Indiana Code
Chapter 35. Supervision of Assessing Officials
6-1.1-35-9. Information Considered Confidential; Use of Confidential Information; Prohibition Against Disclosure; Return to Taxpayer of Certain Confidential Information; Exception for Certain Oil or Gas Interests

Sec. 9. (a) All information that is related to earnings, income, profits, losses, or expenditures and that is:
(1) given by a person to:
(A) an assessing official;
(B) an employee of an assessing official; or
(C) an officer or employee of an entity that contracts with a board of county commissioners or a county assessor under IC 6-1.1-36-12; or
(2) acquired by:
(A) an assessing official;
(B) an employee of an assessing official; or
(C) an officer or employee of an entity that contracts with a board of county commissioners or a county assessor under IC 6-1.1-36-12;
in the performance of the person's duties;
is confidential. The assessed valuation of tangible property is a matter of public record and is thus not confidential. Confidential information may be disclosed only in a manner that is authorized under subsection (b), (c), (d), or (g).
(b) Confidential information may be disclosed to:
(1) an official or employee of:
(A) this state or another state;
(B) the United States; or
(C) an agency or subdivision of this state, another state, or the United States;
if the information is required in the performance of the official duties of the official or employee;
(2) an officer or employee of an entity that contracts with a board of county commissioners or a county assessor under IC 6-1.1-36-12 if the information is required in the performance of the official duties of the officer or employee; or
(3) a state educational institution in order to develop data required under IC 6-1.1-4-42.
(c) The following state agencies, or their authorized representatives, shall have access to the confidential farm property records and schedules that are on file in the office of a county assessor:
(1) The Indiana state board of animal health, in order to perform its duties concerning the discovery and eradication of farm animal diseases.
(2) The department of agricultural statistics of Purdue University, in order to perform its duties concerning the compilation and dissemination of agricultural statistics.
(3) Any other state agency that needs the information in order to perform its duties.
(d) Confidential information may be disclosed during the course of a judicial proceeding in which the regularity of an assessment is questioned.
(e) Confidential information that is disclosed to a person under subsection (b) or (c) retains its confidential status. Thus, that person may disclose the information only in a manner that is authorized under subsection (b), (c), or (d).
(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of law:
(1) a person who:
(A) is an officer or employee of an entity that contracts with a board of county commissioners or a county assessor under IC 6-1.1-36-12; and
(B) obtains confidential information under this section;
may not disclose that confidential information to any other person; and
(2) a person referred to in subdivision (1) must return all confidential information to the taxpayer not later than fourteen (14) days after the earlier of:
(A) the completion of the examination of the taxpayer's personal property return under IC 6-1.1-36-12; or
(B) the termination of the contract.
(g) Confidential information concerning an oil or gas interest, as described in IC 6-1.1-4-12.4, may be disclosed by an assessing official if the interest has been listed on the delinquent property tax list pursuant to IC 6-1.1-24-1 and is not otherwise removed from the property tax sale under IC 6-1.1-24. A person who establishes that the person may bid on an oil or gas interest in the context of a property tax sale may request from an assessing official all information necessary to properly identify and determine the value of the gas or oil interest that is the subject of the property tax sale. The information that may be disclosed includes the following:
(1) Lease information.
(2) The type of property interest being sold.
(3) The applicable percentage interest and the allocation of the applicable percentage interest among the owners of the oil or gas interest (including the names and addresses of all owners).
The official shall make information covered by this subsection available for inspection and copying in accordance with IC 5-14-3. Confidential information that is disclosed to a person under this subsection loses its confidential status. A person that is denied the right to inspect or copy information covered by this subsection may file a formal complaint with the public access counselor under the procedure prescribed by IC 5-14-5. However, a person is not required to file a complaint under IC 5-14-5 before filing an action under IC 5-14-3.
[Pre-1975 Property Tax Recodification Citation: 6-1-39-2.]
Formerly: Acts 1975, P.L.47, SEC.1. As amended by Acts 1977, P.L.2, SEC.28; P.L.6-1997, SEC.113; P.L.178-2002, SEC.37; P.L.146-2008, SEC.279; P.L.182-2009(ss), SEC.172; P.L.172-2011, SEC.47.