Boone County, IN Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)

Boone County Code Section 30.03, adopted as Ord. 1995-5 and amended by Ord. 2011-07, prohibits carrying a deadly weapon or an alcoholic beverage on or about a person's body inside the Boone County Courthouse. Division (F) extends the notice duty to all other county-owned facilities: the Board of Commissioners must post prominent notices at every courthouse entrance and other county buildings warning of the penalties for violation. The ban does not apply to law enforcement officers, Indiana Department of Correction officers, Conservation Officers, Community Corrections personnel, court personnel, and authorized federal employees while on duty or testifying in an official capacity, unless they or a family member are a party to the case being heard, or unless an off-duty officer is on personal business unrelated to their official role.

A court security officer or any on-duty law enforcement officer who has probable cause to believe a person is carrying a deadly weapon or has consumed alcohol on county property may search that person; any weapon or contraband found is seized and held for disposition according to law, and the person can still face prosecution for any offense uncovered beyond the section itself. Violators face a fine of up to $2,500 per violation, and the Boone County Attorney is authorized to enforce the section through the Boone County court system.

The rule took effect immediately upon passage and publication and is the only county-level restriction on drinking inside a public building; it does not reach alcohol consumption on county roads or unincorporated county streets and parks.