The following was a News & Insights report from the RV Industry Association (RVIA).
On Friday, April 4th, 2025, Indiana Governor Mike Braun signed into law RV-specific franchise legislation (SB 484), which governs the manufacturer-dealer relationship for RVs. The bill will go into effect on July 1.
The RV Industry Association would like to thank Senator Blake Doriot (R-IN) and Representatives Doug Miller (R-IN), Joanna King (R-IN) and Dave Heine (R-IN) for their sponsorship of the bill.
This legislation is similar to the bills passed in Wisconsin, Washington, and Maryland last year. It is also based on the RV Industry Association-RV Dealers Association Model Manufacturer-Dealer Agreement Bill and establishes a system that more accurately reflects the relationship between RV manufacturers and dealers, earning strong support from both the RV Industry Association, the RV Indiana Council and Indiana RV dealers.
The bill includes language that mandates a written manufacturer-dealer agreement, covers conditions under which manufacturers or dealers can terminate the agreement (including repurchase provisions), outlines transfer or succession of the agreement, and establishes warranty provisions. It also includes sections on pre-delivery inspection, indemnification, mediation, and penalties, as well as definitions for all types of RVs.
In January, the RV Industry Association’s Director of State Affairs, Michael Ochs, testified in support of the bill in the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Transportation. Likewise, in March, the RV Industry Association’s Senior Manager of State Affairs, Sophie de la Torre, advocated for the bill in the Indiana House Committee on Roads and Transportation.
Over the years, the RV industry has worked to establish exemptions from parts of the automobile franchise law because many provisions do not pertain to the RV industry or are handled differently by RV manufacturers and dealers than by the automobile industry. As an extension of these efforts, the RV Industry Association advocated for an RV-specific franchise law to place the manufacturer-dealer relationship for RVs in a separate chapter of law, creating more clarity for RV business and consumers.
For questions on this legislation, please contact the RV Industry Association’s Director of State Affairs, Michael Ochs, at mochs@rvia.org.
