Indianapolis International Airport (IND) is entirely smoke-free — there are no smoking areas anywhere on airport property. IND is a tobacco-free campus and enforces a total smoking ban across the entire airport, covering all indoor areas, outdoor areas, sidewalks, parking garages, and the curbside. You must leave airport grounds entirely to smoke, which makes IND one of the strictest US airports for smokers.
How Indianapolis Airport Is Laid Out
IND operates from a single passenger building, the Col. H. Weir Cook Terminal — the nation’s first LEED-certified airport terminal. The departures and ticketing hall, Civic Plaza, sits in the center under a soaring glass roof, with shops and restaurants and two security checkpoints, A and B. Past security, two concourses extend in opposite directions: Concourse A to the south with 20 gates and Concourse B to the north with 19. The two concourses connect airside, so you can move between them after clearing security without re-screening. None of these areas — Civic Plaza, the concourses, or the gates — has a smoking area.
Civic Plaza and Concourses A and B
Smoking areas: Off airport grounds only. The terminal interior, Civic Plaza, both concourses, and all gate areas are entirely smoke-free, as is the use of e-cigarettes.
After security: The same applies past the checkpoint. Because the ban also covers curbside and the parking garages, stepping out for a cigarette and re-clearing TSA is not a practical option — you would have to leave airport grounds completely. Plan your smoke break before you arrive.
Outside the Terminal
Unlike most US airports, which set aside designated outdoor smoking areas near the curb, IND applies its policy across the whole property — sidewalks, roadways, the Ground Transportation Center, and parking structures included. The campus has been smoke-free since 2008, and the policy was extended to e-cigarettes and vaping in 2019. The only place to smoke is off airport grounds entirely.
E-Cigarettes and Vaping
Vaping and e-cigarettes come under the same tobacco-free campus policy, which was expanded to cover electronic devices in 2019. It applies across the entire IND property, so the nearest place to vape is off airport grounds, indoors or out.
Summary
| Area | Smoking Allowed | Location Details |
|---|---|---|
| Inside terminal (Civic Plaza) | No | Smoke-free, including e-cigarettes |
| Concourse A | No | No post-security smoking area |
| Concourse B | No | No post-security smoking area |
| Outside – curbside / garages | No | Total tobacco-free campus — no outdoor areas |
| Vaping/e-cigarettes | No | Banned property-wide since 2019 |
For USA airport smoking rules, state vape rules, lighter rules at TSA, and other federal/state info, see our USA smoking guide.