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

Warrick County Code Section 39.03 prohibits smoking in, and within 30 feet of any entrance to and exit from, any facility owned, leased, operated or occupied by the Board of Commissioners of Warrick County or any other county department, agency or office. The ban extends to all stairways, ramps and sidewalks the county owns that provide access to those facilities. The official in charge of each covered facility must post a sign at each entrance reading "County Ordinance Prohibits Smoking Within 30 Feet of this Entrance." The ordinance is adopted under I.C.

7.1-5-12 et seq. and applies to employees, patrons, visitors and the general public alike, so it reaches courthouse and Judicial Center visitors as well as staff. Enforcement runs through Warrick County elected officials, department heads, the Board of Commissioners, the County Administrator and the Warrick County Sheriff's deputies, giving the ordinance a broad enforcement bench beyond just law enforcement. An employee caught smoking in a prohibited area also faces separate disciplinary action up to termination under Section 39.03(D), on top of any citation. The rule was first adopted by county resolution in 1987 and has been amended five times since, most recently in 2020, to keep pace with electronic smoking devices, which the code defines broadly to include e-cigarettes, e-cigars, e-pipes, e-hookahs and vape pens.