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Read. Follow. Verify.Indiana Bill Allows Cemeteries to Reclaim and Resell Unused Burial Spaces Over 100 Years Old
Last action · February 2, 2026: First reading: referred to Committee on Commerce and TechnologySponsors: Edward Clere and 5 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Beginning July 1, 2026, cemetery operators in Indiana are authorized to terminate ownership rights in burial spaces that have remained unused and unremarked for at least 100 years, provided they follow required notice and advertising procedures. Owners who respond to termination notices can declare their intent to keep the plot or request a refund equal to the original purchase price. For government-owned cemeteries, any proceeds from reselling reclaimed plots must be used exclusively for cemetery maintenance.
Property owners of long-held, unoccupied cemetery plots face the loss of their burial rights unless they respond to public notices or state their intent to retain the space. Conversely, local government s gain a revenue source for grounds maintenance through the resale of abandoned plots.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Cemetery Owners and Operators
Operators gain the legal authority to reclaim unused, unimproved burial plots older than 100 years and must follow specific advertising and notification procedures to do so.
Owners of Historic Burial Spaces
Owners of plots left unused for over a century face potential termination of their rights if they fail to respond to public and certified mail notices.
Local Government Units
Units operating cemeteries must dedicate all funds generated from the resale of reclaimed burial spaces exclusively to cemetery maintenance and improvements.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can a cemetery terminate ownership of an unused burial space?
What happens if an owner responds to a termination notice?
Where do the proceeds go if a government-owned cemetery resells a reclaimed plot?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · passed the House · in Senate committee.
Procedural history
10 actions- Feb 2, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst reading: referred to Committee on Commerce and Technology
- Jan 29, 2026HouseReferred to the Senate
- Jan 28, 2026HouseSenate sponsors: Senators Hunley, Clark
- Jan 28, 2026HouseFloorThird reading: passed; Roll Call 112: yeas 93, nays 3
- Jan 20, 2026HouseRepresentatives Morris, Summers added as coauthors
- Jan 20, 2026HouseFloorSecond reading: ordered engrossed
Show 4 earlier actions
- Jan 15, 2026HouseFloorCommittee report: do pass, adopted
- Jan 8, 2026HouseIntroducedFirst reading: referred to Committee on Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development
- Jan 8, 2026HouseCoauthored by Representative Genda
- Jan 8, 2026HouseAuthored by Representative Clere
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Introduction of Time-Bound Property Rights for Cemeteries
Creates an affirmative legal mechanism allowing perpetual burial rights to be rescinded after 100 years of non-use and non-improvement.
Connected Entities
Sources
iga.in.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 35)
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz10Current news / social attention level
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