Report: Indiana eviction sealing law should be expanded to better help tenants

A report from the Indiana Justice Project and the Clinical Law Center at the University of Notre Dame Law School recommends the state expand its eviction sealing program to cover more people.

A 2022 state law allows tenants to get their eviction records sealed if they win their case or if it’s overturned, vacated or dismissed.

Indiana Justice Project Executive Director Adam Mueller said the state could make the process easier by automatically sealing those records, rather than making people apply.

“Going to court, it can be tricky. Filing court documents can be tricky for non-attorneys, too. This would sort of ease up that process,” Mueller said. “It would also cut down on the administrative costs and judicial expenses, as well.”

READ MORE: Law students host clinic to help seal past evictions

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Mueller said other states seal all eviction records after a certain number of years — three being a popular option.

“At a certain point in time, those records just become stale and don’t really matter when compared to something like, you know, what is your income right now and what’s your job and those sorts of things,” Mueller said.

Indiana regularly has one of the highest eviction rates in the country.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.