Indiana Code

Ind. Code § 35-45-1-5 (2026)

Visiting a common nuisance; maintaining a common nuisance

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section JustiaInd. Code CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

     Sec. 5. (a) As used in this section, "common nuisance" means a building, structure, vehicle, or other place that is used for (1) or more of the following purposes:

(1) To buy an alcoholic beverage in violation of IC 7.1-5-10-5.

(2) To unlawfully use, keep, or sell a legend drug.

(3) To unlawfully:

(A) use;

(B) manufacture;

(C) keep;

(D) offer for sale;

(E) sell;

(F) deliver; or

(G) finance the delivery of;

a controlled substance or an item of drug paraphernalia (as described in IC 35-48-4-8.5).

(4) To provide a location for a person to pay, offer to pay, or agree to pay money or other property to another person for a human trafficking victim or an act performed by a human trafficking victim.

(5) To provide a location for a person to commit a violation of IC 35-42-3.5-1 through IC 35-42-3.5-1.4 (human trafficking).

     (b) A person who knowingly or intentionally visits a common nuisance described in subsections (a)(1) through (a)(4) commits visiting a common nuisance. The offense is a:

(1) Class B misdemeanor if the common nuisance is used for the unlawful:

(A) sale of an alcoholic beverage as set forth in subsection (a)(1);

(B) use, keeping, or sale of a legend drug as set forth in subsection (a)(2); or

(C) use, manufacture, keeping, offer for sale, sale, delivery, or financing the delivery of a controlled substance or item of drug paraphernalia (as described in IC 35-48-4-8.5), as set forth in subsection (a)(3);

(2) Class A misdemeanor if:

(A) the common nuisance is used as a location for a person to pay, offer to pay, or agree to pay for a human trafficking victim or an act performed by a human trafficking victim as set forth in subsection (a)(4); or

(B) the person knowingly, intentionally, or recklessly takes a person less than eighteen (18) years of age or an endangered adult (as defined in IC 12-10-3-2) into a common nuisance used to unlawfully:

(i) use;

(ii) manufacture;

(iii) keep;

(iv) offer for sale;

(v) sell;

(vi) deliver; or

(vii) finance the delivery of;

a controlled substance or an item of drug paraphernalia, as set forth in subsection (a)(3); and

(3) Level 6 felony if the person:

(A) knowingly, intentionally, or recklessly takes a person less than eighteen (18) years of age or an endangered adult (as defined in IC 12-10-3-2) into a common nuisance used to unlawfully:

(i) use;

(ii) manufacture;

(iii) keep;

(iv) offer for sale;

(v) sell;

(vi) deliver; or

(vii) finance the delivery of;

a controlled substance or an item of drug paraphernalia, as set forth in subsection (a)(3); and

(B) has a prior unrelated conviction for a violation of this section involving a controlled substance or drug paraphernalia.

     (c) A person who knowingly or intentionally maintains a common nuisance commits maintaining a common nuisance, a Level 6 felony.

     (d) It is a defense to a prosecution under subsection (c) that:

(1) the offense involves only the unlawful use or keeping of:

(A) less than:

(i) thirty (30) grams of marijuana; or

(ii) five (5) grams of hash oil, hashish, or salvia; or

(B) an item of drug paraphernalia (as described in IC 35-48-4-8.5) that is designed for use with, or intended to be used for, marijuana, hash oil, hashish, or salvia; and

(2) the person does not have a prior unrelated conviction for a violation of subsection (c).

As added by P.L.59-2016, SEC.7. Amended by P.L.86-2017, SEC.14; P.L.144-2018, SEC.29.

 

IC 35-45-2Chapter 2. Intimidation and Other Offenses Relating to Communications

 

           35-45-2-0.1Repealed
           35-45-2-1Intimidation
           35-45-2-2Harassment; "obscene message" defined
           35-45-2-3Repealed
           35-45-2-4Unlawful disclosure
           35-45-2-5Interference with the reporting of a crime
           35-45-2-6Unlawful use of a signal jammer

 

