Alcohol banned on courthouse lawn in Noblesville outdoor drinking district
The state has approved an outdoor alcohol ordinance in downtown Noblesville but the most attractive place to enjoy a beverage outdoors will be off-limits.
Customers in the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) will be banned from sipping libations on Hamilton County courthouse square, which is ringed with lawns and trees.
The Hamilton County Commission said it would enforce a general alcohol ban on county property, despite the DORA and weeks of talks with city officials.
Mayor Chris Jensen said the county chose to be excluded from the DORA, just as any business can refuse to participate.
“That is their stance and I will accept it and they will be in charge of putting up signs and enforcing it,” Jensen said. “This is not something I want to go to battle over.”
The practical effect is that customers who leave bars and restaurants on the square with a drink will be limited to the sidewalks when outdoors.
Commissioners Mark Heirbrandt and Steve Dillinger said they opposed bar customers hanging out on county property every day of the year, saying it's bound to lead to some bad behavior by a tiny fraction of people. They also objected to allowing alcohol at annual events for children and families on the square.
The commissioners recently reaffirmed the standing ordinance prohibiting alcohol on government property. The third commissioner, Christine Altman, abstained.
Jensen scoffed at the commission's hardline approach.
“It’s public property, it is not their property,” he said.
Commissioner Christine Altman said the city cut off talks, apparently because the county was seeking restrictions on the hours outdoor alcohol was permitted. The DORA will be operational 365 days a year, from noon to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
“I don’t think those hours are necessary for the businesses and city to accomplish their goal, which is increased foot traffic,” Altman said.
The county allows alcohol on the lawn for events that get a permit and that will continue, Altman said. Jensen said people bring their own alcohol to events on the lawn, like music festivals, and it has never been a problem.
"It happens all the time where people bring beverages and they have never enforced it before," Jensen said.
The DORA allows customers to take drinks out of participating businesses but they can’t enter other bars with the drinks, leaving the courthouse lawn as an obvious destination to finish a drink. Noblesville is the 17th DORA approved by the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission and the first in Hamilton County since the law passed in 2023. Westfield and Carmel have also applied for the designation.
The Noblesville district boundaries cover a swath of downtown and extend across the White River to the Federal Hill Commons and surrounding properties. While the county owns the Connor and Logan Street bridges over the river, and the Riverwalk, commissioners indicated at a meeting they could allow alcohol on them. But Altman said she didn’t think even that compromise was reached before the negotiations ended.
Call IndyStar reporter John Tuohy at 317-444-6418 or email him at john.tuohy@indystar.com. Follow him on Facebook and X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Alcohol banned on courthouse lawn in Noblesville despite DORA district
