republic-os/legislation/us/states/in/2025/sb-4.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Water matters."
description: "Prohibits a water utility from constructing a long haul water pipeline unless the water utility first obtains a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) from the Indiana utility regulatory commission (IURC). Sets forth specified information that an application for a CPCN must include. Sets forth specified findings that the IURC must make before granting a CPCN. Sets forth conditions under which a water utility may recover through rates the actual costs the water utility incurs in reliance on a CPCN issued by the IURC. Provides that a person that transfers, sells, or leases a long haul water pipeline must provide written notice to the IURC of the transfer, sale, or lease not later than 60 days after the transfer, sale, or lease is finalized. Prohibits a person that transfers or proposes to transfer: (1) more than an annual average of 30,000,000 gallons of water per day out of a basin; or (2) water from a restricted use area; from transferring water out of a basin, or supplying water to another person that the person knows will transfer more than 100,000 gallons of water out of a basin, without first obtaining a transfer permit from the department of natural resources (department). Sets forth specified information that must be included in an application for a transfer permit. Provides that a transfer permit is required for an existing or ongoing interbasin transfer (as of July 1, 2025) if the existing or ongoing transfer exceeds the capacity of any system engaged in the interbasin transfer in any 90 day period. Provides that the department shall approve an application for a permit if the department determines that the transfer: (1) will not result in a perennial overdraft of a ground water resource or in a perennial stream flow depletion; and (2) is in the public interest, as described in the Indiana Code section concerning beneficial uses of Indiana's surface water resources. Provides that a transfer permit: (1) does not expire; and (2) may be renewed, revoked, suspended, or modified in certain circumstances. Provides that the department may assess a civil penalty for violations of these provisions."
jurisdiction: "us/states/in"
legislature: "Indiana General Assembly"
session: "2025"
identifier: "SB 4"
citation: "Indiana SB 4 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["AGENCIES; Department of Natural Resources (DNR)", "AGENCIES; Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC)", "CIVIL LAW AND PROCEDURE; Liabilities", "Damages", "and Penalties", "NATURAL RESOURCES; Rivers", "Streams", "and Waterways", "UTILITIES; Generally", "UTILITIES; Water"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Chris Garten", "Edmond Soliday", "Eric Koch", "Susan Glick"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 34
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2025-01-14"
last_action: "2025-04-22"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/0510f850-8ca7-4c1d-bae3-2bc3de9bb07f"
source_url: "https://api.iga.in.gov/2025/bills/sb0004"
source_hash: "a585a915f5c39a93761cefacc3051dd4c12c2ec365ba3a66a2d0f346a949dbdc"
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 4 (2025) — Water matters.

Prohibits a water utility from constructing a long haul water pipeline unless the water utility first obtains a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) from the Indiana utility regulatory commission (IURC). Sets forth specified information that an application for a CPCN must include. Sets forth specified findings that the IURC must make before granting a CPCN. Sets forth conditions under which a water utility may recover through rates the actual costs the water utility incurs in reliance on a CPCN issued by the IURC. Provides that a person that transfers, sells, or leases a long haul water pipeline must provide written notice to the IURC of the transfer, sale, or lease not later than 60 days after the transfer, sale, or lease is finalized. Prohibits a person that transfers or proposes to transfer: (1) more than an annual average of 30,000,000 gallons of water per day out of a basin; or (2) water from a restricted use area; from transferring water out of a basin, or supplying water to another person that the person knows will transfer more than 100,000 gallons of water out of a basin, without first obtaining a transfer permit from the department of natural resources (department). Sets forth specified information that must be included in an application for a transfer permit. Provides that a transfer permit is required for an existing or ongoing interbasin transfer (as of July 1, 2025) if the existing or ongoing transfer exceeds the capacity of any system engaged in the interbasin transfer in any 90 day period. Provides that the department shall approve an application for a permit if the department determines that the transfer: (1) will not result in a perennial overdraft of a ground water resource or in a perennial stream flow depletion; and (2) is in the public interest, as described in the Indiana Code section concerning beneficial uses of Indiana's surface water resources. Provides that a transfer permit: (1) does not expire; and (2) may be renewed, revoked, suspended, or modified in certain circumstances. Provides that the department may assess a civil penalty for violations of these provisions.

