Porter County, IN Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Restricted hours
- 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
- Location
- Burlington Beach Accessway to Flint Lake
- Maximum fine
- $500.00
- Exception
- Launching or landing a watercraft
- Adopted by
- Ord. No. 81-13
Summary
Porter County makes it unlawful for anyone to remain or loiter on the public Burlington Beach Accessway to Flint Lake between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. under Code Sec. 14-44(a), unless the person is launching or landing a boat, canoe, raft or other vessel. A conviction carries a fine of up to $500.00, and the rule applies only to this one county beach access, not countywide.
(a)It is unlawful for any person to remain or loiter upon the beach area or any part of the public Burlington Beach accessway to Flint Lake under the jurisdiction of the board of commissioners, between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. of the following day unless such person is engaged in the launching or landing of a boat, canoe, raft or other water vessel.(c)Any person violating any of the provisions of this section shall, upon conviction, be fined in an amount not exceeding $500.00.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 14-44(a), part of Article III, Property Offenses, in Chapter 14, Public Peace, Morals and Welfare, and adopted by Ord. No. 010 of the former 1997 Code, targets one specific piece of county property: the public accessway that the Porter County Board of Commissioners maintains to Flint Lake at Burlington Beach. , no person, of any age, may remain or loiter on the beach area or any part of that accessway. The ordinance carves out a narrow exception for people actively engaged in launching or landing a boat, canoe, raft or other water vessel, recognizing that boaters sometimes need after-dark or pre-dawn access to the water.
Subsection (b) layers an additional, parent-specific duty onto the same hours, covered separately as the county's minor-curfew provision, but subsection (a) alone already reaches every person on the property regardless of age. 00. Chapter 14 also includes a companion property-offense section, Sec. 14-45, restricting swimming, walking and standing on the Shorewood Drive bridge over Lake Louise, which shows that Porter County's Article III property-offense rules are written site by site for specific county-controlled waterfront properties rather than as one general anti-loitering ordinance covering all public places in the county.
Violations & Fines
Anyone found remaining or loitering on the Burlington Beach Accessway to Flint Lake between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., other than someone actively launching or landing a boat, canoe, raft or other vessel, can be convicted under Sec. 14-44(a) and fined up to $500.00 under subsection (c). Porter County enforces this and its related waterfront property offenses, such as the Shorewood Drive bridge restrictions in Sec. 14-45, through the same fine structure and the county sheriff's department.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is loitering illegal everywhere in Porter County after 11 p.m.?
What is the penalty for loitering at Burlington Beach after hours?
Can boaters use the Burlington Beach Accessway after 11 p.m.?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Porter County
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