What is the happy hour rule in Indiana?
Asked by: Kallie Stokes | Last update: December 10, 2025Score: 4.3/5 (10 votes)
Under the new law, bars can offer specials four hours a day, 15 hours a week, except between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. Also, there are no two-for-one or bottomless drink specials. Indiana Restaurant and Lodging Association has been working closely with businesses to make sure owners know all the guidelines.
What is the happy hour law in Indiana?
As of July 1, 2024, the happy hour ban was lifted. Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a new law that repealed the 40-year-old ban on discount drinks during specified hours, a measure that arose in the 1980s amid a public push against drunk driving.
How many hours a day can happy hour be?
Happy hour can last anywhere from one hour, up to an entire evening. Some restaurants do happy hours every night for a few hours, while others dedicate a night, like “thirsty Thursday”, to discounted drinks and appetizers.
When did Indiana get rid of happy hour?
(WANE)— A new law that ends Indiana's ban on “Happy Hour” went into effect on July 1. House Bill 1086 revokes the Indiana General Assembly's 1985 decision to ban Happy Hours and allows bars and restaurants to offer hourly discounts on alcohol sales.
What are the new alcohol laws for restaurants in Indiana?
On July 1, 2024, there will be a bundle of new laws that become effective in Indiana. Read about some of the most interesting ones here. One of these new laws is the ability for restaurants, bars, or retailers to sell alcoholic beverages for carry-out. Yes, that's right, a person will be able to order cocktails to-go.
Good reviews are in on Indiana’s Happy Hour Law
What does "happy hour" mean at a bar?
a period of time during which a restaurant or bar sells drinks at a reduced price. (Definition of happy hour from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)
Can a passenger in a car drink alcohol in Indiana?
Are Vehicle Passengers Allowed to Have an Open Container? Passengers are allowed to be under the influence of alcohol in a moving car, but they are prohibited from having an open container in their possession.
Is happy hour coming back to Indiana?
Published June 30, 2024 • Updated on June 30, 2024 at 4:42 pm. After a nearly 40-year absence, happy hour is returning to the Hoosier State. A law repealing happy hours, which received by bipartisan support in the Indiana General Assembly and was signed by Gov. Eric Holcomb in May, will go into effect on Monday.
Why is happy hour illegal in some states?
According to a Route Fifty article by Kaitlyn Levinson, happy hours were banned or restricted in some states after a rash of high-profile drunk driving deaths in the 1980s. However, research has not borne out a connection between discounted alcohol hours and higher car crash rates.
Is happy hour still a thing?
It's prime happy hour season. Bars and restaurants around the country—still reeling from pandemic-era hits to their bottom line and patrons' wavering tolerance for socializing—are working overtime to entice guests in.
What states don't have happy hour?
No Happy Hour
Known as Happy Hour, the practice is decidedly American - but eight states have decided to abstain from allowing drinkers to get cheap drinks after a day's work. The others include Indiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Utah, and Vermont.
Why do restaurants do happy hour?
The Rise of Happy Hour
Post-Prohibition, with alcohol now legal, the concept of happy hour started to take on a commercial edge. Bars and restaurants saw it as an opportunity to draw in patrons during the slower hours, typically late afternoon to early evening, before the dinner rush.
What states don't sell alcohol on Sundays?
- Montana.
- Utah.
- Oklahoma.
- Tennessee.
- North Carolina.
- Pennsylvania.
How many hours is happy hour?
What are normal happy hours? While happy hour varies from bar to bar, normal happy hours are either 4 PM to 6 PM or 5 PM to 7 PM.
Is it illegal to work 8 hours without a break in Indiana?
How many breaks in an 8-hour shift in Indiana? Minor employees would receive one or two breaks totaling 30 minutes during an 8-hour shift. No requirement is in place for adult employees.
What is the quiet enjoyment law in Indiana?
The right to “quiet enjoyment” of your home.
Landlords are allowed to inspect or visit your rental home. But they can only come in your home after giving reasonable notice and at reasonable times, except in case of an emergency. See, Indiana Code § 32-31-5-6.
Why doesn t Indiana have happy hour?
Indiana lawmakers passed the ban on happy hour in 1985 as a way to reduce drunk driving.
How do happy hours work?
No matter what you call it – beer o'clock, social hour, discount drinks, cost-effective cocktails – happy hour is that magical time of day when drinks and appetizers are discounted at many restaurants and bars. These discounts range from two-for-one deals to special pricing on select food and drink combos.
What is the new alcohol law in Indiana?
Indiana is now the 25th state to pass a permanent cocktails-to-go law. The bill will be effective on July 1, 2024.
When did happy hour end?
Conversation. Eagle FM previously published that MTC says it is discontinuing Super Aweh and Happy Hour as of 8 May 2024. In fact, Happy Hour will only be discontinued on Super Aweh as of 8 May and will exist on other packages.
When did happy hour become a thing?
The first happy hour was in 1914, when the US Navy, in an attempt to entertain on-duty sailors, hosted an evening of food, music, and dancing. An April 1914 newspaper article described the sailors at one such happy hour as enjoying themselves “with as much abandon as though no war were in the air.”
Can you drink in an Uber in Indiana?
Exceptions to the Indiana Open Container Law
For example, it is not against the law to have an open container in a transport vehicle, such as an Uber, Lyft, or taxi. Having an open container of alcohol in the living quarters of a recreational vehicle is also permitted.
Can you drink alcohol on a boat in Indiana?
Often, as part of these fun times we have in our boats and other personal water crafts, there is also food and drink involved, including drinks of the alcoholic kind. While legal and responsible drinking is allowed, BWI — boating while intoxicated — is not.
Can you drink and drive in Indiana?
In Indiana, as in the rest of the nation, if you have a BAC of 0.08%, you are not permitted to drive. While the legal limit is set at 0.08%, it's important for drivers to understand that alcohol affects your ability to drive even if you're under the limit.