HB 1304

                                                            Introduced Version
           HOUSE BILL No. 1304
                 _____
              DIGEST OF INTRODUCED BILL
Citations Affected:  IC 9-13-2-53; IC 9-17; IC 34-30-2.1-90.3;
IC 35-52-9.1-2.6.
Synopsis: Titles for vintage vehicles. Establishes a procedure for
applying for bonded certificates of title for vintage motor vehicles.
Requires the bureau of motor vehicles to amend the Indiana
Administrative Code to make a conforming amendment. Provides that
a person who knowingly or intentionally provides false information to
receive a bonded certificate of title commits fraud involving a bonded
certificate of title, a Level 6 felony.
Effective: July 1, 2026.
                                 Sweet
   January 6, 2026, read first time and referred to Committee on Roads and Transportation.
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                                                                                       Introduced
            Second Regular Session of the 124th General Assembly (2026)
 PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
 Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type,
 additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
   Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional
 provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the
 word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds
 a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
  Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts
 between statutes enacted by the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
                   HOUSE BILL No. 1304
   A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning
 motor vehicles.
     Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
1    SECTION 1. IC 9-13-2-53 IS AMENDED TO READ AS
2 FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2026]: Sec. 53. "Fair market value",
3 for purposes of IC 9-17-9 and IC 9-22-3, has the meaning set forth in
4 IC 9-22-3-2.
5    SECTION 2. IC 9-17-1-1, AS AMENDED BY P.L.164-2020,
6 SECTION 36, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
7 JULY 1, 2026]: Sec. 1. (a) This article does not apply to the following:
8      (1) A vehicle that is not required to be registered under IC 9-18-2
9      (before its expiration) or IC 9-18.1.
10      (2) Special machinery.
11      (3) A motor vehicle that was designed to have a maximum design
12      speed of not more than twenty-five (25) miles per hour and that
13      was built, constructed, modified, or assembled by a person other
14      than the manufacturer.
15      (4) Motor driven cycles.
16      (5) An off-road vehicle that was purchased or otherwise acquired
17      before January 1, 2010.
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1(6) Snowmobiles.
2(7) A watercraft that is not required to be registered under
3IC 9-31-3 (before its repeal) or IC 9-18.1-14.5.
4    (b) Notwithstanding subsection (a), a person may apply for:
5(1) a certificate of title under IC 9-17-2-2; or
6(2) a bonded certificate of title under IC 9-17-9; or
7(2) (3) a special identification number under IC 9-17-4;
8 for a vehicle listed in subsection (a).
9    (c) If the bureau issues a certificate of title under subsection (b)(1),
10 the vehicle remains subject to this article until the titleholder
11 surrenders the title to the bureau.
12    SECTION 3. IC 9-17-9 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE AS
13 A NEW CHAPTER TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY
14 1, 2026]:
15    Chapter 9. Bonded Certificates of Title
16    Sec. 1. As used in this chapter, "fair market value" has the
17 meaning set forth in IC 9-22-3-2.
18    Sec. 2. As used in this chapter, "vintage motor vehicle" means
19 a motor vehicle that:
20(1) is at least twenty-five (25) years old;
21(2) has a fair market value of not more than twenty thousand
22dollars ($20,000); and
23(3) does not have a current certificate of title.
24    Sec. 3. A person may apply for a bonded certificate of title for
25 a vintage motor vehicle if the vehicle is not:
26(1) a salvage vehicle; or
27(2) encumbered by any liens or mortgages.
28    Sec. 4. A person applying for a bonded certificate of title for a
29 vintage motor vehicle must:
30(1) purchase a title bond for:
31(A) one and one-half (1 1/2) times the fair market value of
32the vehicle, if the vehicle has a vehicle identification
33number; or
34(B) two (2) times the fair market value of the vehicle, if the
35vehicle has a special identification number; and
36(2) submit an application in the form and manner prescribed
37by the bureau and provide the following information:
38(A) A full description of the vehicle, including the make,
39model, and year of manufacture of the vehicle.
