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Vanderburgh County, IN Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Outdoor buffer
10 feet from covered enclosed area
Governing section
County Code 8.24.020(C)
First violation fine
up to $50
Repeat violation fine
$100 to $500 per violation
Enforcing agencies
Sheriff, Fire Chief, Code Enforcement, Health Dept.
Each day counts
separate violation under 8.24.070(C)

Summary

Vanderburgh County's clean-air chapter is primarily an indoor ban, but it reaches outdoors too: County Code 8.24.020(C) prohibits smoking within ten feet of any enclosed public place or employee location where smoking is already banned, so smokers can't just step outside the door.

City-specific rules exist: Evansville has its own outdoor smoking restrictions rules that differ from Vanderburgh County's county-level regulations. If you live in Evansville, check the city-specific page instead.

Smoking is also prohibited within ten (10) feet outside any Enclosed Area where Smoking is prohibited to ensure that tobacco smoke does not enter any such Enclosed Area through entrances, windows, ventilation systems, or any other means.

Full Breakdown

010 as spaces closed in by a roof or ceiling and walls on at least two sides, covering elevators, health care facilities, laundromats, licensed child and adult care facilities, apartment and condominium common areas, polling-place buildings, public transit vehicles and depots, restrooms and lobbies, service lines, shopping malls, and sports arenas, plus all employee work locations. 020(C): smoking is prohibited within ten feet outside any enclosed area where it is already banned, specifically so smoke doesn't drift back in through entrances, windows, or ventilation systems.

020(D). 060(A); complaints from county residents outside Evansville's corporate limits go through the County Clerk's office, while city residents file with the Evansville City Clerk. 030 include private residences (unless used as licensed child care or a health facility), private vehicles, retail tobacco stores, hotel smoking rooms capped at 20% of rentable rooms since January 2, 2009, and certain age-restricted bars and private clubs holding an alcohol permit. 24 does not read as a park-specific or patio-specific smoking ban; it is a building-and-buffer-zone ordinance that happens to extend ten feet outdoors from every covered indoor space, and it does not override any stricter smoking limit a property owner chooses to impose.

Violations & Fines

A first violation in a calendar year draws a fine up to $50 under County Code 8.24.070(A), with every later violation that same year fined between $100 and $500. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense under 8.24.070(C), and violating owners, managers, or operators risk suspension or revocation of a County-issued permit or license under 8.24.070(B).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I smoke right outside the entrance to a covered building in Vanderburgh County?
No. County Code 8.24.020(C) prohibits smoking within ten feet of any enclosed area where smoking is already banned, specifically so smoke doesn't drift back through doors, windows, or vents.
Does Vanderburgh County ban smoking in parks or on restaurant patios?
Chapter 8.24 doesn't name parks or open-air patios; it defines its ban around "Enclosed Areas" closed in by a roof and walls on at least two sides, plus the ten-foot buffer around those spaces under 8.24.020(C). Open outdoor patios not attached to an enclosed area fall outside this chapter.
What's the fine for smoking in a prohibited area?
8.24.070(A) sets a fine of up to $50 for a first violation in a calendar year, rising to between $100 and $500 for every later violation that year, and each day a violation continues is a separate offense.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Vanderburgh County

All Vanderburgh County rules

Compare Vanderburgh County to another location·View the Indiana public conduct overview

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Outdoor Smoking Restrictions in Cities Across Vanderburgh County