# Indiana SB 224: Department of natural resources.

Indiana SB 224, Department of natural resources., is a Second Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2026) Senate bill sponsored by no sponsor on record; status signed, last action 2026-03-05 (Public Law 123); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB224-2026
- As of: 2026-11-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Indiana SB 224
- State: Indiana
- Session: Second Regular Session 124th General Assembly (2026)
- Title: Department of natural resources.
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-01-08
- Last action: 2026-03-05, Public Law 123
- Sponsors: no sponsor on record
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: natural resources, the house
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 3 (178 yes, 15 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 11

## Summary

Defines various terms. Amends and removes various definitions. Makes various changes to natural resources commission procedures. Makes various changes to the department of natural resources (department) powers and duties. Removes the hometown Indiana grant program. Amends various boating and wakeboard regulations. Raises the financial threshold for certain actions in a boating accident from $750 to $2,000. Raises the financial threshold for certain actions in an off-road vehicle accident from $750 to $2,500. Establishes various restrictions on landowner liability to recreational users. Provides that various restrictions on landowner liability do not apply to a parcel of land assessed as residential land. Removes the penalty for a person who acts as a hunting guide without a guide license. Allows the division of water to perform certain functions on behalf of the natural resources commission. Requires the natural resources commission to coordinate with the department for purposes of a reporting requirement regarding conservancy districts. Establishes a consolidated chapter for river basin commission administration. Repeals existing, separate chapters for the Maumee River basin commission, the St. Joseph River basin commission, and the Upper Wabash River basin commission. Creates a new chapter for a river basin commission's conversion into a watershed development commission. Makes technical and conforming changes.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Hunting guides lose one licensing penalty: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the law removes the Class B infraction for acting as a hunting guide without the specified license. This repeal removes that particular penalty. It does not establish that all other licensing rules or consequences are gone.
- Counties can reshape river basin boards: benefit, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, the law establishes Maumee, St. Joseph, and Upper Wabash river basin commissions as separate local public bodies. Counties with basin territory can join or withdraw, and each commission can sue or be sued. Each can become a watershed development commission only with every pa…
- Operators face updated accident reporting rules: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, boating accidents require reporting for injury, death, or damage meeting the greater of $2,000 or the federal boating-report database threshold. Operators must immediately notify law enforcement or natural resources dispatch and mail the department a written report within 24…
- State burn staff gain liability protection: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, natural resources officers, agents, and employees receive civil-liability protection for covered prescribed-burn work. Covered work includes planning, conducting, and helping with burns. Protection also covers running the burn-certification program, including revoking certif…
- Landowners get notice before floodplain inspections: mixed, low. River basin representatives can enter 100-year floodplain land for surveys, examinations, or investigations of suspected flood-control violations. They can cross land outside the floodplain to reach it. They must give the owner, contract purchaser, or municipal executive 21 days’ written notice. An…
- Recreation liability shields exclude residential land: mixed, low. The law limits some injury and property-damage claims against owners of land not assessed as residential. It covers qualifying recreational visitors, with or without permission, who pay nothing or whose access a state or federal agency pays for. It does not protect malicious or illegal acts, or rep…
- Developers need records near burial grounds: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, covered development-plan applications must be filed with the state division that reviews burial-ground and cemetery projects. Applications need a signed cover letter, applicant and project details, and maps showing construction within 100 feet of burial sites. They also need…
- Counties share river basin funding costs: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, river basin commissions can accept government grants and appropriations, plus private funding, for their authorized work. They cannot receive funding through the Wabash River heritage corridor commission. Participating counties can budget and pay money for commission purpose…
- Trappers face timed animal removal rules: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, owners must check traps designed to capture furbearing animals without killing within 24 hours. They must also remove trapped animals within that period. For traps designed to capture and kill, the limit is 48 hours. The Department of Natural Resources must recommend checkin…
- Boaters need watchers for towed riders: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, Indiana’s boating rules cover boats, towed objects, and people being towed. Motorboats towing water skis, wakeboards, watersleds, or similar equipment must carry another person who watches the equipment or rider. That watcher must give the task full attention. The operator m…
- Floodplain projects face possible building limits: mixed, low. Beginning July 1, 2026, river basin commissions can adopt resolutions requiring new construction to hold increased runoff onsite. They can restrict construction in 100-year floodplains and allow runoff waivers for a reasonable developer fee. The Maumee commission can acquire or transfer conservatio…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- (none)

