The state law on panhandling

State Statute, Indiana Code 35-45-17. Under the state statute, illegal panhandling occurs when a person panhandles:

- after sunset and before sunrise; or
- when the person solicited is
- at a bus stop or in a vehicle or facility used for public transportation;
- in a motor vehicle parked on a public street or alley and where the person soliciting the individual does not have permission to do so from the city or state;
- in the sidewalk dining area of a restaurant; or
- within 20 feet of an automated teller machine or bank entrance.

“Illegal” panhandling also occurs when a person panhandles:

- while touching the individual solicited without consent;
- while the individual solicited is standing in line waiting to be admitted into a commercial establishment;
- while blocking the path of the individual being solicited or the entrance of a building or motor vehicle;
- while using profane or abusive language during the solicitation or after the person being solicited has declined to make a donation;
- while making a statement, gesture or another communication to the individual being solicited that would cause a reasonable person to fear for their safety or feel compelled to donate;
- with at least one other person; or
- following the person being solicited without that person’s consent after they have declined to make a donation.