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Manufacturing NewsTEG DailyOctober 8, 2026

October 8, 2026 · Statewide · Story 2 of 4

Indiana Industrial Property Tax Increase Hits 25.8%, IMA Warns of Bigger Burden Ahead

Daniel BurkePublished every day

Indiana Manufacturers Association President and CEO Andrew Berger published a warning in late September that industrial assessed value rose 25.8% statewide for 2026, compared with 7.3% for residential and 15.0% for commercial. Berger attributes part of the jump to DLGF's first update to construction cost tables in four years, factoring in four years of labor and materials inflation at once. More than a billion and a half doollars in property tax cuts enacted through 2028 target more than 80% of the relief to homeowners, and Berger argues that gap gets redistributed onto commercial and industrial owners when local budgets don't shrink to match.

Indiana Manufacturers Association President and CEO Andrew Berger published a warning in late September that industrial assessed value rose 25.8% statewide for 2026, compared with 7.3% for residential and 15.0% for commercial. Berger attributes part of the jump to DLGF's first update to construction cost tables in four years, factoring in four years of labor and materials inflation at once. More than a billion and a half doollars in property tax cuts enacted through 2028 target more than 80% of the relief to homeowners, and Berger argues that gap gets redistributed onto commercial and industrial owners when local budgets don't shrink to match. DLGF's recalibrated trend factors run up to 130% higher than prior schedules for light manufacturing, and that recalibration is still working through county assessments. SB 1's one-year levy freeze expires in 2027.

For your morning huddle

Q

Have we modeled our 2027 property tax bill against DLGF's new cost tables, and should we be budgeting now for a formal assessment appeal through our county assessor or a provider like JM Tax Advocates?

DLGF's recalibrated cost tables carry trend factors up to 130% higher than before, and that recalibration is still moving through county assessments, so a formal appeal through your county assessor or a provider like JM Tax Advocates is worth budgeting for now rather than after the bill arrives.

Briefing note

Impact
The op-ed likely understates the real exposure: DLGF's 2026 cost-table recalibration includes light manufacturing trend factors up to 130% above prior schedules, layered on top of the 25.8% jump Berger is already flagging, and SB 1's one-year levy freeze expires in 2027, when 1%-2% levy growth caps kick in without the buffer that softened 2026. IMA's own preferred-provider arrangement with JM Tax Advocates signals the association expects members to fight this county-by-county through appeals rather than win a clean legislative fix, a costly route that disadvantages smaller manufacturers.
Watch
The 2026 legislative session, where additional homeowner property tax relief is expected to be debated against IMA's push to rebalance the industrial burden.

Sources

  1. Andrew Berger: Assessed value increases hitting businesses, too · dailyjournal.net

From the brief, October 8, 2026

  1. Indiana Opens Nuclear Ready Communities Program Without the Money Texas and Tennessee Put Up
  2. Indiana Industrial Property Tax Increase Hits 25.8%, IMA Warns of Bigger Burden Ahead
  3. Rep. Mrvan Targets DOE Orders Keeping NIPSCO's Schahfer Coal Units Online in Wheatfield
  4. Braun Touts IDOC Vocational Training as 3,200 Inmates Earn Manufacturing Certifications

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