Indigent persons; relief from or waiver of fees and court costs in civil actions or appointment of guardian
Ind. Code § 33-37-3-2
in effectSec. 2. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), a person entitled to bring a civil action or to petition for the appointment of a guardian under IC 29-3-5 may do so without paying the required fees or other court costs if the person files a statement in court, under oath and in writing:
(1) declaring that the person is unable to make the payments or to give security for the payments because of the person's indigency;
(2) declaring that the person believes that the person is entitled to the redress sought in the action; and
(3) setting forth briefly the nature of the action.
(b) If a person brings a civil action or petition for the appointment of a guardian under IC 29-3-5, a clerk shall waive the payment of required fees or other court costs by the person without court approval if:
(1) the person is represented by an attorney:
(A) who is employed by Indiana Legal Services or another civil legal aid program; or
(B) who:
(i) is serving as a pro bono attorney; and
(ii) obtained the person as a client through a direct referral from a pro bono district associated with one (1) of the fourteen (14) administrative districts in Indiana established by the Indiana Rules of Court Administrative Rule 3(A); and
(2) the attorney files a statement with the clerk that:
(A) seeks relief from paying the required fees or other court costs;
(B) declares that the person believes that the person is entitled to the redress sought in the action;
(C) sets forth briefly the nature of the action;
(D) is accompanied by an approved affidavit of indigency; and
(E) is signed by the attorney.
(c) This section does not prohibit a court from reviewing and modifying a finding of indigency by the court or a clerk if a person who received relief from the payment of required fees or other court costs ceases to qualify for the relief.
[Pre-2004 Recodification Citation: 33-19-3-2.]
As added by P.L.98-2004, SEC.16. Amended by P.L.89-2009, SEC.1.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://iga.in.gov/laws/2026/ic/titles/33Fetched: 10/17/2026