Trash pickup comes once a week while heavy trash pickup is once a month. Visit your Marion County Government Profile to see the trash and recycling pickup days for your address.

No, unfortunately not. The City does not have funds for this. What you can do, however, is take a flat-head shovel and broom (KIB Block Captains get them for free) and scrape the debris out of your street gutter and put it into a bag inside your trash cart (DPW requires it to be bagged). Pro tip: put the bag in your cart first, as the debris is heavy and will tear your bag.

It's better to bag the debris, as using a leaf blower just moves it on to your neighbor's street gutter, and means there's a good chance it'll just blow or wash back into your street gutter.

Someone is proposing a development that does not meet the current City of Indianapolis zoning requirements and is asking the City to waive one or more requirements. The Bates-Hendricks Land Use Committee addresses zoning variances via monthly online meetings (Zoom), which are published on our neighborhood calendar. Email LandUse@bateshendricks.org for more information.

It's always a good idea to start by reviewing the current zoning requirements before beginning your project.

For example, as of this writing the City limits front yard fence heights to 42", or 48" if it has an opacity of 30% or less (such as an aluminum picket or chainlink fence); rear and side yard fences are limited to 6 feet. There's a lot of information in the ordinance, and if you're starting a big project you may find it helpful to hire a zoning professional.

For additions, there are zoning setback requirements that limit how close you can build to your property lines. Then there are a number of permits you need to obtain as well. This is summarized on the City's website and in their Homeowner's Building Permit Guide (PDF).

Yes! Please see the municipal code (Code of the Consolidated City and County of Indianapolis / Marion County, Indiana) for details. The basics are:

• Machines for sound or blowers/engines/motors (e.g. speakers, lawn equipment, loading/unloading trucks, trash pickup, etc.) are not allowed between 10:00pm and 7:00am. This is defined as an unreasonable noise being heard from a place other than the property where the sound is located or at a distance greater than 75 feet away if in a public place. It is technically a violation if noise is continued to be made after being asked to stop (unless a permit is granted for a special occasion).
• Construction equipment is not allowed between 7:00pm and 7:00am, unless there is an urgent need for repair, such as a life-safety issue.
• Any other unreasonable noises in general (e.g. animals or birds), or when in a public place (e.g. horns, yelling, or shouting) are enforceable any time of day. This is if a noise is unreasonable and noise is continued to be made after being asked to stop.

Fireworks laws in Marion County are more stringent than the State law. The City's municipal code says they may be used on the 4th of July from 10:00am to midnight and 5 days before and after the 4th from 5:00pm to 2 hours past sunset. They may also be used on New Year's Eve from 10:00am to 1:00am. All other times are prohibited.

The Indianapolis Fire Department requests that people with non-emergency fireworks complaints call the non-emergency dispatch line at 311 or 317-327-3811.

Take photos of the blockage and the street flooding and start a ticket on Request Indy. Take note of your ticket number and follow up with our Mayor's Neighborhood Advocate if you haven't heard back in about a month.

Ultimately, this is Citizens Energy Group's and DPW's responsibility, but if you can't wait, you may see what debris on the surface you're able to safely clear yourself. If it's still backing up, the storm drain will need to be opened up and cleared by the city.

Advocate for them! Regular advocacy from multiple neighbors is needed to accomplish this. It's a group effort. Note that the City gives alleyways a lower priority in their system. Here are a few steps we encourage taking:

1. Get photo documentation of all street and sidewalk issues, highlighting lack of accessibility for people in wheelchairs, people with strollers, etc.
2. Email our Quality of Life Committee ( QualityOfLife@bateshendricks.org) and share photos and areas of need
3. Get a signed petition from all (or most) neighbors in the affected address range.
4. Submit a cover letter with select captioned photos and the petition as exhibits to: your City-County Councilor, Councilor At-Large, DPW, and Mayor's Office every few months. Get BHNA sign-off and use its letterhead. Let all parties know the others are being cc'd on the letter. Ultimately, the City-County Councilor has the final say on this. Being a squeaky wheel and showing you have many neighbors actively involved helps.

   Samples: Orange Street Photo Documentation and Orange Street Letter to Councillor.

5. Have multiple neighbors submit, and keep submitting street and sidewalk issues for the entire address range to the MAC / Request Indy.

If there is an immediate danger, please call 911. You can report a nuisance property by reporting it to the IMPD non-emergency line at 311 or 317-327-3811 and report it at www.ShortTermRentalReport.com.

Please refer to this guide by Downtown Indy and the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention & Prevention (CHIP).

Check out Request Indy, where there are a number of categories to select from to report a problem. The City also has an Android app and iOS app to report common problems.

If you have a different problem, your elected officials may be able to help.

Indy Lost Pets is a popular resource many neighbors turn to. Nextdoor also has a function for lost/found pets.

You likely have met a feral cat, also known as a community cat! These cats are common in Bates-Hendricks and likely belong to one of the many local communities, living outdoors happily and healthily. If you see a cat with a tipped ear, it means it has been spayed or neutered as a part of the City's efforts to control the population.

If you are interested in learning more about the local community cat program and resources, check out these resources:

• Community Cat Program
• Indy Neighborhood Cats

This is one of the goals of the Bates-Hendricks Quality of Life (QOL) Committee. To see how you can help with this effort, reach out to QualityOfLife@bateshendricks.org.

Contact your City-County Councilor and encourage them to support increasing bike lanes in the neighborhood.

You may also reach out to the Bates-Hendricks Quality of Life (QOL) Committee at QualityOfLife@bateshendricks.org to get involved and see how you can help with this effort.

Check out the Historic House Research Guide from Indiana Landmarks. Also check out this popular PDF presentation previously prepared for our neighborhood.

The iris has been a symbol of the neighborhood since at least 2001 (the current association was founded in 1996). It's on the bottom right corner of the first page of newsletters dating back to 2001 (the oldest we have a record of, although the newsletters also supposedly date back to 1996). The iris officially made it onto the newsletter masthead in June of 2007. It made an appearance on utility poles in the form of banners back in 2010 lining neighborhood thoroughfares, and then the first neighborhood gateway sign in 2012.

Some of the original neighborhood association founders selected the iris for its hardiness and beauty, and would share iris bulbs with neighbors from their gardens to spread beauty around the neighborhood. The current iteration of the logo (2010 onward) was designed by former neighborhood board member, Allen Janke.