Indiana law change allows minors in restaurant bar areas with family members over 21

Indianapolis, Indiana – Following the modification of a long-standing Indiana legislation, kids from the Hoosier state are now permitted to sit in the bars of restaurants.

In an effort to increase the amount of space available for families to dine in Hoosier restaurants, the HEA 1200 and SEA 20 will take effect on July 1. Before, it was against the law for anyone under 18 to eat in a restaurant’s bar section.

This will all change on Saturday when families will be permitted to eat in a bar area with their young children, but only “for the sole purpose of consuming food.”

“The law is still restrictive in that the minor child must be in the company of a parent, guardian, or family member who is 21 years of age or older, seated at a table or booth, and the minor is there for dining only,” said Jessica Allen, commissioner of Indiana’s alcohol and tobacco control program.

The new regulation prohibits minors from sitting at the bar top, and establishments that want to enable family meals in a bar area must acquire a retail alcohol permit. Minors may not be present on the premises at any time in bars and taverns that permit smoking.

It used to be legal for adolescents between the ages of 18 and 20 to sit in the bar area solely for “dining purposes only.” The change eliminates the age restriction.