Evansville, IN Public Conduct: Public Alcohol Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Where it applies
- Dress Plaza (Ohio River wharf) only
- Rule
- No alcohol consumption permitted
- City-wide scope
- No general open-container ban exists
- Penalty
- $10-$2,500 civil penalty, EMC 1.05.180
Summary
Evansville bans consuming alcohol at Dress Plaza, its Ohio River public wharf -- a site-specific rule; the code has no broader city-wide open-container or public-drinking ordinance.
No person shall consume any alcoholic beverage at Dress Plaza.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance G-2026-12, passed June 22, 2026).
Full Breakdown
EMC 12.10.100 sits in the Public Wharves chapter governing Dress Plaza, Evansville's City-owned wharf and events plaza along the Ohio River between Walnut and Ingle Streets. It flatly bars consuming any alcoholic beverage there -- there's no broader, city-wide open-container or public-drinking ordinance in Evansville's code. The same chapter separately bans glass containers (EMC 12.10.090) and swimming or diving in the river at the plaza (EMC 12.10.070), all enforced under EMC 12.10.140's incorporation of the general EMC 1.05.180 civil penalty.
Violations & Fines
Drinking alcohol at Dress Plaza violates EMC 12.10.100 and is enforceable under EMC 12.10.140's incorporation of the EMC 1.05.180 civil penalty, $10 to $2,500 per violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is drinking alcohol banned everywhere in Evansville, or just at Dress Plaza?
What else is banned at Dress Plaza besides alcohol?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Evansville
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