## 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/SB0004/SB0004.03.ENGS.pdf)
2. **Enrolled Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2025/senate/bills/SB0004/SB0004.05.ENRH.pdf)
3. **Introduced Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2025/senate/bills/SB0004/SB0004.01.INTR.pdf)
4. **Senate Bill (S)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://iga.in.gov/pdf-documents/124/2025/senate/bills/SB0004/SB0004.04.COMH.pdf)

## Votes

- SB 4 - Soliday - 2nd Reading — **25–66** (fail) · lower
- SB 4 - Soliday - 2nd Reading — **27–66** (fail) · lower
- SB 4 - Koch — **45–2** (pass) · upper
- SB 4 - Soliday - 3rd Reading — **93–0** (pass) · lower
- SB 4 - Koch - 3rd Reading — **48–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Chris Garten — primary (person)
- Edmond Soliday — primary (person)
- Eric Koch — primary (person)
- Susan Glick — primary (person)
- Alaina Shonkwiler — cosponsor (person)
- Andrea Hunley — coauthor (person)
- Blake Doriot — coauthor (person)
- Brian Buchanan — coauthor (person)
- Cyndi Carrasco — coauthor (person)
- Dan Dernulc — coauthor (person)
- Daryl Schmitt — coauthor (person)
- Dave Hall — cosponsor (person)
- Ed Charbonneau — coauthor (person)
- Eric Bassler — coauthor (person)
- Greg Goode — coauthor (person)
- J.D. Ford — coauthor (person)
- James Tomes — coauthor (person)
- Linda Rogers — coauthor (person)
- Mike Bohacek — coauthor (person)
- Mike Gaskill — coauthor (person)
- Ron Alting — coauthor (person)
- Stacey Donato — coauthor (person)
- Travis Holdman — coauthor (person)
- Vaneta Becker — coauthor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-01-14** Authored by Senator Koch
- **2025-01-14** First reading: referred to Committee on Utilities `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2025-01-21** Senator Hunley added as coauthor
- **2025-01-21** Senator Ford J.D. added as coauthor
- **2025-01-23** Senator Alting added as coauthor
- **2025-01-27** Senator Glick added as third author
- **2025-01-27** Senator Garten added as second author
- **2025-01-27** Senators Charbonneau, Goode, Doriot added as coauthors
- **2025-01-28** Senators Carrasco and Bassler added as coauthors
- **2025-01-28** Senators Becker, Bohacek, Dernulc, Donato, Gaskill, Rogers, Holdman, Tomes added as coauthors
- **2025-01-30** Committee report: amend do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2025-02-03** Second reading: amended, ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2025-02-03** Amendment #1 (Deery) prevailed; voice vote `amendment-passage`
- **2025-02-03** Senator Schmitt added as coauthor
- **2025-02-04** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 65: yeas 48, nays 0 `passage, reading-3, reading-3`
- **2025-02-04** House sponsor: Representative Soliday
- **2025-02-06** Senator Buchanan added as coauthor
- **2025-02-07** Referred to the House `referral`
- **2025-03-03** First reading: referred to Committee on Utilities, Energy and Telecommunications `reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2025-03-25** Committee report: amend do pass, adopted `committee-passage`
- **2025-03-31** Second reading: ordered engrossed `reading-2`
- **2025-03-31** Amendment #2 (Campbell) failed; Roll Call 325: yeas 25, nays 66 `amendment-failure, failure`
- **2025-03-31** Amendment #1 (Pierce M) failed; Roll Call 324: yeas 27, nays 66 `amendment-failure, failure`
- **2025-04-01** Representative Shonkwiler added as cosponsor
- **2025-04-01** Third reading: passed; Roll Call 339: yeas 93, nays 0 `passage, reading-3, reading-3`
- **2025-04-02** Returned to the Senate with amendments `receipt`
- **2025-04-01** Representative Hall added as cosponsor
- **2025-04-04** Motion to concur filed `filing`
- **2025-04-08** Senate concurred with House amendments; Roll Call 369: yeas 45, nays 2
- **2025-04-09** Signed by the President Pro Tempore `passage`
- **2025-04-09** Signed by the Speaker `passage`
- **2025-04-15** Signed by the President of the Senate `passage`
- **2025-04-22** Signed by the Governor `executive-signature`
- **2025-04-22** Public Law 99 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/0510f850-8ca7-4c1d-bae3-2bc3de9bb07f`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Indiana legislature records).