Hosting a ticketed dinner in Indianapolis: the checklist

Not legal advice. This is a starting checklist, checked 2026-09-25. Rules change and differ by county and city. Talk to a lawyer and confirm with MCPHD before you sell a ticket or open your space.

At a glance

• Cheapest start: a free dinner for friends at home.
• Often the simplest route: book a licensed venue; your tickets cover the rental fee. You become its licensed secondary operator. Their kitchen, your menu. MCPHD
• Biggest risk: drinks. See Drinks below.

Quick answers

Can I sell tickets to a dinner I cook at home in Indianapolis? No. Indiana's home food laws leave ticketed plated dinners out. The home exemption covers occupants cooking "free of charge"; a ticket ends it. IDOH memo HEA 1424

What is the simplest legal way to host a ticketed dinner in Indianapolis? Often a licensed venue; your tickets cover the rental fee. You become its licensed secondary operator, with a commissary agreement. The licence fee is unverified. MCPHD

Can I include wine in a dinner ticket in Indianapolis? Keep drinks out of your ticket; the licensed venue or caterer sells them to guests directly. Furnishing alcohol "for commercial purposes" without a permit is unlawful. IC 7.1-5-1-1 IC 7.1-3-9.5-3

Start here: one dish, free, at home

Already hosting? Skip to your routes.

• Cook one dish (one protein, one plate) for a few friends at home. Free: no ticket, no donation jar, no public post.
• Let a friend bring a friend. Still free, still invite-only.
• What turns it into a regulated sale in Indianapolis: any charge HEA 1424 or opening it to the public, even free. MCPHD FAQ
• When guests start asking to pay, pick a route below.

Your routes, cheapest first

Fees: MCPHD Chapter 8.

Steps, in order

Already done some of these? Skip them.

Suggested order.

• 1. Talk to a lawyer before you charge anyone. An hour of their time costs less than learning this the hard way.
• 2. Ask MCPHD which food safety certificate you need.
• 3. Register your business and ask about sales tax.
• 4. Book a licensed kitchen. A Greenfield example, outside Marion County, charges $75 an hour, 4-hour minimum, certified manager included. Hoosier Commissary
• 5. File your licence with MCPHD. MCPHD
• 6. Get event liability cover. FLIP
• 7. Put the fee, deposit, licence cover and drinks plan in writing with the venue.
• 8. List your night.

Drinks

• Cheapest: temporary beer and wine permit, $50 a day, plus $5 per temporary bartender. File 5 business days out, with police sign-off. ATC FAQ IC 7.1-3-18-11 Police form
• The catch: no spirits, and only listed kinds of public events, or associations, qualify. Whether yours fits is unverified: ask excise District 6. IC 7.1-3-6-3
• Cocktails: hire a supplemental caterer (a three-way-permit restaurant or hotel, $150 a year). They notify the ATC 48 hours ahead, 15 days to be safe, and sell every drink. IC 7.1-3-9.5 ATC form
• Keep drinks out of your ticket; the licensed venue or caterer sells them to guests directly. IC 7.1-5-10-3
• Exception here: your own temporary beer and wine permit makes you the seller, so beer and wine can go in the ticket, if your night qualifies (unverified). IC 7.1-3-6-2
• No BYOB at restaurants, entertainment venues (Class B misdemeanor) or temporary-permit events. Hired bartender, your bottles, ticketed night: no legal route found. IC 7.1-5-8-4 IC 7.1-5-1-1

Watch-outs

• Insurance: homeowners policies exclude activity "engaged in for money." Some policies exempt small side income; get it in writing from your insurer. ISO HO-3
• Nobody has answered whether a ticket listing or donations make a night public (unverified). MCPHD FAQ
• From people who've done it: Indy pop-ups run in a butcher shop, a bistro, and venues on their closed days (anecdotal). edibleINDY

Learn more

• MCPHD Chapter 8: licences and fees
• MCPHD temporary events FAQ

Cost your micro hospitality night before you set a price: try the free Planner.

Not legal advice. Confirm with a lawyer and MCPHD before you act.