Lafayette, IN Mobility & Curb Rules: Bike Lane Rules (2026)

Chapter 7.04, the city's Rules of the Road, sets the bicycle-lane rule at § 7.04.130: a driver "shall not drive within any sidewalk area or marked bicycle lane, except at a permanent or temporary driveway." The prohibition was amended by Ord. No. 2023-22, § 1, adopted June 5, 2023, and applies citywide wherever the City Engineer has marked a bicycle lane under the traffic-control authority in § 7.02.010. A separate rule in the same chapter, § 7.04.170, requires a motorist overtaking or passing a bicyclist on a Lafayette roadway to leave a safe distance of not less than three feet between the vehicle and the bicycle.

In the parking chapter, § 7.06.130(A)(16) further bars any vehicle from stopping, standing or parking in a marked bicycle lane, multi-use path, or other bicycle-designated area, with a narrow exception for a service or delivery vehicle actively loading, unloading or providing temporary service. Any violation of the Chapter 7.04 driving prohibition that carries no separately stated penalty is punished under the catch-all fine in § 7.04.990: not less than $50.00 and not more than $1,000.00. Enforcement in Lafayette falls to the Lafayette Police Department, which issues citations through the city's Ordinance Violations Bureau for moving-vehicle offenses on city streets.