LaPorte County, IN Public Conduct: Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Buffer distance
- 25 feet from public entrances
- Fine
- $25 per violation
- Covered walkway
- Courthouse to County Complex
- Employee penalty
- Discipline up to termination
- Governing code
- LaPorte County Code § 34.01(B)
- Area covered
- Unincorporated county-owned buildings only
Summary
LaPorte County bans smoking outdoors within 25 feet of any public entrance to a county courthouse or county office building, and on the connecting walkway between the LaPorte County Courthouse and the LaPorte County Complex. Violators face a $25 fine under County Code § 34.01.
(B) Smoking around public buildings prohibited.
(1) Smoking is prohibited on the walkway connecting the LaPorte County Courthouse to the LaPorte County Complex.
(2) Smoking is further prohibited within 25 feet of any public entrance to any county courthouse or county office building.
(3) (a) Violators of this division (B) will be subject to a fine of $25.
(b) Violations of this division (B) by a county employee could subject that individual to disciplinary action to include termination based on repeated violation.
Full Breakdown
01(B) extends the county's smoke-free policy beyond building interiors into the surrounding outdoor space. Two specific outdoor zones are off-limits to lit cigarettes, cigars, pipes, or other lighted smoking equipment: the walkway that physically connects the LaPorte County Courthouse to the LaPorte County Complex, and a 25-foot buffer around any public entrance to a county courthouse or county office building. 01(A) that carry over to this outdoor rule are broad: SMOKING covers carrying or holding any lighted smoking equipment or inhaling or exhaling smoke from it, so a lit cigarette merely being held near a doorway counts, not just active puffing.
The section requires PUBLIC BUILDINGS to be posted with conspicuous signs reading "Smoking is Prohibited by LaPorte County Ordinance," and while that signage language targets interiors, the county has applied the same posted notice at exterior entrances to mark the 25-foot no-smoking zone. This is unincorporated-area county code; it governs county-owned courthouse and office grounds, not sidewalks or parks inside Michigan City, La Porte, or the county's other incorporated municipalities, which set their own outdoor-smoking rules if any. The ordinance traces to Ord. 1996-1 (passed 1-22-96) and was amended by Res. 2001-01, Ord. 2008-02, and Ord. 2011-03 (passed 3-15-11), which added the current 25-foot outdoor buffer and walkway restriction.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of the outdoor 25-foot buffer or walkway ban under § 34.01(B) draws a flat $25 fine, referenced back to the general penalty schedule at § 10.99. A county employee who violates the outdoor smoking ban faces separate disciplinary exposure on top of the fine: the code authorizes discipline up to and including termination for repeated violations by county staff, distinct from the fine imposed on the general public.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I smoke on the sidewalk right outside the LaPorte County Courthouse?
What is the fine for smoking too close to a county building in LaPorte County?
Does this outdoor smoking ban apply inside Michigan City or La Porte?
Does the ban cover vaping or just lit tobacco products?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in LaPorte County
Compare LaPorte County to another location·View the Indiana public conduct overview
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