40(B) The vehicle identification number or special
41identification number of the vehicle.
42(C) The purchase or acquisition date.
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1(D) A valid bill of sale or an affidavit of ownership. If an
2affidavit of ownership is provided, it must be on the
3bureau's designated form.
4(E) The name and Social Security number or federal
5identification number of the person.
6(F) Proof of notice required under section 8 of this chapter,
7if applicable.
8(G) Any other information that the bureau requires.
9    Sec. 5. (a) The application described in section 4 of this chapter
10 must include the following printed statement:
11      "I swear or affirm that the information I have entered on this
12      form is correct. I understand that making a false statement on
13      this form may constitute the crime of perjury.".
14    (b) The person applying for the bonded certificate of title must
15 sign the form directly below the printed statement.
16    Sec. 6. (a) An application for a bonded certificate of title for a
17 vintage motor vehicle must contain the odometer reading of the
18 vintage motor vehicle in miles or kilometers as of the date of sale
19 or transfer of the vintage motor vehicle to the applicant.
20    (b) A person shall not knowingly furnish to the bureau odometer
21 information that does not accurately indicate the total recorded
22 miles or kilometers on the vintage motor vehicle.
23    (c) The bureau and its license branches are not subject to a
24 criminal or civil action by a person for an invalid odometer
25 reading on a bonded certificate of title.
26    Sec. 7. (a) Subject to subsection (c), an application for a bonded
27 certificate of title for a vintage motor vehicle may not be accepted
28 by the bureau unless the vintage motor vehicle has been inspected
29 by one (1) of the following:
30      (1) An employee of a dealer licensed under IC 9-32.
31      (2) A military police officer assigned to a military post in
32      Indiana.
33      (3) A police officer.
34      (4) A designated employee of the bureau.
35      (5) An employee of a qualified person operating under a
36      contract with the commission.
37      (6) An employee of a dealer that is:
38(A) licensed as a motor vehicle dealer in a state other than
39Indiana; and
40(B) approved by the bureau.
41    (b) A person described in subsection (a) inspecting a vintage
42 motor vehicle shall do the following:
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1      (1) Make a record of inspection upon the application form
2      prepared by the bureau.
3      (2) Verify the facts set out in the application.
4    (c) The bureau may accept an inspection performed by a police
5 officer from a jurisdiction outside Indiana if the bureau determines
6 that an inspection performed by an individual described in
7 subsection (a) is unavailable or otherwise insufficient to complete
8 an application for a bonded certificate of title.
9    (d) A police officer who makes an inspection under this section
10 may charge a fee, subject to the following:
11      (1) The fee must be established by an ordinance adopted by
12      the unit (as defined in IC 36-1-2-23) that employs the police
13      officer.
14      (2) The fee may not exceed five dollars ($5).
15      (3) The revenue from the fee shall be deposited in the
16      following manner:
17(A) In a special vehicle inspection fund if the police officer
18making the inspection is a member of the county sheriff's
19department. The fiscal body of the unit must appropriate
20the money from the inspection fund only for law
21enforcement purposes.
22(B) In a local law enforcement continuing education fund
23established by IC 5-2-8-2 if the police officer making the
24inspection is a member of a city or town police department,
25a town marshal, a town marshal deputy, a conservancy
26district marshal, or a deputy conservancy district marshal.
27    Sec. 8. (a) Before issuing a bonded certificate of title, the bureau
28 shall conduct a search of the National Motor Vehicle Title
29 Information System or an equivalent and commonly available data
30 base to attempt to obtain the last state of record of the vintage
31 motor vehicle in order to attempt to ascertain the name and
32 address of the person who owns or holds a lien on the vintage
33 motor vehicle.
