---
type: "Bill"
title: "Protection of property rights."
description: "Defines \"squatter\" as an individual who occupies the property of another and who does not have and has never had: (1) a rental agreement; (2) permission of the owner; or (3) another legal interest in the property. Permits a property owner to execute an affidavit stating that a squatter is occupying the person's property, and requires a law enforcement agency to dispatch one or more law enforcement officers to remove the squatter within 48 hours (or a later period if necessary for reasons of public safety). Provides that a property owner can execute an affidavit at the time a law enforcement officer responds to a complaint that a squatter is occupying the owner's property. Requires a dispatched law enforcement officer to remove the squatter from the property unless the law enforcement officer discovers credible evidence that the person is not a squatter. Provides that a law enforcement agency may create a form affidavit. Provides certain immunities to a law enforcement agency and a law enforcement officer. Establishes a cause of action for wrongful removal from property."
jurisdiction: "us/states/in"
legislature: "Indiana General Assembly"
session: "2025"
identifier: "SB 157"
citation: "Indiana SB 157 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["CIVIL LAW AND PROCEDURE; Contracts and Legal Documents", "CIVIL LAW AND PROCEDURE; Immunity and Exemption from Liability", "CIVIL LAW AND PROCEDURE; Liabilities", "Damages", "and Penalties", "CRIMINAL LAW AND PROCEDURE; Offenses Against Property", "LAW ENFORCEMENT; Generally", "PROPERTY; Generally", "PROPERTY; Homelessness"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Joanna King", "Michael Young", "Mike Gaskill", "Scott Baldwin"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 42
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2025-01-08"
last_action: "2025-05-06"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/574055da-dedd-43d3-b039-29580af73451"
source_url: "https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/sb0157"
source_hash: "e8db5c1e916eca39f9d7095163ff802b0fbbaa8a11f0980fe8b572ecc7ca1fb4"
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 157 (2025) — Protection of property rights.

Defines "squatter" as an individual who occupies the property of another and who does not have and has never had: (1) a rental agreement; (2) permission of the owner; or (3) another legal interest in the property. Permits a property owner to execute an affidavit stating that a squatter is occupying the person's property, and requires a law enforcement agency to dispatch one or more law enforcement officers to remove the squatter within 48 hours (or a later period if necessary for reasons of public safety). Provides that a property owner can execute an affidavit at the time a law enforcement officer responds to a complaint that a squatter is occupying the owner's property. Requires a dispatched law enforcement officer to remove the squatter from the property unless the law enforcement officer discovers credible evidence that the person is not a squatter. Provides that a law enforcement agency may create a form affidavit. Provides certain immunities to a law enforcement agency and a law enforcement officer. Establishes a cause of action for wrongful removal from property.

## Version chain

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

1. **Engrossed Senate Bill (H)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2025/senate/bills/SB0157/SB0157.03.ENGS.pdf)
2. **Enrolled Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2025/senate/bills/SB0157/SB0157.05.ENRH.pdf)
3. **Introduced Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2025/senate/bills/SB0157/SB0157.01.INTR.pdf)
4. **Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2025/senate/bills/SB0157/SB0157.04.COMH.pdf)

## Votes

- SB 157 - King - 3rd Reading — **74–18** (pass) · lower
- SB 157 - Gaskill - 3rd Reading — **48–1** (pass) · upper
- SB 157 - Gaskill - 2nd Reading — **8–40** (fail) · upper
- SB 157 - King — **84–6** (pass) · lower
- SB 157 - Gaskill — **50–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Joanna King — primary (person)
- Michael Young — primary (person)
- Mike Gaskill — primary (person)
- Scott Baldwin — primary (person)
- Aaron Freeman — coauthor (person)
- Blake Doriot — coauthor (person)
- David Abbott — cosponsor (person)
- David Niezgodski — coauthor (person)
- Gary Byrne — coauthor (person)
- Linda Rogers — coauthor (person)
- Lonnie Randolph — coauthor (person)
- Michelle Davis — cosponsor (person)
- Timothy O'Brien — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-01-08** Authored by Senator Gaskill
- **2025-01-08** First reading: referred to Committee on Judiciary `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2025-01-14** Senator Baldwin added as second author
- **2025-01-16** Senator Randolph added as coauthor
- **2025-01-23** Committee report: amend do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2025-01-27** Senator Young M added as third author
- **2025-01-30** Amendment #2 (Pol) failed; Roll Call 41: yeas 8, nays 40 `amendment-failure, failure`
- **2025-01-30** Senator Freeman added as coauthor
- **2025-01-30** Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2025-01-30** Amendment #3 (Freeman) prevailed; voice vote `amendment-passage`
- **2025-02-03** Cosponsor: Representative Davis
- **2025-02-03** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 52: yeas 48, nays 1 `passage, reading-3, reading-3`
- **2025-02-03** Senator Rogers added as coauthor
- **2025-02-03** Senator Doriot added as coauthor
- **2025-02-03** Senator Byrne added as coauthor
- **2025-02-03** House sponsor: Representative King
- **2025-02-04** Referred to the House `referral`
- **2025-02-11** Representative Abbott added as cosponsor
- **2025-03-03** First reading: referred to Committee on Judiciary `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2025-03-13** Representative O'Brien added as cosponsor
- **2025-03-24** Committee report: amend do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2025-03-27** Second reading: ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2025-03-31** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 330: yeas 74, nays 18 `passage, reading-3, reading-3`
- **2025-04-01** Returned to the Senate with amendments `receipt`
- **2025-04-10** Motion to concur filed `filing`
- **2025-04-15** Senator Niezgodski added as coauthor
- **2025-04-16** Concurrence withdrawn `withdrawal`
- **2025-04-16** Motion to dissent filed `filing`
- **2025-04-16** Senate dissented from House amendments
- **2025-04-16** House advisors appointed: Davis, Jeter, Abbott, Bauer, Burton and Dvorak
- **2025-04-16** House conferees appointed: King and Garcia Wilburn
- **2025-04-17** Senate advisors appointed: Randolph Lonnie M, Freeman and Alting
- **2025-04-17** Senate conferees appointed: Gaskill and Pol
- **2025-04-23** CCR # 1 filed in the House `filing`
- **2025-04-23** CCR # 1 filed in the Senate `filing`
- **2025-04-24** Signed by the President Pro Tempore `passage`
- **2025-04-25** Signed by the Speaker `passage`
- **2025-04-29** Signed by the President of the Senate `passage`
- **2025-04-24** Rules Suspended. Conference Committee Report 1: adopted by the Senate; Roll Call 505: yeas 50, nays 0
- **2025-05-06** Public Law 191 `became-law`
- **2025-04-24** Rules Suspended. Conference Committee Report 1: adopted by the House; Roll Call 547: yeas 84, nays 6
- **2025-05-06** 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/574055da-dedd-43d3-b039-29580af73451`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Indiana legislature records).