Starting September 1, adults in Fishers will be able to buy a beer or glass of wine at one bar and legally carry it down the sidewalk to another — as long as they stay inside one of two new designated outdoor refreshment areas the city just approved. The Fishers Common Council signed off on the two districts, covering downtown's Nickel Plate District and the entertainment-heavy Fishers District, clearing the way for open-container drinking within marked boundaries on weekends and select weekday evenings.
The council first heard the ordinance on July 20 before voting to approve a revised version at its August 17 meeting, according to WIBC 93.1 FM. The measure still needs final sign-off from the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission before the planned Sept. 1 launch, and it remains to be seen how quickly that state approval will come through. Once active, the DORAs will allow patrons 21 and older to carry open alcoholic drinks within the designated district boundaries, per the station's report.
Where the Drinking Zones Are and What You Can Carry
The Nickel Plate District DORA covers downtown Fishers, generally bordered by Municipal Drive to the north, Commercial Drive to the east, South Street to the south, and Fishers Center Drive to the west, according to the City of Fishers. Initial participating businesses there include Parks Place Pub, Four Day Ray Brewing, Café Patachou, and Another Broken Egg Café, per the Indianapolis Business Journal.
Over in the Fishers District, anchor venues Sun King Fishers and Sangiovese Ristorante will be among the first authorized sellers, the same outlet reports. That district represents more than $900 million in completed and committed investment since it opened in 2019, folding in retail center The Yard, the mixed-use Union development, and the 8,500-seat Fishers Event Center. City planners deliberately excluded the Slate and The Mark apartment complexes from the district boundaries to head off noise and public disturbance complaints from residents living nearby.
Rules on Cups, Ounces, and Where the Drink Can Go
The rules get specific fast. Beer servings are capped at 16 ounces, wine, cider, and seltzer at 12 ounces, and mixed drinks at 10 ounces with no more than two ounces of spirits, per WIBC. Drinks must go into non-breakable containers bearing an official DORA logo — plastic cups, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans are approved, while glass containers and outside alcohol brought from elsewhere are both prohibited.
Patrons are limited to two drinks at a time, and whatever is purchased inside a DORA cannot be carried into non-participating establishments or taken outside the district boundaries. DORA operating hours run Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., according to the station's account. Vendors must also post official rule notices at their main entrances and provide outdoor trash receptacles.
Enforcement and Fines
The Fishers Police Department will enforce DORA regulations alongside the city's Department of Planning, Community, and Economic Development. Violations carry a $250 fine, which climbs to $500 if left unpaid after 30 days, per the same report. City officials also retain the authority to temporarily suspend DORA operations for public health and safety reasons.
Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness told the Indianapolis Business Journal during council deliberations that while local restaurants stand to benefit financially from the new beverage sales, city administration and police will treat public safety as the key metric for judging whether the districts keep working. That framing puts the burden on enforcement data, not just foot traffic, to determine the program's future.
Part of a Statewide Wave
Fishers is far from alone. More than 50 Indiana municipalities have introduced or enacted DORAs since state lawmakers authorized the districts in 2023, the Indianapolis Business Journal reports, and neighboring Hamilton County communities Carmel, Noblesville, and Westfield have all adopted their own versions. Indianapolis approved its first DORA in Irvington in December, a move Hoodline covered as the capital city's entry into al fresco drinking.
The statewide framework traces back to Senate Enrolled Act 20, which Governor Eric Holcomb signed into law in May 2023 under Indiana Code 7.1-3-31, authorizing cities and towns to establish up to seven outdoor refreshment areas subject to state approval. Indiana further loosened its alcohol rules in July 2025 by lifting a decades-long ban on time-limited happy hour drink specials, according to Park Street Imports, a shift that complements the DORA push as another lever for expanding outdoor dining and drinking revenue across the state.
Whether Fishers expands its list of participating permittees beyond initial anchors like Four Day Ray Brewing and Sun King remains an open question, as does the exact pace of the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission's final review ahead of the Sept. 1 target date. For now, the city's two newest entertainment corridors are gearing up to let patrons wander with a drink in hand — provided they stay inside the lines.
