Every state has its own weird and goofy laws, and Indiana sure has a collection of strange ones. Some of them even seem to defy logic, and make you wonder who came up with them in the first place.
Just for fun, we thought we’d lay out an examination of several odd laws that we’ve come across during our research for other articles or our Facts & Stats collections. Although some of these laws may actually change in the near future, they each deserve more context and a little history to tell their full story.
It is technically illegal for children to operate lemonade stands in Indiana.
Can you picture a squad car rolling up to bust a group of tiny entrepreneurs as they sell lemonade at the end of their driveway? Although it’s not usually enforced, lemonade stands are technically illegal in the Hoosier state.
However, that almost changed recently. In early 2024, House Bill 1019 advanced through the Indiana House but later died in the Senate. It would have changed the law to say that counties, cities, and homeowner associations may not ban or regulate lemonade stands. Stipulations would have included that lemonade stands operate only two consecutive days and only eight days a month. Marion County Public Health Department officials also encouraged the bill’s authors to limit sales that include dairy products or other temperature-controlled products.
It should be noted that similar bills were passed by the House a few years ago but were also never heard in the Senate. So, lemonade stands remain illegal for now.
Hoosiers are now allowed to own ninja throwing stars.
For decades up until last year, throwing stars or other throwing knives were illegal to own in Indiana. These are also commonly referred to as ninja stars or shurikens – small, bladed knives used to injure an attacker from a distance.
Owning, making, or selling ninja stars was formerly a Class C misdemeanor that came with a punishment of 60 days in jail or a $500 fine. Apparently, the ban arose from a panic in the 1980s about these objects being lethal – perhaps popularized by Hollywood movies.
But due to the rise in popularity of recreational axe throwing establishments, state legislators passed Senate Bill 77 and repealed the ban on these types of thrown weapons. It is still illegal to possess them in places like schools, however.
Happy hours were illegal in Indiana for nearly 40 years.
Ah, the time-honored happy hour. That lovely pre-scheduled time of day when drinks at bars and restaurants are discounted for patrons. Well, not so in Indiana, until this year. Happy hours were prohibited, as well as carryout or to-go alcohol sales. It’s been this way since 1985 as part of an effort to reduce drunk driving.
This law specifically pertained to set time periods during the day, like 4PM to 6PM after people get off work, for example. It did not prohibit bars and restaurants from setting alcohol discounts on specific days, like Taco Tuesday, etc.
This year, House Bill 1086 was passed by legislators and was signed into law by Governor Holcomb. Starting in July, happy hours will be legalized again, and restaurants will be able to sell specialty cocktails to-go. The bill also requires that establishments purchase liquor liability insurance. Reportedly, lawmakers were surprised to learn that liquor liability insurance wasn’t already a requirement.
The legal value of Pi is 3.2, not 3.14. (Not a law, but almost was.)
This one is a bit of an urban legend, but it almost became a state law. Although there is a widespread misbelief that the legal value of Pi (π) is 3.2 in Indiana, it’s still actually 3.14.
Well, to be more specific it’s 3.14159265… and on and on to an infinite number of decimal places. You remember this from high school, right? It’s the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.
Way back in 1897, there was a bill to change Pi to 3.2 that fully passed the General Assembly’s lower house without a dissenting vote (House Bill 246). Experts from the Indiana Academy of Science lobbied members of the Senate to kill the bill, which they ultimately did, but not before Indiana became a bit of a national punchline.
Today, this story is used as a cautionary tale about legislators passing a bill they don’t fully understand.
Stay Weird, Indiana.
These are by no means the only strange laws Indiana is known for, although we do need to note that we couldn’t verify many of the commonly cited ones that are out there. Like, for example, that mustaches are illegal if you kiss people. If anyone out there can get us the official word on that one, we’d appreciate it. Because we found nothing in the Indiana Codes, despite spending way too much time looking.
But hey, just like our state’s lawmakers, we like things a bit strange here at Building Indiana Business too. Stay weird, Indiana. We love you just the way you are.
