About Us

About IMHA-RVIC

Today’s manufactured housing and recreation vehicle industries have made tremendous advances since their inception. From the development of the first “house trailer” the industries have made giant strides in providing the consumer with quality homes and a wide variety of highly advanced RV’s.

Just like the industries we represent, IMHA-RVIC has grown. Chartered in 1945 with 18 original members, IMHA-RVIC is now a multi-faceted organization with more than 400 members throughout the state. We are organized by a volunteer Board of Governors and supported by professional staff. 

We continually strive to:

• Educate and inform our members;
• Promote the products our industries create and the lifestyles those products offer;
• Protect Indiana’s MH and RV industries from potentially harmful legislative or governmental action.

Governmental Relations

We are your advocates within Indiana’s state government. Whether your concern is specific to your business or of an industry-wide nature, we’re here to help. We regularly interact on behalf of individual members with various statewide and local level departments and agencies, including:

• Bureau of Motor Vehicles
• Department of Environmental Management
• Department of Financial Institutions
• Department of Local Government Finance
• Department of Natural Resources
• Department of Revenue
• Department of Transportation
• Indiana Economic Development Corporation
• Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority
• Indiana Office of Tourism Development
• Indiana Professional Licensing Agency
• Local BMV branch offices
• Local building officials
• Local convention and visitors bureaus
• Local economic development agencies
• Local elected officials
• Local planning commissions
• Office of the Governor
• Office of the Lieutenant Governor
• Office of the Secretary of State
• Office of the State Fire Marshal
• State Building Officials Office
• State Department of Health

Legislative Activity

Our legislative activity is perhaps the most important thing we do for your company. Our headquarters is just minutes from the Indiana statehouse and we have two registered lobbyists on staff. Additionally, we employ a lobbying firm with decades of experience with our industries and the state legislature.

While we regularly partner with other industries to combat issues of mutual concern, we are the only voice in the statehouse for the companies that make up Indiana’s RV and MH industries.

We also interact regularly with Indiana’s congressional delegation, lobbying them on industry issues both in Washington and in Indiana.

Legislative Activities for the RV Industry

Our legislative activity is perhaps the most important thing we do for your company. While we regularly partner with other industries to combat issues of mutual concern, we are the only voice in the statehouse for the companies that make up Indiana’s recreation vehicle industry. Our headquarters is just minutes from the Indiana statehouse and we have two registered lobbyists on staff. Additionally, we employ a lobbying firm with decades of experience with our industries and the state legislature. We also interact regularly with Indiana’s congressional delegation, lobbying them on industry issues both in Washington and in Indiana.

Due to the unique nature of today’s recreation vehicles there is a wide range of topics that could impact our membership. Each year we monitor more than 1,000 pieces of legislation and study and analyze them for their potential impact on our member companies. In the last few years, we’ve successfully lobbied the Indiana General Assembly on the following RV and camping industry issues:

• Needless regulation. IMHA-RVIC has consistently defended the RV industry from needless and burdensome regulation. For example, the proposed requirement which would have required licenses for all decorators of recreation vehicles in manufacturing facilities was defeated with the efforts of the association.
• Elimination of property tax on RVs. After an effort of over ten years the association succeeded in eliminating personal property tax on RVs in Indiana replacing it with an equitable excise tax as required for all other vehicles. This created fairness across the State with equal taxes on RVs regardless of the geographical location and eliminated differences due to the decisions of local officials. 
• Statewide depreciation table. The change from taxing RV’s as personal property to the excise tax system guarantees lower taxes as the RV ages. This replaces a statewide network of individual assessors and local tax rates.
• Removal of visitor tax. The change to the excise tax system also allows currently registered RV’s from other states to stay in Indiana campgrounds at any time without paying personal property taxes to Indiana.
• Innkeepers tax. The association has prevented the adoption of a statewide innkeepers tax on all RV parks and campgrounds. We believe this issue should be decided at the local level by individual counties, based on their service to local campgrounds and with campground representation on their tourism boards.
• State funding. The association has encouraged the State of Indiana to invest in the recreation vehicle industry with studies concerning the importance of the industry and its economic impact on Indiana’s economy. This information has been used not only in Indiana and the General Assembly but also at the local and Federal level to promote our industry and its importance in the State.
• Overall representation and promotion of the industry at the state and local levels. The association has worked on numerous issues over the 65 years we have been in business. Issues have ranged from problems with sewer districts enacting unfair charges, burdensome regulations regarding deliveries involving CDL licenses and permits, local zoning and building issues and grants, loans, and tax incentives for expansion.  In fact, the association works every day to educate and inform policy makers in Indiana of the importance of this basic, durable goods industry and its importance to economic health of the state. Our goal is to ensure that policy and legislative decisions enhance the industry and do not prevent its continued health and progress in Indiana. At all levels of Indiana government we are the only voice specifically concerned with the recreation vehicle industry.