Alcohol Consumption Laws in Indianapolis, Indiana: What You Need to Know

Learn about Indianapolis' Alcohol Consumption Laws: legal drinking age; open containers; happy hour; Sunday sales; excise tax rate; licenses; public intoxication; medical cannabis.

Alcohol Consumption Laws in Indianapolis, Indiana: What You Need to Know

As in all other states, the legal drinking age in Indiana is 21. According to Indiana Code 7, 1-5-7-7, any minor who knowingly possesses, consumes, or transports an alcoholic beverage commits a Class C misdemeanor. Surprisingly, Indiana's code does not restrict the open transportation of alcohol in public spaces. Customers can take an alcoholic beverage in its original container out of a place and consume it on the sidewalks. However, the venue may not allow the sale of beverages as part of its policy.

People traveling in motor vehicles are not allowed to have an open container, unless they pay for the trip in vehicles such as a taxi or in the rooms of a recreational vehicle. Indiana is one of the states that has taken steps to ease restrictions on the sale of alcohol. While these provisions are temporary in some places, the Indiana government has voted to make these changes permanent. As a result, consumers will be able to order alcoholic beverages to accompany their meals.

This is good news for companies that are working hard to recover from the effects of the pandemic. In many states, alcohol sales are limited on Sundays. These restrictions are often a remnant of Prohibition and “blue laws”, which were largely supported by religious groups that wanted to preserve Sunday as a day of worship. Other anti-alcohol groups also wanted to avoid offering consumers an additional opportunity to buy alcohol. Under state law, alcohol can be sold between 7 in the morning and 8 p.m., with stores having a restriction on when they can sell alcohol; they can only sell alcohol from noon to 8 p.m.Indiana allows people to drink alcohol in public places.

Bar and restaurant customers can legally take their drinks with them when they leave the premises, although individual establishments may have restrictions on this practice. People who travel by taxi or pay for a trip are also allowed to drink in the vehicle. Otherwise, open containers are prohibited in vehicles. The state prohibits the popular practice of “happy hour”. While bars and restaurants may offer specialty drinks, they are prohibited from selling alcohol at reduced prices during a certain period of the day.

Companies argue that this practice helps boost sales in times of downtime, but opponents fear it will promote excessive alcohol consumption. Yes, retailers, including grocery stores, convenience stores, and liquor stores, can sell alcohol on Sundays. Restaurants can sell alcohol starting at 7 in the morning,. If a passenger pays for their trip or consumes alcohol in the living room of a motorhome, they can consume alcohol. A beer distributor will not have the right to sell beer or to deliver beer to take away, or to deliver it to a customer's residence or office, in an amount exceeding 864 US fluid ounces (25.6 L) in a single transaction. The limit for grocery or drugstore retailers is 864 ounces.

Supermarkets, convenience stores, and pharmacies can't sell cold beer, although liquor stores can. Establishments that sell drinks by drink must have a meal service for a minimum of 25 people (hot soups, hot sandwiches, coffee, milk and soft drinks) available at all times. It is illegal for establishments to offer discounts on alcoholic beverages to certain customers or at certain times of the day (e.g., happy hour). Indiana is not an alcoholic beverage control state. Public intoxication is a class B misdemeanor in Indiana; one must be endangering one's own life or that of another person; violating the peace or in imminent danger of breaking the peace; or be harassing, disturbing, or alarming another person. Indiana requires photo identification for all off-site transactions by anyone under 40.

People can keep open containers in public places; however it's important to remember that there is a law against public intoxication and having an open container with alcohol in public can be a likely cause of this charge. The excise tax rate varies by type of alcohol. To be able to sell alcohol in the state of Indiana you must obtain a license that allows you to do so. The prohibition on the sale of alcohol on Sundays dates back to Prohibition-era blue laws, in which religious groups sought to reserve the day for worship. There is no exemption for medical use of cannabis in Indiana and you can't legally bring cannabis into Indiana from another state even if you have a prescription. To the delight of many, The House of Representatives and The Senate recently passed a bill allowing the sale of bottled alcoholic beverages for take away (titled Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 1051 respectively).It is illegal to drive with an open alcohol container or with a broken seal unless it is closed out of reach; in a separate passenger compartment (for example; the back of a limousine); in the trunk or behind the last seat if there is no trunk. The Indiana Lifeline Act grants immunity for crimes of public intoxication and underage possession; consumption and transportation of alcohol to people who reveal themselves to law enforcement.