Indiana Code Title 9: Licensing, Traffic Rules, and OWI

Indiana motor vehicle laws sit in Title 9 of the Indiana Code and cover almost everything about owning and driving a vehicle in the state: titling, registration, minimum liability insurance of 25/50/25, driver licensing, traffic rules, operating while intoxicated, and your duties after a crash. Penalties run from Class C infractions for paperwork lapses up to Level 4 felonies for the most serious impaired-driving and hit-and-run offenses. The sections below walk through what you actually need to know as an Indiana driver or vehicle owner.

Minimum Auto Insurance You Must Carry

Every registered vehicle in Indiana has to be insured for at least:

  • $25,000 for bodily injury or death of one person
  • $50,000 for bodily injury or death of two or more people in the same accident
  • $25,000 for damage to another person’s property

Drivers usually call this “25/50/25.” These are floors, not recommendations, and many people carry more. If your coverage lapses or you drive uninsured, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles can suspend both your driving privileges and your vehicle registration.1Justia. Indiana Code 9-25-4 – Financial Responsibility Reinstatement normally means filing an SR-22 proving future coverage and paying fees, so a short gap can take months to clean up.

Titling and Registering Your Vehicle

Every vehicle owner must get a certificate of title from the BMV. New residents have 60 days after moving to Indiana to title vehicles they already own, and operating a vehicle without a title is a Class C infraction.2Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-17-2-1 – Vehicles Requiring Certificates of Title; Proof of Residency; Violation The title is the legal record of ownership and carries lien information and odometer readings, and no transfer can happen without it.

Federal rules add an odometer disclosure requirement when a vehicle changes hands. The seller must record the mileage on the title and certify whether it is accurate, exceeds the odometer’s mechanical limits, or is unreliable. Falsifying that disclosure can bring federal fines and prison time, and dealers, distributors, and lessors must keep the records for five years.3eCFR. 49 CFR Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements

Beyond titling, IC 9-18.1 requires a valid registration and license plate on every vehicle driven on public roads. You need proof of insurance and residency to register, and the state renews on an annual schedule tied to the owner’s last name or business name. Keep the registration certificate in the vehicle or on your person whenever you drive.

Driver’s License Ages and REAL ID

Indiana uses a tiered path to full driving privileges. You can get a learner’s permit at 15 if you’re enrolled in an approved behind-the-wheel training course and pass a knowledge exam and vision screening. Without driver education, the minimum age for a permit is 16.4Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Learner’s Permit

A full operator’s license becomes available at different ages depending on your training path. The earliest is 16 years and 90 days, for applicants who have completed both classroom and behind-the-wheel instruction and held a permit for the required period. Other paths set the minimum at 16 years and 180 days or 16 years and 270 days, depending on the mix of education and supervised practice. Applicants 18 and older can skip the permit stage and license directly by passing all required exams. Commercial drivers face additional medical certification and specialized testing for each vehicle class. You must notify the BMV of any change in address or name within 30 days.

REAL ID

Indiana issues REAL ID-compliant licenses and ID cards. To get one, bring to a BMV branch:

  • One document proving identity
  • One document proving lawful status
  • One document showing your full Social Security number
  • Two documents proving Indiana residency with a residential (not P.O. box) address

5Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Real ID Overview This matters at the airport. As of early 2026, the TSA enforces REAL ID requirements at checkpoints. Without a REAL ID or another acceptable ID like a passport, you’ll have to use the TSA ConfirmID system, which costs $45 for a 10-day travel window. You pay online at TSA.gov/ConfirmID before your trip and present the receipt with any government-issued photo ID at security.6Transportation Security Administration. TSA Successfully Rolls Out TSA ConfirmID

Road Rules Indiana Enforces Most Heavily

Speed Limits

Indiana sets default limits by road type. The general maximum is 55 mph on roads that don’t fall into another category. Rural interstates allow 70 mph for passenger vehicles and buses, but heavy vehicles over 26,000 pounds are capped at 65 mph on those same roads. Divided highways with four or more lanes outside urban areas top out at 60 mph. Urban districts carry a 30 mph limit, and alleys 15 mph.7Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-21-5-2 – Maximum Speed Limits; Violation You can still be cited for driving too fast for conditions regardless of the posted limit.

