Howard County, IN Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Definition
- 'Smoking' expressly includes marijuana, § 92.50
- Where banned
- All enclosed public places, § 92.51
- Kokomo exception
- Excluded while its Ord. 6445 is in effect
- Enforcing agency
- Howard County Health Department
- First offense
- Verbal and written warning only
- Repeat fines
- $200, $400, $800, then $1,500 each
Summary
Howard County's smoke-free ordinance defines 'smoking' to expressly include marijuana, so lighting a joint triggers the same rules as a cigarette. Marijuana smoking is banned in every enclosed public place countywide, from bars and retail stores to county meeting rooms, and the Health Department enforces the ban with fines that climb for repeat violations within the same calendar year.
SMOKING. Inhaling, exhaling, burning or carrying any lighted or heated cigar, cigarette, or pipe, or any other lighted or heated tobacco or plant product intended for inhalation, including hookah and marijuana, in any manner or in any form. ... (A) Except as provided in division (B) below and in § 92.54, smoking shall be prohibited in all enclosed public places within Howard County including but not limited to, the following places: ... Rooms, chambers, places of meeting or public assembly, including school buildings, under the control of an agency, board, commission, committee or council of Howard County to the extent the place is not subject to the jurisdiction of the City of Kokomo, Indiana; ... A fine of $200 for the second violation within the same calendar year.
Full Breakdown
' That definition folds marijuana directly into the same prohibition that covers tobacco. under the control of an agency, board, commission, committee or council of Howard County,' so long as the space is not already under Kokomo's separate ordinance. The ordinance applies countywide, including Greentown and Russiaville, but exempts the City of Kokomo while its own Ordinance No. 6445 remains in effect. 59 assigns enforcement to the Howard County Health Department, which can inspect during routine health inspections and act on citizen complaints, and requires an owner or employee who sees a violation to ask the person to stop or leave before calling law enforcement.
59: a warning for a first violation, $200 for a second in the same calendar year, $400 for a third, $800 for a fourth, and $1,500 for each additional violation, with repeated violations declared a public nuisance the county's Legal Department may seek to enjoin.
Violations & Fines
Marijuana smoking in a covered enclosed public place draws a written warning for a first offense, then escalating fines under § 92.99: $200 for a second violation in the same calendar year, $400 for a third, $800 for a fourth, and $1,500 for each violation after that. Each day of a continuing violation counts separately, and repeat violations can be pursued as a public nuisance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Howard County's smoking ban apply to marijuana?
Where in unincorporated Howard County is marijuana smoking prohibited?
Who enforces the marijuana smoking ban and what's the fine?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Howard County
Compare Howard County to another location·View the Indiana public conduct overview
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