Haunted houses must pass inspections

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - With Halloween weeks away, haunted houses across the state are in full swing. But before opening, every haunted house must pass a safety inspection.

Necropolis, opened its doors 21 years ago. Then, it only cost $6 to enter. Now, fright-seekers will pay $27 to get inside.

“We are trained to scare the be-jibbers out of you,” Steve Walls said. “A lot of people can’t make it through! That is not our goal. We want you to enjoy our product.”

Steve Walls wants to frighten the customers brave enough to enter, but safety is his first priority. Walls says everything inside the haunted house, located on North Shadeland Avenue, is sprayed with a chemical to prevent fire from spreading.

He also has visible exit signs every 50-feet and a sprinkler system.

“We have to worry about how the person is going to react when they are scared and where they are going to land,” Walls said.

When the state Fire Marshal inspects haunted houses, he is looking for specifics such as a well lit exit sign every 50 feet.

Jon Greeson, the State Fire Marshal, said those signs must be in high and low areas.

Greeson added, if there’s an emergency, owners must have a system in place where they can immediately stop sound effects to alert the public of potential dangers.

So far, Necropolis has met all of the requirements. But everyone isn’t as thorough.

“We’ve had violations and found operators are very willing to work with us,” Greeson said. “They want to be open and we want them to be open. The team at Necropolis is open. But if there's an emergency they are ready.

“It’s kind of like the seatbelt in the car. You hope you never need it but its there if you have to use it,” Wells said.

Meanwhile, if you're unsure whether a haunted house has been inspected just ask to see their permit. Owners are required to keep it on site.

You can also call the State Fire Marshal at 317-232-2222.