| 1 | 1 | | |
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| 2 | 2 | | Introduced Version |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE BILL No. 1017 |
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| 4 | 4 | | _____ |
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| 5 | 5 | | DIGEST OF INTRODUCED BILL |
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| 6 | 6 | | Citations Affected: IC 34-30-26-5. |
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| 7 | 7 | | Synopsis: Tax sale procedures. Provides immunity from civil liability |
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| 8 | 8 | | and civil and criminal trespass to a person who is a tax sale certificate |
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| 9 | 9 | | holder or an applicant for a tax deed who enters an abandoned or |
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| 10 | 10 | | vacant property during the statutory redemption period to perform |
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| 11 | 11 | | routine maintenance in order to remedy an existing or anticipated |
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| 12 | 12 | | ordinance violation imposed by a political subdivision. |
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| 13 | 13 | | Effective: January 1, 2026. |
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| 14 | 14 | | Pierce K |
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| 15 | 15 | | January 8, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Judiciary. |
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| 16 | 16 | | 2025 IN 1017—LS 6053/DI 134 Introduced |
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| 17 | 17 | | First Regular Session of the 124th General Assembly (2025) |
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| 18 | 18 | | PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana |
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| 19 | 19 | | Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type, |
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| 20 | 20 | | additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type. |
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| 21 | 21 | | Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional |
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| 22 | 22 | | provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the |
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| 23 | 23 | | word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds |
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| 24 | 24 | | a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution. |
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| 25 | 25 | | Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts |
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| 26 | 26 | | between statutes enacted by the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly. |
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| 27 | 27 | | HOUSE BILL No. 1017 |
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| 28 | 28 | | A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning |
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| 29 | 29 | | taxation. |
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| 30 | 30 | | Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana: |
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| 31 | 31 | | 1 SECTION 1. IC 34-30-26-5, AS AMENDED BY P.L.203-2013, |
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| 32 | 32 | | 2 SECTION 24, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE |
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| 33 | 33 | | 3 JANUARY 1, 2026]: Sec. 5. (a) Except as provided in subsection (d), |
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| 34 | 34 | | 4 a person who is not the owner of real property or who is a creditor, and |
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| 35 | 35 | | 5 who suspects that the property may be vacant or abandoned, may enter |
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| 36 | 36 | | 6 upon the premises of the real property to do the following: |
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| 37 | 37 | | 7 (1) Without entering any structure located on the real property, |
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| 38 | 38 | | 8 visually inspect the real property to determine whether the real |
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| 39 | 39 | | 9 property may be vacant or abandoned. |
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| 40 | 40 | | 10 (2) Perform any of the following actions: |
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| 41 | 41 | | 11 (A) Secure the real property. |
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| 42 | 42 | | 12 (B) Remove trash or debris from the grounds of the real |
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| 43 | 43 | | 13 property. |
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| 44 | 44 | | 14 (C) Landscape, maintain, or mow the grounds of the real |
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| 45 | 45 | | 15 property. |
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| 46 | 46 | | 16 (D) Remove or paint over graffiti on the real property. |
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| 47 | 47 | | 17 (E) For either a tax sale certificate holder or an applicant |
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| 48 | 48 | | 2025 IN 1017—LS 6053/DI 134 2 |
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| 49 | 49 | | 1 for a tax deed, maintenance described in clauses (A) |
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| 50 | 50 | | 2 through (D), or any other routine maintenance, required |
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| 51 | 51 | | 3 to remedy an existing or anticipated ordinance violation |
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| 52 | 52 | | 4 imposed by a political subdivision (as defined in |
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| 53 | 53 | | 5 IC 34-6-2-110) during a tax sale redemption period (as |
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| 54 | 54 | | 6 specified in IC 6-1.1-25-4) with regard to: |
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| 55 | 55 | | 7 (i) an abandoned structure (as defined in IC 36-7-36-1); |
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| 56 | 56 | | 8 (ii) vacant real property (as defined in IC 36-7-36-5); or |
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| 57 | 57 | | 9 (iii) a vacant structure (as defined in IC 36-7-36-6). |
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| 58 | 58 | | 10 (b) A person who: |
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| 59 | 59 | | 11 (1) enters upon the premises of real property to visually inspect |
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| 60 | 60 | | 12 the property, as permitted under subsection (a)(1); and |
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| 61 | 61 | | 13 (2) after inspecting the real property, determines that the real |
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| 62 | 62 | | 14 property may be vacant or abandoned; |
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| 63 | 63 | | 15 may notify the appropriate enforcement authority of the suspected |
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| 64 | 64 | | 16 vacant or abandoned status of the property and request that the |
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| 65 | 65 | | 17 enforcement authority inspect the property to determine whether the |
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| 66 | 66 | | 18 property is in fact vacant or abandoned. |
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| 67 | 67 | | 19 (c) A person that enters upon the premises of real property as |
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| 68 | 68 | | 20 permitted under this section: |
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| 69 | 69 | | 21 (1) is immune from civil liability for an act or omission related to |
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| 70 | 70 | | 22 the entry or to any action described in subsection (a)(2), unless |
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| 71 | 71 | | 23 the act or omission constitutes gross negligence or willful, |
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| 72 | 72 | | 24 wanton, or intentional misconduct; and |
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| 73 | 73 | | 25 (2) shall be held harmless from and against all claims of civil or |
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| 74 | 74 | | 26 criminal trespass. |
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| 75 | 75 | | 27 (d) In the case of real property that is subject to a mortgage, the |
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| 76 | 76 | | 28 creditor in the mortgage transaction may not enter upon the premises |
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| 77 | 77 | | 29 of the real property under subsection (a) if entry is barred by an |
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| 78 | 78 | | 30 automatic stay issued by a bankruptcy court. |
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| 79 | 79 | | 2025 IN 1017—LS 6053/DI 134 |
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