Sec. 3. (a) Venue in a proceeding brought by the attorney general against a trustee or a trust lies in Marion County, unless a court determines that venue in Marion County would be a hardship for a trustee or a trust.

(b) Unless the terms of the trust provide otherwise, venue in a proceeding brought by a party other than the attorney general for matters arising under this article shall be exclusively in the county in which the principal place of administration of the trust is located. The principal place of administration of a trust is that usual place at which the records pertaining to the trust are kept or, if there is no such place, the trustee's residence. If there are cotrustees, the principal place of administration is either that of the corporate trustee, if there is only one (1); that of the individual trustee who has custody of the records, if there is but one (1) such person and there is no corporate cotrustee; or, if neither of these alternatives apply, that of any of the cotrustees.

(c) Unless the trust provides otherwise, a trustee is under a continuing duty to administer the trust at a place appropriate to the trust's purposes and administration.

(d) Unless the trust provides otherwise, and without precluding the right of the court to order, approve, or disapprove a transfer, the trustee, in furtherance of a duty prescribed by subsection (b), may transfer the trust's principal place of administration to another state or to a jurisdiction outside the United States.

(e) The trustee shall notify the qualified beneficiaries of a proposed transfer of a trust's principal place of administration not less than sixty (60) days before initiating the transfer. The notice of proposed transfer must include the following information:

(1) The name of the jurisdiction to which the principal place of administration is to be transferred.

(2) The address and telephone number of the new location at which the trustee can be contacted.

(3) An explanation of the reasons for the proposed transfer.

(4) The date on which the proposed transfer is anticipated to occur.

(5) The date, not less than sixty (60) days after the giving of notice, by which the qualified beneficiary must notify the trustee of an objection to the proposed transfer.

(f) The authority of a trustee under this section to transfer a trust's principal place of administration terminates if a qualified beneficiary notifies the trustee of an objection to the proposed transfer on or before the date specified in the notice.

(g) In connection with a transfer of the trust's principal place of administration, the trustee may transfer some or all of the trust property to a successor trustee designated in the terms of the trust or appointed under IC 30-4-3-33.

(h) If the principal place of administration is maintained in another state, venue in this state for any matters arising under this article shall be in the county stipulated in writing by the parties to the trust or, if there is no such stipulation, in the county where the trust property, or the evidence of the trust property, which is the subject of the action is either situated or generally located.

(i) Any party to an action or proceeding shall be entitled to a change of venue or change of judge as provided in the Indiana Rules of Procedure. A change of venue in any action shall not be construed to authorize a permanent change of venue for all matters arising under this article, and, upon conclusion of the action, venue shall return to the court where the action was initiated.

Formerly: Acts 1971, P.L.416, SEC.7. As amended by P.L.238-2005, SEC.43; P.L.245-2005, SEC.9; P.L.1-2006, SEC.494.