)
• Use wildlife or trail cameras on your own land

There is no Indiana statute requiring you to post signage notifying visitors that cameras are in use on your own residential property, though visible cameras and signs can serve as deterrents.

Restrictions on Home Cameras

Even on your own property, certain locations are off-limits:

• Guest bathrooms and bedrooms. Recording guests in areas where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy violates Indiana's voyeurism statute (IC 35-45-4-5).
• Neighbors' homes. You cannot use a camera to peep into a neighbor's occupied dwelling, such as through their windows. Under IC 35-45-4-5, voyeurism is a Class B misdemeanor, but it becomes a Level 6 felony when committed by means of a camera. Aiming a camera at a screened part of a neighbor's yard can also draw harassment, nuisance, or voyeurism complaints depending on the circumstances.
• Nanny cams in private areas. While nanny cameras in common areas (living rooms, kitchens, play areas) are legal, placing them in a caregiver's private changing area or bathroom is not.

Capturing Your Neighbor's Property

Security cameras inevitably capture some portion of neighboring properties. Indiana law does not prohibit cameras that incidentally record a neighbor's yard, driveway, or exterior as long as:

• The camera is mounted on your own property
• The primary purpose is monitoring your own property
• The camera does not peer into areas where the neighbor has a reasonable expectation of privacy (such as the inside of their home)

Deliberate and sustained surveillance of a neighbor's private areas could be treated as harassment or voyeurism depending on the circumstances.

Business Security Camera Laws

What Businesses Can Monitor

Indiana businesses can use security cameras to monitor:

• Customer-facing areas (retail floors, lobbies, waiting rooms)
• Cash registers and point-of-sale terminals
• Entrances and exits
• Parking lots and loading docks
• Warehouses and storage areas
• Hallways and corridors
• Break rooms and cafeterias

Where Businesses Cannot Place Cameras

Businesses cannot install cameras in:

• Restrooms. Using a camera to watch or record people in a restroom without consent is voyeurism under IC 35-45-4-5.
• Changing rooms and fitting rooms. Customers have a reasonable expectation of privacy when trying on clothing.
• Locker rooms. Employee and customer locker rooms are protected.
• Lactation rooms. Federal law (29 U.S.C. 218d) requires employers to provide nursing employees a space shielded from view and free from intrusion, which a camera would defeat.

Using a camera, especially a hidden one, to watch or record people in a restroom, changing room, or locker room without their consent is voyeurism under Indiana law, a Level 6 felony when a camera is used. Keep cameras out of all of these areas. For details, see Indiana voyeurism and hidden camera laws.

Employee Notification

Indiana does not have a specific statute requiring employers to notify employees of security cameras in the workplace. However, many employers choose to disclose surveillance as a best practice. Notification can be provided through:

• Employee handbooks and policy manuals
• Written acknowledgment forms signed during onboarding
• Posted signage in monitored areas
• Mention in the employment agreement

For more on workplace-specific rules, see Indiana workplace recording laws.

Landlord and Tenant Security Camera Rules

Landlord Camera Placement

Landlords in Indiana can install security cameras in common areas of rental properties such as:

• Building entrances and lobbies
• Parking lots and garages
• Hallways and stairwells
• Laundry rooms
• Exterior areas of the building

What Landlords Cannot Do

Landlords should not:

• Install cameras inside a tenant's unit without the tenant's consent. IC 35-46-8.5-1 makes it a crime to leave an unattended camera on another person's private property without the consent of the owner or tenant. Because the landlord owns the unit, it is not settled whether that law covers a landlord's camera inside a rented unit, and no Indiana appeals court has decided the question, so treat in-unit cameras as off-limits without written consent.
• Place cameras aimed at windows or private areas of a tenant's unit from exterior locations.
• Install hidden cameras anywhere in the rental property without disclosure.
• Access or monitor the interior of a tenant's unit through any electronic means without consent.

A landlord whose hidden camera watches a tenant inside an occupied unit, or in a bathroom or other place where people undress, can face voyeurism charges under IC 35-45-4-5 whoever owns the property, and may also face an unlawful surveillance charge (IC 35-46-8.5-1) and civil privacy claims.