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 48 cases (4 in the last 5 years), 2014–2024 · leading case: Jerold W. Leatherman v. State of Indiana, 101 N.E.3d 879 (Ind. Ct. App. 2018).
Jerold W. Leatherman v. State of Indiana, 101 N.E.3d 879 (Ind. Ct. App. 2018). · cites it 8× “1 Ind. Code § 35-45-1-5 (2017). 2 I.C. § 35-48-4-8.”
Elizabeth J. Strickland v. State of Indiana, 119 N.E.3d 140 (Ind. Ct. App. 2019). · cites it 2× “4 Ind. Code § 35-45-1-5 (2016). 5 Officer O'Neil testified that "hotel and motel interdiction" is "basically .”
State of Indiana v. Dusten T. Vance, 119 N.E.3d 626 (Ind. Ct. App. 2019). · cites it 2× “I.C. § 35-45-1-5. [6] On July 6, 2018, the trial court issued its suppression order.”
Carlos Hernandez-Cabrera v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) (Ind. Ct. App. 2018). · cites it 8× “Ind. Code § 35-45-1-5 (a)(3). [15] Indiana Code Section 35-45-1-5 was enacted in 2016 after the legislature repealed the previous statute, Indiana Code Section 35-48-4-13, which governed maintaining a common nuisance.”
Robin Kraemer v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) (Ind. Ct. App. 2018). · cites it 6× “” A person who “knowingly or intentionally visits a common nuisance . . . commits visiting a common nuisance.”
Shalee C. Dowell v. State of Indiana (Ind. Ct. App. 2020). · cites it 6× “1 Ind. Code § 35-45-1-5 (c). Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 19A-CR-2623 | October 23, 2020 Page 2 of 6 [4] Next, Officer Daymion Marsh went to the passenger side of the car and asked Tucker to exit the vehicle.”
Kelly L. Gillespie v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) (Ind. Ct. App. 2019). · cites it 4× “2 Ind. Code §§ 35-45-1-5 (a)(3), -5(c). Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-CR-1542 | February 20, 2019 Page 2 of 17 Cornwell was.”
Hubert A. Kraemer v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) (Ind. Ct. App. 2019). · cites it 4× “The court sentenced Kraemer to concurrent sentences of one year for each of the Level 6 felony convictions, and to twelve years, with four years suspended, for the Level 3 felony conviction. Thus, Kraemer received an aggregate sentence of twelve years, with four years suspended,…”
Rickey R. Armour v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) (Ind. Ct. App. 2019). · cites it 4× “5 See Ind. Code § 35-45-1-5 (c). Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-CR-2970 | June 19, 2019 Page 2 of 20 Gaywood Drive and Rudisill Boulevard in Fort Wayne.”
David Wayne Lawson v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) (Ind. Ct. App. 2019). · cites it 4× “I.C. § 35-45-1-5(a)(3), (c). The State presented evidence that Lawson knowingly used his vehicle to drive Kostas to Grier’s apartment so that Kostas could sell Grier methamphetamine.”
Andrew D. Rodgers v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) (Ind. Ct. App. 2019). · cites it 4× “1 Ind. Code § 35-45-1-5 (c). 2 The name and gender of UC 382 remain confidential.”
Dustin Wayne Eldridge v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) (Ind. Ct. App. 2019). · cites it 3× “” Ind. Code § 35-45-1-5 (a) (2016). “[I]t is clear that the legislature intended by the removal of the ‘one or more times’ language to restore the prior common law and statutory requirement that a common nuisance is one in which continuous or recurrent prohibited activity takes…”
— Ind. Code § 35-45-1-5(a) — 1 case
Jerold W. Leatherman v. State of Indiana, 101 N.E.3d 879 (Ind. Ct. App. 2018). “1 Ind. Code § 35-45-1-5 (2017). 2 I.C. § 35-48-4-8.”
— Ind. Code § 35-45-1-5(a)(3) — 3 cases
Kelly L. Gillespie v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) (Ind. Ct. App. 2019). “2 Ind. Code §§ 35-45-1-5 (a)(3), -5(c). Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 18A-CR-1542 | February 20, 2019 Page 2 of 17 Cornwell was.”
David Wayne Lawson v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) (Ind. Ct. App. 2019). “I.C. § 35-45-1-5(a)(3), (c). The State presented evidence that Lawson knowingly used his vehicle to drive Kostas to Grier’s apartment so that Kostas could sell Grier methamphetamine.”
— Ind. Code § 35-45-1-5(a)(3)(G) — 1 case
Jerold W. Leatherman v. State of Indiana, 101 N.E.3d 879 (Ind. Ct. App. 2018). “1 Ind. Code § 35-45-1-5 (2017). 2 I.C. § 35-48-4-8.”
— Ind. Code § 35-45-1-5(b) — 2 cases
Robin Kraemer v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) (Ind. Ct. App. 2018). “” A person who “knowingly or intentionally visits a common nuisance . . . commits visiting a common nuisance.”
Brian S. Hartman v. State of Indiana (Ind. Ct. App. 2014).
— Ind. Code § 35-45-1-5(b)(2) — 1 case
— Ind. Code § 35-45-1-5(b)(2)(B) — 2 cases
Robin Kraemer v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) (Ind. Ct. App. 2018). “” A person who “knowingly or intentionally visits a common nuisance . . . commits visiting a common nuisance.”
Hubert A. Kraemer v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) (Ind. Ct. App. 2019). “The court sentenced Kraemer to concurrent sentences of one year for each of the Level 6 felony convictions, and to twelve years, with four years suspended, for the Level 3 felony conviction. Thus, Kraemer received an aggregate sentence of twelve years, with four years suspended,…”
— Ind. Code § 35-45-1-5(c) — 9 cases
Carlos Hernandez-Cabrera v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) (Ind. Ct. App. 2018). “Ind. Code § 35-45-1-5 (a)(3). [15] Indiana Code Section 35-45-1-5 was enacted in 2016 after the legislature repealed the previous statute, Indiana Code Section 35-48-4-13, which governed maintaining a common nuisance.”
Hubert A. Kraemer v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) (Ind. Ct. App. 2019). “The court sentenced Kraemer to concurrent sentences of one year for each of the Level 6 felony convictions, and to twelve years, with four years suspended, for the Level 3 felony conviction. Thus, Kraemer received an aggregate sentence of twelve years, with four years suspended,…”
David Wayne Lawson v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) (Ind. Ct. App. 2019). “I.C. § 35-45-1-5(a)(3), (c). The State presented evidence that Lawson knowingly used his vehicle to drive Kostas to Grier’s apartment so that Kostas could sell Grier methamphetamine.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.