34    (b) If the bureau obtains the name and address of the owner or
35 lienholder on the vintage motor vehicle, the applicant shall, not
36 later than three (3) business days after obtaining the name and
37 address, notify the owner of and any lienholder on the vintage
38 motor vehicle, as indicated by the certificate of title or discovered
39 by a search under subsection (a), of the following:
40      (1) The name, address, and telephone number of the
41      applicant.
42      (2) That the owner or lienholder has thirty (30) days after
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1receiving the notice to respond.
2(3) That the applicant will be permitted to apply for a bonded
3certificate of title if the owner or lienholder does not respond
4within thirty (30) days.
5 The notice must be made by certified mail.
6     Sec. 9. (a) The bureau may:
7(1) make investigations or require additional information; and
8(2) reject an application or request;
9 if the bureau is not satisfied of the genuineness, regularity, or
10 legality of an application or the truth of a statement in an
11 application, or for any other reason.
12     (b) If the bureau is satisfied that the person applying for a
13 bonded certificate of title for a vintage motor vehicle:
14(1) is the owner of the vintage motor vehicle; and
15(2) has purchased a title bond in the amount described in
16section 4 of this chapter;
17 the bureau shall issue a bonded certificate of title for the vintage
18 motor vehicle after the person pays the applicable fee under
19 subsection (c).
20     (c) The fee for a bonded certificate of title for a vintage motor
21 vehicle is fifteen dollars ($15). The fee shall be distributed as
22 follows:
23(1) Fifty cents ($0.50) to the state motor vehicle technology
24fund.
25(2) To the motor vehicle highway account as follows:
26(A) For a title issued before January 1, 2027, one dollar
27($1).
28(B) For a title issued after December 31, 2026, three dollars
29and twenty-five cents ($3.25).
30(3) For a title issued before January 1, 2027, three dollars ($3)
31to the highway, road and street fund.
32(4) Five dollars ($5) to the crossroads 2000 fund.
33(5) One dollar and twenty-five cents ($1.25) to the integrated
34public safety communications fund.
35(6) To the commission fund as follows:
36(A) For a title issued before January 1, 2027, four dollars
37and twenty-five cents ($4.25).
38(B) For a title issued after December 31, 2026, five dollars
39($5).
40     (d) The bureau shall deliver a bonded certificate of title to the
41 person that owns the vintage motor vehicle for which the bonded
42 certificate of title was issued.
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1     Sec. 10. (a) A bonded certificate of title is valid for:
2(1) three (3) years for a vintage motor vehicle that has a
3vehicle identification number; or
4(2) five (5) years for a vintage motor vehicle that has a special
5identification number.
6     (b) If there are no claims made against the bonded title within
7 the time frames described in subsection (a), the bonded certificate
8 of title becomes a certificate of title under IC 9-17-2.
9     Sec. 11. (a) A person who knowingly or intentionally provides
10 false information to receive a bonded certificate of title commits
11 fraud involving a bonded certificate of title, a Level 6 felony.
12     (b) In addition to the penalties described in IC 35-50-2-7(b), a
13 person who is convicted of a Level 6 felony under this section shall
14 have the person's bonded certificate of title invalidated.
15     Sec. 12. The bureau shall allow the:
16(1) application for; and
17(2) processing of:
18 bonded certificates of title to occur at license branches.
19     SECTION 4. IC 34-30-2.1-90.3 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA
20 CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS
21 [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2026]: Sec. 90.3. IC 9-17-9-6 (Concerning the
22 bureau of motor vehicles and license branches for invalid odometer
23 readings on bonded certificates of title).
24     SECTION 5. IC 35-52-9.1-2.6 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA
25 CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS
26 [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2026]: Sec. 2.6. IC 9-17-9-11 defines a crime
27 concerning bonded certificates of title.
28     SECTION 6. [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2026] (a) Not later than June
29 30, 2027, the bureau of motor vehicles shall amend 140 IAC 6-1-2
30 to increase the vehicle value from five thousand dollars ($5,000) to
31 twenty thousand dollars ($20,000).
32     (b) This SECTION expires July 1, 2027.
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