Indiana Retaliation Law: What Counts & the Presumption Window (2026)

What counts as retaliation, and the window where the law presumes it

At a glance

• Protection window: No statutory presumption window
• Governing authority: I.C. § 32-31-8.5

Who this covers — and who it does not

This page covers landlord retaliation in Indiana — what a landlord may not do after you exercise a protected right.

It does not cover commercial leases, or conduct outside the protected window described below.

What the law prohibits

I.C. § 32-31-8.5 — 房东不得因租客受保护活动而报复（涨租、减服务、提起/威胁占有之诉、驱逐或提前终止租约）。

IC 32-31-8.5（2020-07-01 生效，SB 340 新增）成文化反报复保护。

I.C. § 32-31-8.5 ↗

The protection window

Indiana does not set a statutory presumption window. Whether an action counts as retaliation depends on the facts rather than a fixed clock.

印第安纳州法**无固定推定窗口天数**：32-31-8.5 无「90 天」或「6 个月」推定条款，且举证责任在租客（须证明房东报复意图）。二手站宣称的推定窗口无官方依据。

I.C. § 32-31-8.5 ↗

Protected activities

What a landlord may not do

Burden of proof

举证责任在租客（证明房东报复意图），无成文举证责任倒置。

I.C. § 32-31-8.5 ↗

Remedies

Exemptions and limits

32-31-8.5-5(b)(c)：房东可——不续约；涨至市场租金；平等减服务；租客欠租/违规影响健康安全；租客过失；房东自住或改建；善意先行起诉等。

I.C. § 32-31-8.5-5(b), (c) ↗

Sources and how to verify them

Every figure on this page comes from the official text or a state court opinion, not from a summary. The table below lists each provision used and the date it was last checked.

Statute	Last verified	Source
I.C. § 32-31-8.5	2026-10-16	official text ↗
I.C. § 32-31-8.5-2(1)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
I.C. § 32-31-8.5-2(2)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
I.C. § 32-31-8.5-2(3)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
I.C. § 32-31-8.5-2(4)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
I.C. § 32-31-8.5-2(5)	2026-10-16	official text ↗
I.C. § 32-31-8.5-4	2026-10-16	official text ↗
I.C. § 32-31-8.5-5(b), (c)	2026-10-16	official text ↗

Where the official text and a secondary summary disagree, this page follows the official text and says so. Where a provision admits of more than one reading, that is flagged rather than smoothed over.

When you need a lawyer instead of a tool

A self-help guide is the right starting point for understanding your position. Get legal help if:

• You have received an eviction notice — the timeline is now court-driven
• The dispute involves discrimination, unsafe conditions or retaliation
• Your landlord has filed anything in court already
• You are unsure whether a local ordinance changes the state rule

Local legal aid organisations and tenant unions offer free help for qualifying cases. They are independent of this site — we list them because they are the right place to go, not because they link here.

More Indiana guides

Indiana Security Deposit Return · Indiana Security Deposit Rules · Indiana Eviction Process · Indiana Rent Increase Rules · Indiana Repairs & Habitability

→ All Indiana tenant rights topics

Common questions