CHAPTER 12. REPAIR OF RAILROAD GRADE CROSSINGS BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT

IC 8-6-12
     Chapter 12. Repair of Railroad Grade Crossings by Local Government

IC 8-6-12-1
Suit to collect municipal expenses; collection by special tax duplicate
    
Sec. 1. (a) Each railroad company whose road or tracks lie in any public street, road, or alley in any city, town, or county shall properly grade, plank, gravel, or asphalt the road and tracks in accordance with the grade and surfacing material of the public street, road, or alley in such a manner as to afford security for life and property of persons and vehicles using the public streets, roads, or alleys.
    (b) If a railroad company fails to comply with the provisions of this section, the city, town, or county in which the public street, road, or alley is located may, after thirty (30) days written notice to the superintendent or regional engineer of railroad company, do the work and either:
        (1) recover the amount of the cost thereof from the railroad company by suit filed in any court of competent jurisdiction, in which case the city, town or county may collect reasonable attorney fees; or
        (2) certify the amount owed to the county auditor who shall prepare a special tax duplicate to be collected and settled for by the county treasurer in the same manner and at the same time as property taxes are collected;
provided, that before the municipal corporation, city, town, or county shall undertake to do the work themselves they shall notify an agent of the railroad as to the time and place.
(Formerly: Acts 1969, c.174, s.1.) As amended by P.L.62-1984, SEC.103.

IC 8-6-12-2
Improvement order; repair of street occupied by rails of railroad or street railroad; failure to comply; assessment of costs; collection
    
Sec. 2. The board of public works or board of public works and safety of a city or town legislative body may issue a written improvement order requiring that any railroad, interurban, or interurban street railroad undertake to repair or improve that portion of the street occupied by its track, including the space between the rails, the space between the tracks if there is more than one (1) track, and the space to the end of its ties in width on the outside of said rails. The written improvement order shall be given by the board or body to the railroad, interurban, or interurban street railroad company and must allow the railroad company thirty (30) days in which to commence the repairs or improvement. If the railroad company fails to commence the work within the thirty (30) day period, then the board or body may have the repairs or improvements made and shall assess the cost against the railroad company, to be collected in the same manner as assessments for other public

improvements are collected. The board or body may certify the amount owed to the clerk of the circuit court, where the amount certified shall be entered by the clerk upon the judgment docket in the clerk's office, whereupon it has the same force as a judgment pronounced in the circuit court of the county and is subject to execution in the same manner as any other judgment for money.
As added by Acts 1981, P.L.11, SEC.49. Amended by P.L.8-1989, SEC.51.