---
type: "Bill"
title: "Low head dams."
description: "Provides that the state does not assume ownership of or responsibility for a low head dam that is not listed as owned by the state on the department of natural resources' (department) low head dam roster (roster). Permits a person to remove without a permit certain low head dams that are located on a navigable waterway and that are encroachments. Requires the department to establish warning sign standards and requirements for low head dams that are on the roster. Allows for a bond of $1,000,000 to serve as proof of financial responsibility for a person that owns a low head dam. Provides that a permit issued by the director after January 1, 2021, for the removal of a low head dam does not expire until two years after certain judicial appeal processes are complete."
jurisdiction: "us/states/in"
legislature: "Indiana General Assembly"
session: "2025"
identifier: "SB 477"
citation: "Indiana SB 477 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["ADVERTISEMENTS AND NOTICES", "AGENCIES; Department of Natural Resources (DNR)", "BILLBOARDS AND SIGNS", "COURTS; Generally", "ENVIRONMENT; Generally", "FINANCIAL SERVICES; Bonds (Non-Judicial)", "NATURAL RESOURCES; Dams and Levees", "NATURAL RESOURCES; Rivers", "Streams", "and Waterways"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Ethan Manning", "Justin Busch", "Susan Glick"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 21
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2025-01-13"
last_action: "2025-04-01"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/863f93e7-dcfe-4fc1-985d-d1d414f8271c"
source_url: "https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/sb0477"
source_hash: "fea7a36941229a6aa8f34c3ddc34b2566dbaeaa11fceb6a0422eba7636be4483"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-in"]
---

# Indiana SB 477 (2025) — Low head dams.

Provides that the state does not assume ownership of or responsibility for a low head dam that is not listed as owned by the state on the department of natural resources' (department) low head dam roster (roster). Permits a person to remove without a permit certain low head dams that are located on a navigable waterway and that are encroachments. Requires the department to establish warning sign standards and requirements for low head dams that are on the roster. Allows for a bond of $1,000,000 to serve as proof of financial responsibility for a person that owns a low head dam. Provides that a permit issued by the director after January 1, 2021, for the removal of a low head dam does not expire until two years after certain judicial appeal processes are complete.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Enrolled Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2025/senate/bills/SB0477/SB0477.04.ENRH.pdf)
2. **Introduced Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2025/senate/bills/SB0477/SB0477.01.INTR.pdf)
3. **Senate Bill (H)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2025/senate/bills/SB0477/SB0477.02.COMS.pdf)
4. **Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2025/senate/bills/SB0477/SB0477.03.COMH.pdf)

## Votes

- SB 477 - Manning - 3rd Reading — **91–0** (pass) · lower
- SB 477 - Busch - 3rd Reading — **49–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Ethan Manning — primary (person)
- Justin Busch — primary (person)
- Susan Glick — primary (person)
- David Abbott — cosponsor (person)
- Edward Clere — cosponsor (person)
- Pat Boy — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2025-01-13** Authored by Senator Busch
- **2025-01-13** First reading: referred to Committee on Natural Resources `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2025-01-28** Committee report: amend do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2025-02-03** Second reading: ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2025-02-03** Senator Glick added as second author
- **2025-02-04** House sponsor: Representative Manning
- **2025-02-04** Cosponsor: Representative Clere
- **2025-02-04** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 76: yeas 49, nays 0 `passage, reading-3, reading-3`
- **2025-02-05** Referred to the House `referral`
- **2025-03-03** First reading: referred to Committee on Natural Resources `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2025-03-13** Committee report: do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2025-03-17** Representative Boy added as cosponsor
- **2025-03-17** Representative Abbott added as cosponsor
- **2025-03-17** Second reading: ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2025-03-21** Returned to the Senate without amendments `receipt`
- **2025-03-20** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 294: yeas 91, nays 0 `passage, reading-3, reading-3`
- **2025-03-24** Signed by the Speaker `passage`
- **2025-03-24** Signed by the President Pro Tempore `passage`
- **2025-03-27** Signed by the President of the Senate `passage`
- **2025-04-01** Public Law 14 `became-law`
- **2025-04-01** Signed by the Governor `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/863f93e7-dcfe-4fc1-985d-d1d414f8271c`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Indiana legislature records).