Tenant Camera Rights

Tenants can install their own security cameras inside their rented units. Doorbell cameras and exterior cameras may require landlord approval if the lease restricts modifications to the property. Tenants should:

• Check the lease for provisions about exterior modifications
• Position cameras to capture their own doorway and immediate area rather than neighboring units
• Ensure cameras do not capture interior spaces of other tenants' units

For more on landlord-tenant recording interactions, see Indiana landlord-tenant recording laws.

Audio Recording Through Security Cameras

The One-Party Consent Complication

Many modern security cameras include microphones that record audio along with video. Indiana's wiretapping statute (IC 35-33.5-5) covers only communications transmitted by wire, radio, or a similar system, such as phone calls, so it does not reach face-to-face speech a camera microphone picks up.

The federal Wiretap Act (18 U.S.C. 2511) does. It makes it a crime, punishable by up to five years in prison, to record an in-person conversation you are not part of without a participant's consent when the speakers reasonably expect privacy.

For security cameras, this creates a distinction:

• Cameras where the owner participates in conversations. If you are present and participating in conversations captured by your security camera, the audio recording is lawful, because a party may record under federal law.
• Unattended cameras capturing other people's conversations. Audio of people speaking openly at your front door or in a public area is generally not protected, because they have no reasonable expectation of privacy there. A camera that records private conversations inside a home or office while you are not present, without anyone's consent, carries real federal criminal and civil risk.

Best Practices for Audio on Security Cameras

• Disable audio recording on cameras that monitor areas where you will not be present, such as exterior cameras, parking lot cameras, and hallway cameras.
• Post signage if audio recording is enabled, notifying visitors and employees that audio and video recording is in progress.
• Limit audio recording to cameras where you regularly participate in conversations (such as a front door camera).

HOA and Community Rules

HOA Camera Policies

Homeowners' associations (HOAs) in Indiana can:

• Install security cameras in common areas (clubhouses, pools, parking areas, entrances)
• Adopt rules about homeowner camera placement that affects common areas or shared walls
• Restrict certain types of camera installations that violate aesthetic guidelines

An HOA's power over homeowner cameras comes from its recorded covenants and rules, so depending on those documents it may regulate placement and appearance or even prohibit exterior cameras. Read your governing documents before installing.

HOAs cannot:

• Install cameras that capture the interior of homeowners' units
• Use cameras in pool changing rooms, restrooms, or other private facilities

Neighbor Disputes Over Cameras

Security camera disputes between neighbors in Indiana typically involve:

• Cameras aimed at a neighbor's windows or private areas
• Audio recording of conversations on adjacent properties
• Cameras perceived as surveillance or harassment

These disputes may involve claims under the voyeurism statute, the unlawful surveillance statute, or general harassment and nuisance laws. If you believe a neighbor's camera is invading your privacy, document the camera's placement and angle, and consult local law enforcement or an attorney.

Unlawful Surveillance: IC 35-46-8.5-1

The Core Prohibition

Indiana's unlawful surveillance statute IC 35-46-8.5-1 makes it a crime to knowingly or intentionally:

• Place a camera or electronic surveillance equipment that records images or data while unattended on the private property of another person without the owner's or tenant's consent
• Place a tracking device on an individual or their property without their knowledge or consent (exceptions include tracking a family member's location, unless you are the subject of a protective order that family member obtained, and placing a tracker on property in which you have an ownership or contractual interest, unless you are the subject of a protective order and the person who obtained it is likely to use that property)

Penalties

Doorbell Cameras and Smart Home Devices

Legal Considerations

Doorbell cameras (Ring, Nest, Eufy, etc.) are widely used in Indiana and are generally legal. They capture video and audio of your front door area, which is a semi-public space where visitors have limited privacy expectations.

Key considerations:

• Video recording of your doorway, porch, and the street in front of your home is lawful.
• Audio recording of conversations at your door is lawful if you participate (such as answering the door or using two-way audio). Audio of visitors talking openly on your porch when you are not interacting is generally not protected, because they have little expectation of privacy there, but avoid aiming microphones at neighbors' homes or private conversations.
• Ring and law enforcement partnerships. Some police departments in Indiana participate in programs that allow them to request (but not compel) doorbell camera footage from homeowners through platforms like Ring's Neighbors app.

Cloud Storage and Data Privacy

Security camera footage stored in the cloud raises data privacy considerations:

• Review your camera manufacturer's privacy policy and data retention terms
• Understand who can access your footage (the company, law enforcement with a warrant)
• Enable two-factor authentication on your security camera accounts
• Regularly review and delete footage you no longer need

More Indiana Recording Laws

Audio Recording | Video Recording | Voyeurism & Hidden Cameras | Workplace Recording | Recording Police | Phone Call Recording | Security Cameras | Recording in Public | Landlord-Tenant | Dashcam Laws | Schools | Medical Recording

Back to Indiana Recording Laws

See Also

• Indiana Surveillance Camera Laws covers home, HOA, neighbor, workplace, and landlord camera rules in Indiana.

More Indiana Recording Topics

• Indiana Landlord-Tenant Laws

More Indiana Laws

• Indiana AI Meeting Recording Laws
• Indiana Dashcam Laws
• Indiana Data Privacy Laws
• Indiana Deepfake Laws
• Indiana Employee Monitoring Laws
• Indiana GPS Tracking Laws
• Indiana Police Bodycam Laws
• Indiana Smart Glasses Recording Laws

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need permission to install security cameras on my Indiana home?

No. Indiana homeowners can install security cameras on their own property without permission. You do not need to notify neighbors or post signage, though both are recommended as best practices. Using a camera to peep into a neighbor's home can be a Level 6 felony under IC 35-45-4-5.

Can my landlord put cameras inside my apartment in Indiana?

Not without your consent, as a practical matter. IC 35-46-8.5-1 makes it a Class A misdemeanor to leave an unattended camera on someone else's private property without the consent of the owner or tenant. Because the landlord owns the unit, it is not settled whether that law covers a landlord's camera inside a rented unit, and no Indiana appeals court has decided the question. A camera that watches you in a bathroom or other place where you undress is voyeurism under IC 35-45-4-5 whoever owns the property, and you may also have civil privacy claims. Landlords can install cameras in common areas like lobbies, hallways, and parking lots. If you find a camera inside your unit, document it and report it to police.

Are security cameras with audio legal in Indiana?

Video recording through security cameras is generally legal on your own property. Audio is different. Indiana's wiretap law (IC 35-33.5) covers phone and other transmitted communications, not face-to-face talk picked up by a camera microphone, but the federal Wiretap Act (18 U.S.C. 2511) makes it a crime to record a private in-person conversation you are not part of without a participant's consent. Audio of conversations you take part in is lawful, and audio of people speaking openly at your door is generally not protected. A camera that records private conversations inside a home or office when you are not present carries real risk, so turn audio off on those cameras unless everyone recorded has agreed.

Can my HOA ban security cameras on my property?

It depends on your HOA's governing documents. Through its recorded covenants and rules, an HOA can regulate the placement and appearance of security cameras and may even prohibit exterior cameras. Review your HOA's covenants and bylaws for specific camera policies. HOAs can install cameras in common areas but not in private facilities like changing rooms.

Can a business install hidden cameras in Indiana?

Businesses can use security cameras in common work and customer areas. Using a camera, especially a hidden one, to watch or record people in restrooms, changing rooms, locker rooms, or fitting rooms without their consent is voyeurism under IC 35-45-4-5, a Level 6 felony when a camera is used. Keep all cameras, hidden or visible, out of these areas.

What should I do if I find an unauthorized camera on my property?

Do not touch or move the device. Document its location and appearance with photos. Contact local law enforcement to file a report. The person who placed the camera may face charges for unlawful surveillance under IC 35-46-8.5-1 and potentially voyeurism under IC 35-45-4-5.