Indiana
Weird Laws in Indiana: Which Are Still on the Books?
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited October 21, 2026). · 4 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
We checked six claims that circulate on lists of weird Indiana laws against the Indiana Code and, for the two that name a city, against Gary's and Beech Grove's codes of ordinances, as of October 21, 2026. The two that hold up both come from ordinary regulatory chapters, alcohol retail and fishing. Our weird laws by state guide has the same check for every other state.
Weird laws in Indiana: the verdicts
Each claim below was checked against the Indiana code and, where it names a town, the local code. 6 claims checked.
The claim: Liquor stores cannot sell cold water/soda (only certain stores cold beer).
What the law says: Indiana package liquor stores may sell only a listed set of goods, and that list allows charged water, soda, ginger ale and mineral water only if 'uncooled and uniced' (nonalcoholic malt beverages may be cooled or uncooled). So a package liquor store cannot sell chilled soda or water.
“A package liquor store's exclusive business shall be the selling of the following commodities only: ... (6) Uncooled and uniced charged water, carbonated soda, ginger ale, mineral water, grenadine, and flavoring extracts.”
No court opinion in our database cites this section.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: Gary requires waiting 4 hours after eating garlic before a movie/transit.
What the law says: No Gary city ordinance about garlic, or waiting after eating garlic before a movie or transit, was found in the Gary Code of Ordinances as of 2026-10-21; no Indiana state statute was found either.
No state law found in the Indiana code as of October 21, 2026.
How we searched
We searched the full text of the Gary, Indiana Code of Ordinances for garlic, odor and theater rules, read its offenses and amusements chapters, and searched the Indiana Code for garlic.
Parts of the code read
- Gary Code of Ordinances Chapter 28 (offenses and miscellaneous provisions)
- Gary Code of Ordinances Chapter 6 (amusements and entertainments)
The local code named in the claim was checked too.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: Baths banned October through March.
What the law says: No Indiana statute restricting bathing by season was found in the Indiana Code as of 2026-10-21.
No state law found in the Indiana code as of October 21, 2026.
How we searched
We searched the full text of the Indiana Code for any rule on bathing or baths by season or month, and read the section lists of the public-order offenses chapter and the public-health chapter on outdoor assemblies.
Parts of the code read
- Indiana Code Title 35, Article 45, Chapter 1 (offenses against public order: rioting, disorderly conduct and common nuisances)
- Indiana Code Title 16, Article 41, Chapter 22 (public health: licensing of outdoor assemblies, including sanitation and bathing conditions)
No town code was checked for this claim.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: Indiana once tried to legislate pi = 4.
What the law says: No Indiana statute sets pi. An 1897 House bill proposing a circle-squaring "truth" passed the House but was indefinitely postponed in the Senate and never became law (Indiana Archives).
An 1897 Indiana House bill (1897), never enacted
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: Beech Grove bans watermelon.
What the law says: No ordinance banning or restricting watermelon was found in the Beech Grove (Indiana) Code of Ordinances as of 2026-10-21; no Indiana state statute was found either. The code does regulate peddling of produce and food vendors by license (ch. 115), which is the nearest real rule.
No state law found in the Indiana code as of October 21, 2026.
How we searched
We searched the full text of the Beech Grove, Indiana Code of Ordinances for watermelon, melons, fruit and produce, read the chapter list of its general-regulations title and its parks chapter, and searched the Indiana Code for watermelon.
Parts of the code read
- Beech Grove Code of Ordinances Title IX (general regulations): chapter list
- Beech Grove Code of Ordinances Chapter 99 (parks and recreation)
The local code named in the claim was checked too.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: Catching fish bare-handed is illegal.
What the law says: An individual may not take fish from waters of the state by 'the hands alone' (grabbing/noodling), except under a special permit issued by the DNR director or as otherwise provided by law.
“an individual may not take fish from waters containing state owned fish, waters of the state, or boundary waters of the state by ... (2) Means of the following: ... (B) The hands alone.”
Penalty: IC 14-22-38-1: except as otherwise provided in the article, 'a person who violates this article commits a Class C infraction'; 'a person who knowingly or intentionally violates this article commits a Class C misdemeanor.'
