No state has shaped American strip club law more than Indiana. In 1991 the US Supreme Court decided Barnes v. Glen Theatre, Inc., 501 U.S. 560 — a case brought by two South Bend businesses, the Kitty Kat Lounge and Glen Theatre, which wanted to offer fully nude dancing and were blocked by Indiana’s public indecency statute. The statute required dancers to wear, at a minimum, pasties and a G-string.
The Court sided with the state, 5-4. Chief Justice Rehnquist’s plurality accepted that erotic dancing is expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment, but only marginally so, and held the statute survived the United States v. O’Brien test because Indiana was targeting public nudity generally rather than the erotic message. In the plurality’s words, requiring pasties and a G-string “does not deprive the dance of whatever erotic message it conveys; it simply makes the message slightly less graphic.” Justice Scalia concurred on the view that no expression was regulated at all; Justice Souter concurred on secondary effects. Justice White, joined by Marshall, Blackmun and Stevens, dissented.
That is why the pasties-and-G-string standard is the baseline in Indiana — and why it became the template other states copied.
The rules that actually govern Indiana clubs
Three layers matter to a visitor:
- State liquor rules. Under 905 IAC 1-16.1-3, issued by the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, it is unlawful for a permittee to knowingly allow a person to appear in a state of nudity on the licensed premises. The rule defines nudity broadly: genitals, pubic area or buttocks with less than fully opaque covering, or a female breast with less than fully opaque covering of any part of the nipple. In practice, a club that serves alcohol cannot be fully nude.
- Statutory duties on the club. IC 7.1-3-23-20.5 requires any retailer’s permit holder offering adult entertainment to verify each performer’s age (at least 18) with government-issued ID, verify legal US residency, photograph auditioning entertainers and keep the photo for three years, have performers and staff sign a human trafficking awareness acknowledgement, and display approved anti-trafficking posters. Non-compliance can cost the club its permit.
- Local ordinances. Indianapolis-Marion County regulates adult entertainment businesses under Chapter 807 of its Code of Ordinances, including licensing and opening hours. Those hours restrictions have been heavily litigated: in Annex Books, Inc. v. City of Indianapolis, the Seventh Circuit repeatedly found the city’s evidence for its closing-hours rule too thin to survive intermediate scrutiny, and in January 2014 reversed and remanded for an injunction against enforcement. Local rules vary from city to city, so check before assuming a club is open late.
Indianapolis
- Brad’s Brass Flamingo — 4011 Southeastern Ave, Indianapolis
- Red Garter — 437 S Illinois St, Indianapolis, walking distance from the stadiums and hotels
- Silk The Show Club — 3512 Madison Ave, Indianapolis 46227
- The Pony Indy — 3551 Lafayette Rd, Indianapolis
- PT’s Showclub Indianapolis — 7916 Pendleton Pike, Indianapolis
Fort Wayne
- Brandys Gentlemens Club — 3011 W Coliseum Blvd, Fort Wayne 46808
- Club 44 Fort Wayne — 4030 Coldwater Rd, Fort Wayne 46805 (Thursday to Saturday only)
- Cover Girls — 1525 Production Rd, Fort Wayne 46808
- Harem Fort Wayne — 1002 N Coliseum Blvd, Fort Wayne
Gary
- Scores Indiana — 9148 Melton Rd, Gary, in Northwest Indiana close to the Illinois line
What to check before you go
- Call ahead about hours. Several Indiana clubs keep short weeks — Club 44, for example, opens only Thursday to Saturday — and local ordinance limits differ between Indianapolis, Fort Wayne and Gary.
- Don’t rely on club websites. Some Indiana club domains are dead, expired or sit behind age gates that hide the basics. Phone numbers are the more reliable source for hours, cover and dress code.
- Know what “topless” means here. If a venue serves alcohol, state rule forbids full nudity on the premises. A club advertising fully nude entertainment is, by definition, not serving liquor — expect soft drinks only, and budget accordingly.