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HB1333 • 2026
A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning local government.
A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning local government.
Energy
Land
Taxes
Passed Legislature
This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.
- Sponsor
- Representative Kendell Culp
- Last action
- 2026-02-05
- Official status
- House Bill (S)
- Effective date
- Not listed
Plain English Breakdown
The official source material does not provide specific details about soil types or agricultural zones affected.
Indiana Land Use and Development Act
This act amends Indiana's laws concerning local government, focusing on land use, development, energy production zones, and zoning procedures.
What This Bill Does
- Allows certain developments on agricultural land with specific soil types to be permitted uses.
- Gives private or nonprofit entities involved in the Indiana brownfields program protection from legal claims.
- Requires data center users seeking tax exemptions for equipment purchases to contribute a percentage of tax savings to local units.
- Expands the definition of energy production facilities to include battery storage systems and requires emergency plans for these systems.
- Gives zoning boards more control over public hearing procedures, including who can speak and how long they can talk.
Who It Names or Affects
- Local governments in Indiana
- Developers planning projects on agricultural land with specific soil types
- Data center users seeking tax exemptions for equipment purchases
Terms To Know
- Brownfields program
- A state initiative to clean up and reuse contaminated properties.
- Qualified data center user
- An entity that operates a data center eligible for tax exemptions under Indiana law.
Limits and Unknowns
- The bill does not specify the exact soil types or agricultural zones affected.
- It is unclear how much local governments will benefit from contributions by data center users.
- Details about emergency response plans and approvals are not fully explained in this summary.
Amendments
These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.
Plain English: This amendment changes the Indiana Code to allow local governments more flexibility in setting land use and development rules.
- Adds new provisions that give local governments greater authority over land use and development within their jurisdictions.
- The exact details of how local governments will implement these changes are not specified, so the impact may vary by location.
Plain English: This amendment proposes to change the Indiana Code regarding local government, but the specific details of the changes are not provided in the given text.
- The exact nature and content of the proposed changes to the Indiana Code concerning local government are not specified in this amendment text.
- The official amendment text does not provide enough information to describe the concrete changes it would make.
Plain English: This amendment would add a new section to the Indiana Code that allows local governments to establish emergency preparedness plans.
- Adds a new section to the Indiana Code allowing local governments to create emergency preparedness plans.
- The text does not specify what exactly these emergency preparedness plans would include or how they should be implemented, which limits our ability to explain further details.
Plain English: This amendment would add a new section to the Indiana Code that allows local governments to establish emergency shelters for individuals experiencing homelessness.
- Adds a new section to the Indiana Code allowing local governments to create emergency shelters for people without homes.
- The text does not specify details about how these shelters would be funded or regulated, which limits our understanding of the full impact and implementation of this amendment.
Bill History
-
2026-02-05
Senate
First reading: referred to Committee on Utilities
-
2026-02-03
House
Referred to the Senate
-
2026-02-02
House
Third reading: passed; Roll Call 195: yeas 54, nays 45
-
2026-02-02
House
Senate sponsors: Senators Koch, Doriot
-
2026-01-29
House
Second reading: ordered engrossed
-
2026-01-29
House
Amendment #1 (Pryor) failed; Roll Call 157: yeas 24, nays 65
-
2026-01-27
House
Committee report: do pass, adopted
-
2026-01-20
House
Committee report: amend do pass, adopted
-
2026-01-20
House
Representatives Pressel, Haggard added as coauthors
-
2026-01-20
House
Recommitted to Committee on Ways and Means pursuant to House Rule 126.3
-
2026-01-06
House
Authored by Representative Culp
-
2026-01-06
House
First reading: referred to Committee on Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications
Official Summary Text
A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning local government.
Land use and development.
Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning local government.
Land use and development.
Requires a development that is sited on land: (1) in an area zoned agricultural; and (2) comprised of certain capability classes of soils; to be a permitted use. Extends governmental immunity to a private entity or nonprofit entity that has executed certain agreements under the Indiana brownfields program. Provides that before a qualified data center user may use a specific transaction award certificate issued after June 30, 2026, to purchase qualified data center equipment eligible for the state gross retail tax exemption, the qualified data center user and a local unit that issues after June 30, 2026, a permit authorizing the development, construction, or operation of the qualified data center in the unit shall enter into a written agreement that includes a commitment by the qualified data center user to contribute to the local unit an amount equal to at least 1% of the amount of taxes that are not paid on each purchase of qualified data center equipment that is made: (1) using the specific transaction award certificate; and (2) during the duration of the specific transaction award certificate. For purposes of the statute concerning energy production zones: (1) redesignates the term "electric generation facility" as "electric generation or storage facility"; and (2) provides that the term includes a utility scale battery energy storage system (BESS). Provides that if a planned electric generation or storage facility will include a BESS, the project owner must include in the required statutory notice to the local planning authority: (1) the emergency response plan required under the statute governing the approval of a BESS by the department of homeland security (department); and (2) documentation of the department's approval of the BESS. Makes conforming changes. Allows a plan commission, board of zoning appeals, or county or municipal legislative body (body) to require a person to provide their name and address in writing in order to speak at a public hearing regarding certain matters. Allows the body's presiding officer to give consideration to whether a person is a county resident or has an interest as an owner, lessor, lessee, or life tenant in real property within the county in deciding: (1) the order of speakers; and (2) the amount of time allotted to speakers; at a hearing.