Sec. 320. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection and subsection (e), a buyer in ordinary course of business takes free of a security interest created by the buyer’s seller, even if the security interest is perfected and the buyer knows of its existence. The following apply whenever a person is buying farm products from a person engaged in farming operations who has created a security interest on the farm products:

(1) A person buying farm products from a person engaged in farming operations is not protected by this subsection if, within one (1) year before the sale of the farm products, the buyer has received prior written notice of the security interest. “Written notice” means any writing that contains the following:

Attorney's Note

Under the Indiana Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class C misdemeanorup to 60 daysup to $500
For details, see Ind. Code § 35-50-3-4

Terms Used In Indiana Code 26-1-9.1-320

  • in writing: include printing, lithographing, or other mode of representing words and letters. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • United States: includes the District of Columbia and the commonwealths, possessions, states in free association with the United States, and the territories. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
  • Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
(A) The full name and address of the debtor.

(B) The full name and address of the secured party.

(C) In the case of a debtor doing business other than as an individual, the United States Internal Revenue Service taxpayer identification number of the debtor.

(D) A description of the collateral, including the type and amount of farm products, the crop year, the county of location, and a description of the real property on which the farm products were grown or produced.

(E) Any payment obligations imposed on the buyer by the secured party as conditions for waiver or release of the security interest.

Notice must be received before a buyer of farm products has made full payment to the person engaged in farming operations for the farm products if the notice is to be considered “prior written notice”. The written notice lapses on either the expiration period of the statement or the transmission of a notice signed by the secured party that the statement has lapsed, whichever occurs first.

(2) A secured party must, within fifteen (15) days of the satisfaction of the debt, inform in writing each potential buyer listed by the debtor whenever a debt has been satisfied and written notice, as required by subdivision (1), had been previously sent to that buyer.

(3) A debtor engaged in farming operations who has created a security interest in farm products must provide the secured party with a written list of potential buyers of the farm products at the time the debt is incurred if such a list is requested by the secured party. The debtor may not sell farm products to a buyer who does not appear on the list (if the list is requested by the secured party) unless the secured party has given prior written permission to the debtor to sell to someone who does not appear on the list, or the debtor satisfies the debt for that secured party on the farm products he sells within fifteen (15) days of the date of sale. A debtor who knowingly or intentionally sells to a buyer who does not appear on the list (if the list is requested by the secured party) and who does not meet one (1) of the above exceptions, commits a Class C misdemeanor. A secured party commits a Class C infraction if the secured party knowingly or intentionally gives false or misleading information on the notice required by subdivision (1) or the secured party fails within fifteen (15) days of satisfaction of the debt to notify purchasers to whom a written notice had been previously sent under subdivision (1) of the satisfaction of the debt.

(4) A purchaser of farm products buying from a person engaged in farming operations must issue a check for payment jointly to the debtor and those secured parties from whom he has received prior written notice of a security interest as provided for in subdivision (1). A purchaser who fails to issue a jointly payable check as required by this subsection is not protected by this subdivision. A purchaser of farm products (on which there is a perfected security interest) buying from a person engaged in farming operations who withholds all or part of the proceeds of the sale from the seller, in order to satisfy a prior debt (“prior debt” does not include the costs of marketing the farm product or the cost of transporting the farm product to the market) owed by the seller to the buyer, commits a Class C infraction.

     (b) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (e), a buyer of goods from a person who used or bought the goods for use primarily for personal, family, or household purposes takes free of a security interest, even if perfected, if the buyer buys:

(1) without knowledge of the security interest;

(2) for value;

(3) primarily for the buyer’s personal, family, or household purposes; and

(4) before the filing of a financing statement covering the goods.

     (c) To the extent that it affects the priority of a security interest over a buyer of goods under subsection (b), the period of effectiveness of a filing made in the jurisdiction in which the seller is located is governed by IC 26-1-9.1-316(a) and IC 26-1-9.1-316(b).

     (d) A buyer in ordinary course of business buying oil, gas, or other minerals at the wellhead or minehead or after extraction takes free of an interest arising out of an encumbrance.

     (e) Subsections (a) and (b) do not affect a security interest in goods in the possession of the secured party under IC 26-1-9.1-313.

As added by P.L.57-2000, SEC.45.