Business Licensing & Operations in LaPorte County, IN (2026)
5 rules for unincorporated LaPorte County, Indiana.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
LaPorte County requires a sexually oriented business license before anyone may operate that kind of business, and a separate employee license for most workers. Code § 113.03 makes operating or working without the license unlawful, and § 113.05 sets the fees at $1,000 a year for the business and $100 for an employee.
LaPorte County Sexually Oriented Business License
Significant RestrictionsLaPorte County Code of Ordinances § 113.03
Business license. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a sexually oriented business in the county without a valid sexually oriented business license. Employee license. It shall be unlawful for any person to be an "employee," as defined in this chapter, of a sexually oriented business in the county without a valid sexually oriented business employee license, except that a person who is...
Tattoo & Body Modification
LaPorte County requires a Health Officer permit for every tattoo or body piercing facility, including mobile facilities, renewed each year by the last day of February. Mobile operators must give the county Health Department 72 hours' notice before an event, and practitioners face their own separate permitting track.
LaPorte County Tattoo And Piercing Permits
Significant RestrictionsLaPorte County Code of Ordinances § 111.06(A), (C)
(A) Permit. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a tattoo and/or body piercing facility in the county without a valid permit from the Health Officer. Only persons who have complied with the applicable provisions of this chapter shall be entitled to receive and retain such a permit. The permit shall be posted in a conspicuous place on the premises of the permitted facility. Facility...
Secondhand Dealers
LaPorte County treats secondhand retailers under the same Chapter 112 scheme as pawnshops and scrap dealers: no separate storefront license, but daily transaction uploads to a Sheriff-approved vendor, seller ID verification, a 15-day resale hold, and a ban on buying from anyone under 18.
LaPorte County Secondhand Dealer Reporting Rule
Some RestrictionsLaPorte County Code of Ordinances § 112.02; § 112.03(A)(2)
SECONDHAND RETAILER. Any person who engages in the business of purchasing, selling, or exchanging secondhand goods or articles. ... These records shall be uploaded to a third-party vendor to be determined and approved by the LaPorte County Sheriff. Such records shall be posted daily by the end of the business day. If a technical malfunction occurs during the posting and uploading of records, it...
Pawnbrokers
LaPorte County does not license pawnshops separately, but Chapter 112 forces every pawnbroker to log each pledge or purchase with a Sheriff-approved third-party vendor, photograph the item and seller, hold goods 15 days before resale, and open records to a Sheriff's Office inspection at least once a year.
LaPorte County Pawnbroker Recordkeeping Law
Some RestrictionsLaPorte County Code of Ordinances § 112.02; § 112.04(A)
PAWNBROKER. Shall have the same meaning as pawnshop. PAWNSHOP. Any person, partnership, association, or corporation lending money on the deposit or pledge of personal property, or who deals in the purchase of personal property on the condition of selling the property back again at a stipulated price, other than choose in action, securities, or printed evidence of indebtedness. ... All item(s) p...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
The county zoning ordinance's Appendix D use table, referenced by § 157.043, lists "Automobile repair, body shop, auto dealership, and auto wash garage" as a Prohibited (PR) use in every residential district (R-1, R-2, R-3) and even in the Agricultural (A) district. It's permitted by right only in General Business (GB), with a Special Exception route in Local Business (LB) and Industrial (I).
LaPorte County Zoning Bars Home Auto Repair
Heavy RestrictionsLaPorte County Code of Ordinances § 157.043, Appendix D
(E) Business uses; automotive. Uses Residential Business Manufacturing Agriculture R-1 R-2 R-3 LB GB AB SC I IR A ... Automobile repair, body shop, auto dealership, and auto PR PR PR SE U PR PR SE PR PR wash garage
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