State Of Indiana Shuts Down Amish Acres For Fire Safety Violations

Amish Acres entrance sign and the red Round Barn Theatre behind a white fence in Nappanee, Indiana — The state of Indiana has ordered Amish Acres in Nappanee closed until fire safety violations are corrected. The Round Barn, pictured in 2005. Image credit: Derek Jensen/Wikimedia

Amish Acres, an iconic Amish-themed destination in Nappanee, Indiana, has been shut down by the state until fire safety violations are corrected, following a reinspection of the facility.

Several safety-related violations, according to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, have led the agency to issue an emergency order requiring all to leave the property and prohibiting anyone from entering.

Sold, Rebranded, Then Sold Again

Amish Acres has changed hands twice in the past six years, and the most recent reboot has faced challenges getting back up and fully running.

The iconic Amish-themed destination was owned and run by the Richard Pletcher family for 50 years, before being auctioned off in 2020 and then re-branded as the Barns at Nappanee.

For several years it functioned as a theater venue, restaurant, and later an event center, with the Amish element of the original version downplayed.

Five years later, it was put up for sale again, eventually being purchased by Brad Juneau, with the pledge to return the operation to be more like the original version.

Amish Acres had been working toward a full reopening since it was purchased in October 2025. Image: WSBT

Juneau noted in a December 2025 report at WSBT that getting the property up to code would be a challenge: being an older property, it previously held grandfather status, which it subsequently lost. That meant having to “start fresh,” as Juneau said at the time:

“So, we’ve had to start fresh from everything from the health department to the state and local fire departments. And so, bringing the building that opened up in 1968 to standards of 2024 is when the laws changed the last time and so it’s been a challenge.”

Going by the reports since, it doesn’t appear a full reopening has ever happened. Smaller events were being held, and as WNDU put it this week, the property “had been working toward a full reopening.”

Shut Down Until Violations Are Corrected

That has come to a screeching halt though, as the Indiana Department of Homeland Security today (August 11) issued an emergency order closing the business and prohibiting anyone from entering until “life-safety violations” are fixed. From the report at WNDU:

The state’s order says it is dangerous to enter the property. An inspector issued the emergency order requiring the property to close immediately.

According to an inspection report on the Indiana Department of Homeland Security’s website, the order lists the following violations:

The owner failed to provide required documentation of annual fire alarm and annual fire sprinkler system testing reports, including proof that any identified system deficiencies were corrected.

The facility failed to produce mandatory inspection and cleaning records for the kitchen suppression system, including who performed the work and when.

Portable fire extinguishers were found not properly maintained or inspected in accordance with NFPA 10 standards.

More Details From The Indiana Homeland Security Document

The report states that due to the severity of the issues, “the compliance deadline was set for immediate effect as of Aug. 11.” I had a look at the IDHS document on the case, and learned a few additional things.

As I noted at top, this was a “reinspection“. So it appears this wasn’t the first time this issue came up, and indeed going by Juneau’s comments last year, addressing health and fire standards have been an issue of concern for some time. That may be at least partly why it is taking “immediate effect” now.

Another thing to note is that this appears to concern the Restaurant Barn, as indicated on the IDHS document, and it is the kitchen suppression system that is referenced. It’s unclear if other buildings on the property were in violation as well, but going by this document, the safety violations seem to concern that particular building.

According to the document, all individuals were “required to leave this property” and are also “prohibited from entering this property”. With the big caveat that I am not exactly trained in reading this type of document, I’d have to assume that doesn’t mean all individuals, given that you’d logically need some sort of access to the property to satisfy the requirements of the order.

No fines were assessed in the document for any of the three violations. Additionally, there is a 15-day period to file a written petition for review, running until August 26.

Juneau declined to comment and said he is speaking with attorneys, according to WNDU. A former employee of Amish Acres told the station that she knew of “multiple failed inspections and issues with the fire sprinklers and suppression system.”

It’s too bad to see this, though the reports that emerged seemingly every few months since last year seemed to suggest that getting the business back up and fully running was going to be a challenge.

It remains to be seen if this shutdown becomes something more permanent, or if ownership is able to solve the safety issues to the state’s satisfaction. I believe a lot of Amish Acres fans would like to see that happen, if possible.