No court opinion in our database cites this section.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
Checked October 21, 2026. This is legal history and information, not legal advice. Laws change; the linked official text is the authority.
The cold soda rule is real
Indiana tells its package liquor stores exactly what they may sell, and the list is exclusive. Item 6 of Ind. Code § 7.1-3-10-5 allows:
Uncooled and uniced charged water, carbonated soda, ginger ale, mineral water, grenadine, and flavoring extracts.
So a package liquor store can stock mixers but cannot sell them chilled. The same list lets nonalcoholic malt beverages be sold cooled or uncooled, which makes the line between a cold nonalcoholic malt beverage and a warm ginger ale one of the stranger ones in the code.
No grabbing fish with bare hands
Ind. Code § 14-22-9-1 lists the ways a person may not take fish from waters of the state, and one of them is "the hands alone." That is the practice of catching fish by grabbing them, sometimes called noodling.
The ban has an exit: the DNR director may issue a special permit, and the law may provide otherwise. Penalties come from Ind. Code § 14-22-38-1, which makes a violation of this article a Class C infraction, or a Class C misdemeanor when the person acts knowingly or intentionally.
The pi bill: passed one chamber, then stopped
No Indiana statute sets the value of pi. The claim comes from a real 1897 House bill that proposed a circle-squaring "truth." According to the Indiana Archives, the bill passed the House but was indefinitely postponed in the Senate, so it never became law.
Unlike a claim with nothing behind it, this one began as a real bill that went to a vote; it simply never finished the trip.
Garlic, watermelon and winter baths
Three claims turned up nothing. For Gary's supposed rule on waiting four hours after eating garlic before a movie or a ride on transit, we searched the full Gary Code of Ordinances for garlic, odor and theater rules and read its offenses and amusements chapters. No such ordinance was found, and no state statute either.
For Beech Grove's supposed watermelon ban, no rule banning or restricting watermelon was found in the Beech Grove Code of Ordinances as of October 21, 2026, and no state statute either. The closest real rule is its licensing of produce peddling and food vendors in chapter 115.
The statewide claim that baths are banned from October through March also came up empty. A full-text search of the Indiana Code for any rule on bathing by season or month found none.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Indiana liquor stores sell cold soda?
Not package liquor stores. Ind. Code § 7.1-3-10-5 limits them to a list of goods that includes charged water, carbonated soda, ginger ale and mineral water only if uncooled and uniced. Nonalcoholic malt beverages may be sold cooled or uncooled.
Is it illegal to catch a fish with your hands in Indiana?
Ind. Code § 14-22-9-1 bars taking fish from waters of the state by the hands alone, except under a special permit issued by the DNR director or as otherwise provided by law. A violation is a Class C infraction, or a Class C misdemeanor if done knowingly or intentionally (Ind. Code § 14-22-38-1).
Did Indiana pass a law changing the value of pi?
No. An 1897 Indiana House bill proposing a circle-squaring truth passed the House but was indefinitely postponed in the Senate and never became law, according to the Indiana Archives.
Is there a garlic law in Gary, Indiana?
No ordinance about garlic, or about waiting after eating garlic before a movie or transit, was found in the Gary Code of Ordinances as of October 21, 2026, and no Indiana statute was found either.
What are some weird laws in Indiana?
Two that are real: package liquor stores may sell soda and mixers only uncooled, and taking fish by hand is barred without a special permit. The pi bill was real but never enacted; no ordinance was found for Gary's garlic rule or Beech Grove's watermelon ban, and no state law was found for a winter bath ban.
Updates
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
Sources and References
- Ind. Code § 7.1-3-10-5, package liquor store permitted sales (Indiana General Assembly)(iga.in.gov).gov
- Ind. Code § 14-22-9-1, prohibited means of taking fish (Indiana General Assembly)(iga.in.gov).gov
- The 1897 pi bill (Indiana Archives and Records Administration)(www.in.gov).gov
- Gary Code of Ordinances, Chapter 28, Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions (official code host)(library.municode.com)
- Beech Grove Code of Ordinances (official code host)(codelibrary.amlegal.com)
- Indiana Code Title 35 (Indiana General Assembly)(iga.in.gov).gov