Responsibility for care of bridges
Ind. Code § 8-17-1-46
in effectSec. 46. (a) This section does not apply to an eligible county (as defined in IC 8-16-3.1-1) that complies with the provisions in IC 8-16-3.1-4.
(b) A county is responsible for the construction, reconstruction, maintenance, and inspection of a bridge that meets the following requirements:
(1) Is located in the county, including a bridge that is located within the corporate limits of a municipality.
(2) Has a span length greater than twenty (20) feet.
(3) Is not part of the state highway system.
(4) Meets either of the following:
(A) The bridge was inspected by the county before January 1, 2024.
(B) The bridge was added to the county inventory by the county executive after December 31, 2024.
(c) A municipality is responsible for the construction, reconstruction, and maintenance of a bridge that meets the following requirements:
(1) Is located within the corporate limits of the municipality.
(2) Has a span length equal to or less than twenty (20) feet.
(3) Is not part of the state highway system.
(d) A new bridge that may be the responsibility of the county under subsection (b) must be developed in consultation with the county.
As added by P.L.173-2025, SEC.21.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://iga.in.gov/laws/2026/ic/titles/8Fetched: 10/17/2026