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-02-27 | Senate | Rules Suspended. Senate concurred with House amendments | pass | 45 | 4 |   |
| 2026-02-24 | House | Third reading: passed | pass | 85 | 11 |   |
| 2026-01-29 | Senate | Third reading: passed | pass | 48 | 0 |   |

## Actions (29)

- 2026-03-05: Public Law 123 (Senate)
- 2026-03-05: Signed by the Governor (Senate)
- 2026-02-27: Rules Suspended. Senate concurred with House amendments; Roll Call 313: yeas 45, nays 4 (Senate)
- 2026-02-27: Motion to concur filed (Senate)
- 2026-02-27: Dissent rescinded (Senate)
- 2026-02-27: Signed by the Speaker (House)
- 2026-02-27: Signed by the President of the Senate (Senate)
- 2026-02-27: Signed by the President Pro Tempore (Senate)
- 2026-02-26: House conferees appointed: Lindauer, Burton (House)
- 2026-02-26: House advisors appointed: Abbott, Hostettler, Jackson C, Novak (House)
- 2026-02-25: Senate conferees appointed: Glick, Spencer (Senate)
- 2026-02-25: Senate advisors appointed: Tomes, Yoder (Senate)
- 2026-02-25: Returned to the Senate with amendments (House)
- 2026-02-25: Senate dissented from House amendments (Senate)
- 2026-02-25: Motion to dissent filed (Senate)
- 2026-02-24: Third reading: passed; Roll Call 348: yeas 85, nays 11 (House)
- 2026-02-23: Amendment #2 (Lindauer) prevailed; voice vote (House)
- 2026-02-23: Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed (House)
- 2026-02-12: Committee report: amend do pass, adopted (House)
- 2026-02-09: Representative Abbott added as cosponsor (House)
- 2026-02-02: First reading: referred to Committee on Natural Resources (House)
- 2026-01-29: Referred to the House (Senate)
- 2026-01-29: Senator Tomes added as second author (Senate)
- 2026-01-29: House sponsor: Representative Lindauer (Senate)
- 2026-01-29: Third reading: passed; Roll Call 139: yeas 48, nays 0 (Senate)
- 2026-01-28: Second reading: ordered engrossed (Senate)
- 2026-01-27: Committee report: amend do pass, adopted (Senate)
- 2026-01-08: Authored by Senator Glick (Senate)
- 2026-01-08: First reading: referred to Committee on Natural Resources (Senate)

## Bill text

- Engrossed Senate Bill (S): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0224/versions/SB0224.04.ENGH?format=pdf)
- Enrolled Senate Bill (S): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0224/versions/SB0224.05.ENRH?format=pdf)
- Introduced Senate Bill (S): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0224/versions/SB0224.01.INTR?format=pdf)
- Senate Bill (H): [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0224/versions/SB0224.02.COMS?format=pdf), [PDF](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0224/versions/SB0224.03.COMH?format=pdf)

## Related bills

- SB 239: Various education matters. (signed)
- SB 204: Various education matters. (signed)
- SB 179: Indiana department of transportation. (signed)
- SB 185: Alcohol and tobacco matters. (signed)
- SB 80: Code publication. (signed)
- HB 1424: Farm and homestead food sales. (signed)

## Sources
- [Engrossed Senate Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0224/versions/SB0224.04.ENGH?format=pdf)
- [Enrolled Senate Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0224/versions/SB0224.05.ENRH?format=pdf)
- [Introduced Senate Bill (S) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0224/versions/SB0224.01.INTR?format=pdf)
- [Senate Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0224/versions/SB0224.02.COMS?format=pdf)
- [Senate Bill (H) (PDF)](https://api.iga.in.gov/2026/bills/SB0224/versions/SB0224.03.COMH?format=pdf)

## Related
- [SB 239: Various education matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB239-2026)
- [SB 204: Various education matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB204-2026)
- [SB 179: Indiana department of transportation.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB179-2026)
- [SB 185: Alcohol and tobacco matters.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB185-2026)
- [SB 80: Code publication.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB80-2026)
- [HB 1424: Farm and homestead food sales.](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-HB1424-2026)
- [Indiana bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/indiana/bills)
- [Indiana state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/indiana)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/IN-SB224-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).