School Buses and Emergency Vehicles

When a school bus has its red lights flashing and stop arm extended, you must stop. The only exception is if you’re traveling in the opposite direction on a divided highway. Recklessly passing a stopped school bus is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.8Indiana Office of Court Services. Legislative Update – School Bus Safety9Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-50-3-2 – Class A Misdemeanor Many districts now use bus-mounted cameras. For an approaching emergency vehicle with active sirens or lights, pull to the right and stop until it passes.

Move Over, Slow Down

Indiana’s move over law applies when you approach a stopped vehicle with flashing lights on a two- or four-lane road. The rule covers police cars, ambulances, fire trucks, highway maintenance vehicles, tow trucks, utility service vehicles, and highway incident-response vehicles. Change into a lane that isn’t next to the stopped vehicle if you safely can. If a lane change isn’t safe, slow down to at least 10 mph below the posted limit. A violation is a Class A infraction, but if your failure to move over causes serious bodily injury, catastrophic injury, or death to someone operating or affiliated with the emergency vehicle, the charge jumps to a Level 6 felony.10Indiana State Police. Move Over Slow Down

Child Restraints

Children under eight must ride in a child restraint system that meets the manufacturer’s specifications. Failing to properly restrain a child is a Class D infraction.11Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-19-11-2 – Child Less Than Eight Years of Age There is a narrow exception when a physician, physician’s assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse certifies that a restraint is impractical due to a physical or medical condition.

Operating While Intoxicated

Indiana calls impaired driving “operating while intoxicated” (OWI). The legal blood alcohol concentration limit is 0.08 for standard drivers, and the law reaches anyone in physical control of a vehicle, not just someone actively driving. Commercial drivers are held to a federal standard of 0.04, and drivers under 21 face a 0.02 zero-tolerance limit. Penalties escalate based on BAC, prior record, and whether anyone was hurt:

The 0.15 BAC threshold catches people off guard. A first-time offender who blows a 0.16 faces the same misdemeanor class as someone who put another person at risk, even without any erratic driving.

Chemical Testing and Implied Consent

By driving on Indiana roads you have already given implied consent to a chemical test of breath, blood, or urine if you’re arrested for impaired driving. If you refuse, the officer must tell you your license will be suspended, then confiscate the license and give you a temporary receipt.21Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-30-6-7 – Refusal to Submit to Chemical Tests Refusal doesn’t guarantee you’ll avoid a conviction; prosecutors can still make a case using officer observations and field sobriety results. The administrative suspension for refusing happens separately from any criminal penalty.

Ignition Interlock and Suspension

Courts have discretion to require an ignition interlock device as a condition of limited driving privileges after an OWI conviction. The device requires a clean breath sample before the vehicle will start. Indiana does not mandate interlocks for every OWI; the sentencing judge decides based on BAC, prior history, and the circumstances. A court may also suspend your license for up to one year after conviction, and removing the interlock requires a separate court order.

What You Must Do After an Accident

Indiana Code 9-26 is strict about post-crash duties. You must stop at the scene or as close to it as you safely can, then exchange your name, address, and vehicle registration with the other driver. If someone is injured, you have to provide reasonable assistance, which includes calling for medical help or arranging transport.

Law enforcement must investigate any accident involving injury, death, or property damage of at least $2,500.22Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-26-2-1 – Investigation of Accidents Resulting in Injury, Death, or Property Damage of at Least $2,500 If no officer responds, you must file a written report with the state yourself.

Leaving the scene carries penalties that scale with the harm caused:

Each person injured or killed counts as a separate offense, and the court can stack sentences consecutively.23Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-26-1-1.1 – Duties of Driver of Motor Vehicle A single hit-and-run involving two injured pedestrians can produce two felony convictions running back-to-back, which is why leaving the scene ranks among the most legally dangerous decisions a driver can make in Indiana.