INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — A bill that could result in restrictions against livestock operations being lifted in some Indiana counties is heading to the state House of Representatives.

A House committee voted 10-0 in favor of the bill that calls for zoning laws governing livestock operations in each of the state’s 92 counties to be studied. If adopted, the Purdue University Extension Cooperative Service will be required to conduct the study, which will show if any local zoning ordinances on the construction of buildings or other structures used for raising livestock overstep their authority – and specifically, which restrictions are in violation.

“It will highlight where counties have gone outside of their bounds,” said Amy Cornell, government relations policy advisor and counsel with Indiana Farm Bureau (IFB) in Indianapolis. She said the legislation does not seek to punish violators or mandate any changes in their existing zoning ordinances. “This is just a study.”

Instead, the intent of the bill is to bring any county in violation into compliance with state zoning restrictions, and serve as a model for amending or crafting zoning laws governing livestock operations that fall within the allowable limits set forth by the state, she said.

“I feel it will be a useful tool for counties to see how other counties handle livestock uses,” Cornell said.

Counties adopting zoning ordinances believed to be too restrictive, to keep proposed livestock operations from going in, has been a major issue in recent years because of fears about effects such as pollution and lower property values. She said counties are allowed to impose parameters on where livestock operations locate, but not on how they operate.

Manure application at a livestock operation, for example, must follow the guidelines of a state chemist and if counties try to create their own operating restrictions, approval must first come from the state chemist before being adopted locally.

The bill also orders estimates on the importance of livestock agriculture in each county and its economic impact on the state. Counties heavily into livestock wanting to attract a food processing operation could use the information from the study to develop zoning laws similar to those in livestock counties already having food processing plants.

“It may help counties develop favorable zoning so they can attract those type of businesses,” Cornell explained.

Originally, the bill wanted to lift restrictions in counties viewed as being too restrictive on the construction of livestock structures, but that language was taken out and replaced with the current version more popular among lawmakers. The measure, which already passed the Senate, moves to the full House for further consideration.

“It’s a study of the zoning in the counties to try and get a good snapshot of what going on out there,” said Justin Schneider, senior policy advisor and counsel for IFB.

He said controversy over local zoning ordinances governing livestock operations has been a major issue in Indiana for at least a decade. “I’ve been here about 10 years and it’s something we’ve been dealing with the entire time I’ve been here. It’s been an ongoing issue.”