Indiana 2025 Regular Session

Indiana House Bill HB1156 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	Introduced Version
3	3	HOUSE BILL No. 1156
4	4	_____
5	5	DIGEST OF INTRODUCED BILL
6	6	Citations Affected: IC 36-1.
7	7	Synopsis: Digital asset mining. Prohibits a county, municipality, or
8	8	township (unit) from adopting or enforcing an ordinance that would
9	9	have the effect of prohibiting, restricting, or impairing an individual's
10	10	or a business's ability to: (1) use digital assets to purchase legal goods
11	11	and services; (2) accept digital assets as a method of payment for legal
12	12	goods and services; (3) use a hardware wallet or self-hosted wallet to
13	13	store the individual's or business's digital assets; (4) take custody of
14	14	digital assets by using a hardware wallet or self-hosted wallet; or (5)
15	15	operate a node for the purpose of connecting to a blockchain protocol
16	16	and participating in the blockchain protocol's operations. Provides that
17	17	use of a property for a digital asset mining business is a permitted
18	18	industrial use under any applicable zoning ordinance of a unit and may
19	19	not be disallowed by a zoning ordinance in a zoning district that
20	20	permits industrial use. Prohibits a unit from applying the unit's zoning
21	21	ordinances in specified ways to regulate digital asset mining.
22	22	Effective: July 1, 2025.
23	23	Pierce K, VanNatter, Miller K
24	24	January 8, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Local Government.
25	25	2025 IN 1156—LS 6565/DI 154 Introduced
26	26	First Regular Session of the 124th General Assembly (2025)
27	27	PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
28	28	Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type,
29	29	additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
30	30	Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional
31	31	provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the
32	32	word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds
33	33	a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
34	34	Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts
35	35	between statutes enacted by the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
36	36	HOUSE BILL No. 1156
37	37	A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning local
38	38	government.
39	39	Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
40	40	1 SECTION 1. IC 36-1-3-14 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
41	41	2 AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY
42	42	3 1, 2025]: Sec. 14. (a) The following definitions apply throughout
43	43	4 this section:
44	44	5 (1) "Digital asset" means:
45	45	6 (A) virtual currency;
46	46	7 (B) cryptocurrency;
47	47	8 (C) natively electronic assets, including stablecoins and
48	48	9 nonfungible tokens; and
49	49	10 (D) other digital only assets that confer economic,
50	50	11 proprietary, or access rights or powers.
51	51	12 (2) "Hardware wallet" means a physical device that is not
52	52	13 continuously connected to the Internet and allows an
53	53	14 individual to secure and transfer digital assets and under
54	54	15 which the owner of the digital assets retains independent
55	55	16 control over the digital assets. The term includes a physical
56	56	17 device under which the owner of the digital assets retains
57	57	2025 IN 1156—LS 6565/DI 154 2
58	58	1 independent control over the digital assets.
59	59	2 (3) "Node" means a computational device that does:
60	60	3 (A) not exercise discretion over transactions initiated by
61	61	4 the end users of the blockchain protocol; and
62	62	5 (B) one (1) or more of the following:
63	63	6 (i) Communicates with other devices or participants on
64	64	7 a blockchain to maintain consensus and integrity of the
65	65	8 blockchain.
66	66	9 (ii) Contains and validates transaction blocks.
67	67	10 (iii) Contains and updates a copy of the blockchain.
68	68	11 (4) "Self-hosted wallet" means a digital interface that is used
69	69	12 to do the following:
70	70	13 (A) Secure and transfer digital assets.
71	71	14 (B) Allow the owner to retain independent control over the
72	72	15 digital assets secured by the digital interface.
73	73	16 (b) A unit may not adopt or enforce an ordinance that would
74	74	17 have the effect of prohibiting, restricting, or impairing an
75	75	18 individual's or business's ability to:
76	76	19 (1) use digital assets to purchase legal goods and services;
77	77	20 (2) accept digital assets as a method of payment for legal
78	78	21 goods and services;
79	79	22 (3) use a hardware wallet or self-hosted wallet to store the
80	80	23 individual's or business's digital assets;
81	81	24 (4) take custody of digital assets by using a hardware wallet
82	82	25 or self-hosted wallet; or
83	83	26 (5) operate a node for the purpose of connecting to a
84	84	27 blockchain protocol and participating in the blockchain
85	85	28 protocol's operations.
