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

" The ban applies to occupants generally, not just the driver, since it targets anyone in the vehicle who knowingly drinks or holds an open container. Section 24-58 carves out passengers of buses and recreational vehicles, who are excepted from the article, but the operator of a bus or RV gets no such exception and remains covered. 1-1-3-13, and cover motor vehicle, operation, operator, bus and recreational vehicle by cross-reference to the state motor vehicle code. Because the article is scoped to vehicles operating on public roads and public locations, it does not reach a person drinking on foot on a public sidewalk or in a park; that conduct falls outside this specific article. Enforcement runs through the county sheriff's department, which can issue a citation directly to a violator.