Seasonal Sites › State guides › Indiana
Indiana · reviewed September 2026

Seasonal RV site agreements in Indiana

What Indiana law says about seasonal and annual RV guests, sub-metered electricity, sales tax and online signatures — and the clauses your agreement should carry because of it. Written for park owners, not lawyers.

Guest or tenant?Indiana enacted a campground-specific article defining a 'campground' (10+ campsites operated for recreational/tourist use 'away from established residences') and a 'guest' as someone occupying a campsite under an agreement with the owner.
Metered electricIndiana law lets a building owner install submeters and bill tenants for electricity based on measured kWh, but the owner 'may not impose on the tenant any extra charges' beyond the lawful components of the master-meter bill; a separate provision allows a small administrative fee for landlord-billed water/sewer.
Sales / lodging taxIndiana's 7% sales tax (and county innkeeper's tax where adopted) applies to 'space in camper parks and trailer parks' rented for less than 30 days; primitive no-amenity sites are excluded.
Signing onlineUniform Electronic Transactions Act (IC 26-2-8)

Short version. Details, citations and sources are below.

Is a seasonal guest a tenant in Indiana?

Indiana enacted a campground-specific article defining a 'campground' (10+ campsites operated for recreational/tourist use 'away from established residences') and a 'guest' as someone occupying a campsite under an agreement with the owner. An owner may ask a guest to leave for staying past the agreed departure date, nonpayment, disturbing others, or violating law, and a guest who stays or returns commits criminal trespass; unused prepaid fees must be refunded. The article does not set a day threshold, and a year-round occupant using the site as a residence may still fall under general landlord-tenant law.

What that means for notices and removal

For guests covered by IC 32-32.5: owner may request departure and involve law enforcement (trespass) without a court eviction. If the occupant is a residential tenant instead: month-to-month tenancies require one month's notice (IC 32-31-1-1) and removal is by court eviction (IC 32-31-6/32-30-3).

Cite: IC 32-32.5 (campgrounds; eff. July 1, 2021); IC 32-31 (landlord-tenant)

Sub-metering electricity to RV sites in Indiana

Indiana law lets a building owner install submeters and bill tenants for electricity based on measured kWh, but the owner 'may not impose on the tenant any extra charges' beyond the lawful components of the master-meter bill; a separate provision allows a small administrative fee for landlord-billed water/sewer. The statute is framed around rental units, and the IURC has not issued a campground-specific rule; treat at-cost pass-through as the standard.

Cite: IC 8-1-2-36.5 (electric submetering); IC 8-1-2-1.2 (landlord utility billing not a public utility)

Sales and lodging tax on seasonal sites in Indiana

Indiana's 7% sales tax (and county innkeeper's tax where adopted) applies to 'space in camper parks and trailer parks' rented for less than 30 days; primitive no-amenity sites are excluded. A site rented for 30 or more consecutive days is not subject to sales tax, so seasonal and monthly RV sites are exempt (tax collected on the first 29 days can be refunded once the stay reaches 30).

Cite: IC 6-2.5-4-4; Indiana DOR Sales Tax Information Bulletin #41

Signing agreements online in Indiana

Uniform Electronic Transactions Act. Electronic signatures are valid for seasonal site agreements when the guest agrees to sign electronically, intends to sign, and the record is kept in a form that can be reproduced and shown not to have changed. Seasonal Sites records the signer’s typed name, email, time, IP address and a SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact text signed, and stores the signed PDF.

Cite: IC 26-2-8

Clauses to include in a Indiana seasonal agreement

These are added on top of the eleven sections in the free template. Adjust the bracketed parts and have a local attorney read the result.

Recreational use, not a residence"The Site is licensed for recreational use only. The Guest maintains a permanent residence elsewhere at the address above, and the Site is not the Guest’s primary residence. Nothing in this agreement creates a residential tenancy." In this state the line between a recreational guest and a residential tenant is what decides which removal process applies, so say it plainly and keep the guest’s home address on file.
Metered electricity"Electricity is individually metered and billed at the Park’s actual cost per kWh from its utility, with no markup, read on or about the [day] of each month; readings are available to the Guest on request." Keep the utility bills and meter readings for at least three years.
Term length and taxState the exact term dates and that the agreement is for a continuous stay of 30 days or more, and keep the signed copy with the term on it — where the summary above shows a long-stay exemption, that document is usually what the auditor asks for.
Electronic signature consent"The Guest consents to sign this agreement electronically and to receive invoices, receipts and notices by email at the address above." Keep the signer name, email, date/time, IP address and a fingerprint of the signed text.

Your state association is a good second opinion on all of this: Indiana Campground Owners Association (RV Indiana).

Get the free seasonal site agreement template

Eleven plain-English sections, Word and PDF, with bracketed fields to fill in. Then paste the Indiana clauses above into it.

Or skip the paperwork entirely

Seasonal Sites takes this same agreement, fills in each guest’s name, site, rate and dates, emails them a link to sign on their phone, puts the installments on autopay, bills metered electric from your readings, and keeps the signed PDF with the audit record. Renewals for the whole park go out in one click. It works beside whatever reservation system you already use.

Other states

Sources

This page summarizes public sources as of September 2026 for park owners and is not legal or tax advice. Statutes, tariffs and tax rules change; confirm anything you rely on with the agency or an attorney licensed in Indiana. Found an error? Email hello@seasonalsites.com.