86	86	29 SECTION 2. IC 36-1-30.5 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
87	87	30 AS A NEW CHAPTER TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
88	88	31 JULY 1, 2025]:
89	89	32 Chapter 30.5. Regulation of Digital Asset Mining
90	90	33 Sec. 1. As used in this chapter, "blockchain" means data that is:
91	91	34 (1) shared across a network to create a ledger of verified
92	92	35 transactions or information among network participants
93	93	36 linked using cryptography to maintain the integrity of the
94	94	37 ledger and to execute other functions; and
95	95	38 (2) distributed among network participants in an automated
96	96	39 fashion to concurrently update network participants on the
97	97	40 state of the ledger and any other functions.
98	98	41 Sec. 2. As used in this chapter, "digital asset mining" means
99	99	42 using computer hardware and software specifically designed or
100	100	2025 IN 1156—LS 6565/DI 154 3
101	101	1 utilized for the purpose of validating data and securing a
102	102	2 blockchain network.
103	103	3 Sec. 3. As used in this chapter, "digital asset mining business"
104	104	4 means multiple digital asset mining devices at a single site that
105	105	5 consumes more than one (1) megawatt of energy on an average
106	106	6 annual basis in Indiana for the purpose of generating digital assets
107	107	7 by securing a blockchain network.
108	108	8 Sec. 4. As used in this chapter, "digital asset mining device"
109	109	9 means computing hardware specifically designed or utilized to
110	110	10 participate in digital asset mining for the purpose of securing a
111	111	11 blockchain network.
112	112	12 Sec. 5. As used in this chapter, "node" means a computational
113	113	13 device that does:
114	114	14 (1) not exercise discretion over transactions initiated by the
115	115	15 end users of the blockchain protocol; and
116	116	16 (2) one (1) or more of the following:
117	117	17 (A) Communicates with other devices or participants on a
118	118	18 blockchain to maintain consensus and integrity of the
119	119	19 blockchain.
120	120	20 (B) Contains and validates transaction blocks.
121	121	21 (C) Contains and updates a copy of the blockchain.
122	122	22 Sec. 6. Use of a property for a digital asset mining business is a
123	123	23 permitted industrial use under any applicable zoning ordinance of
124	124	24 a unit and may not be disallowed by a zoning ordinance (as defined
125	125	25 in IC 36-7-1-22) in a zoning district or classification of a unit that
126	126	26 permits industrial use.
127	127	27 Sec. 7. A unit may enact or enforce a law or plan that regulates,
128	128	28 prohibits, or limits use of property for digital asset mining in an
129	129	29 industrial zoning district or classification of a unit only if
130	130	30 enforcement is performed in the same manner as enforcement that
131	131	31 applies to similar properties that are not used for digital asset
132	132	32 mining businesses.
133	133	33 Sec. 8. A unit may not:
134	134	34 (1) require a special exception, special use, or zoning variance
135	135	35 for the use of a property for a digital asset mining business in
136	136	36 an industrial zoning district or classification of a unit;
137	137	37 (2) interpret and enforce the unit's zoning regulations in a
138	138	38 manner that is intended for or has the effect of prohibiting or
139	139	39 unreasonably restricting the use of industrial property for a
140	140	40 digital asset mining business; or
141	141	41 (3) require a permit for the use of a property for a digital
142	142	42 asset mining business in an area that is zoned for industrial
143	143	2025 IN 1156—LS 6565/DI 154 4
144	144	1 use.
145	145	2 Sec. 9. A unit may change the zoning classification of a property
146	146	3 used for a digital asset mining business only as provided under
147	147	4 IC 36-7-4.
148	148	2025 IN 1156—LS 6565/DI 154