Indiana Alcohol Laws
Where to Buy Alcohol Alcohol is served in restaurants and bars on Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. and from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Sundays.
Alcoholic beverages can be purchased from private retail package stores, and beer and wine can be bought in grocery stores, convenience stores, and drug stores. No alcohol is sold on Christmas Day and Election Day.
Legal Age for Drinking/Serving Alcohol
You must be 21 years old to drink alcohol or work as a bartender in Indiana, but you can work as a server in a restaurant at age 19. With a supervisor present, a worker can at 18 work at a store that sells alcohol. All alcoholic beverage servers attend alcohol training classes.
Open Container Laws
No one in a vehicle may have an open container of alcohol in their possession. Previously opened bottles must be transported in the car’s trunk.
BAC Limits
A driver with a BAC (blood-alcohol content) of .08 percent is at the maximum legal limit for intoxication. Any BAC higher than this indicates ‘per se intoxication,’ and proof through chemical testing means the driver can be convicted of DUI (driving under the influence) based on this evidence alone.
Discouraging underage drivers from drinking is the purpose of ‘zero tolerance laws,’ which state that a driver under the age of 21 who tests positive with a BAC of .02 percent or above is subject to DUI penalties.
More severe penalties may be inflicted by the court if a driver refuses to cooperate with chemical testing (implied consent laws) or is convicted with a BAC that is .15 percent above the .08 percent legal limit.
Penalties
Suspension of a driver’s license is a penalty available to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) of 180 days for the first, second, and third offenses.
Vehicle confiscation for DUI conviction – either permanently or
temporarily – is a possibility in Indiana, usually for repeat offenders. An ignition interlock device is a penalty option in Indiana, but alcohol education or treatment cannot be required.
DUI is considered a felony after the second conviction.