The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Indiana authorizes alkaline hydrolysis for animal remains disposal and sets agency rules
Last action · January 5, 2026: First reading: referred to Committee on Commerce and TechnologySponsor: Justin Busch
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Proposed
Senate Bill 135 authorizes as a lawful method for disposing of animal remains in Indiana, effective July 1, 2026. The measure directs state environmental and animal health agencies to establish construction, operation, biosecurity, and wastewater discharge standards for these facilities. It also restricts local zoning authorities from classifying alkaline hydrolysis plants as incinerators or crematories.
Licensed disposal operators gain a new legal method for processing animal remains using water, heat, pressure, and chemical solutions, while local governments face limits on zoning restrictions for these facilities.
- Alkaline hydrolysis is a water-based dissolution process sometimes utilized as an alternative to traditional flame cremation or burial for remains. context
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.
disposal plant licensees
Licensees gain the legal authorization to use alkaline hydrolysis for animal remains disposal and must comply with new equipment, biosecurity, and recordkeeping rules.
local units regulating zoning
Local governments retain authority to regulate the location of alkaline hydrolysis disposal plants but are restricted from classifying them as incinerators or crematories.
Key Facts
- Alkaline hydrolysis is officially authorized as a lawful method for animal remains disposal starting July 1, 2026.
- The process uses water, heat, pressure, and chemical solutions including potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, or a combination of both.
- The Indiana Department of Environmental Management must establish wastewater, effluent, and discharge standards for alkaline hydrolysis chambers.
- The State Board of Animal Health must adopt rules covering minimum equipment requirements, biosecurity procedures, operator training, and emergency shutdown protocols.
Show all 6 facts
- Alkaline hydrolysis facilities are explicitly excluded from being classified as incinerators, crematories, or medical waste processors under local zoning ordinances.
- Local units may regulate the location of disposal plants performing alkaline hydrolysis but cannot impose zoning requirements more restrictive than those applied to comparable agricultural or veterinary waste-handling facilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
What chemical solutions are used in alkaline hydrolysis under this bill?
Can local cities or counties ban alkaline hydrolysis plants through zoning?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in Senate committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Jan 5, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst reading: referred to Committee on Commerce and Technology
- Jan 5, 2026SenateAuthored by Senator Busch
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
Connected Entities
Sources
iga.in.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 50)
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools