Indiana statute
Ind. Code § 35-42-2-1 — Battery
Current through 2026 Regular Session
Part of Chapter 2: Battery and Related Offenses, Indiana Code.
Criminal charges under this statute
Full text of Ind. Code § 35-42-2-1
Statutory text current through the 2026 Regular Session. This publication reproduces the official statutory text; it is not the official statutes of the State of Indiana.
Sec. 1. (a) As used in this section, "public safety official" means: (1) a law enforcement officer, including an alcoholic beverage enforcement officer; (2) an employee of a penal facility or a juvenile detention facility (as defined in IC 31-9-2.1-144 ); (3) an employee of the department of correction; (4) a probation officer; (5) a parole officer; (6) a community corrections worker; (7) a home detention officer; (8) a department of child services employee; (9) a firefighter; (10) an emergency medical services provider; (11) a judicial officer; (12) a bailiff of any court; or (13) a special deputy (as described in IC 36-8-10-10.6 ). (b) As used in this section, "relative" means an individual related by blood, half-blood, adoption, marriage, or remarriage, including: (1) a spouse; (2) a parent or stepparent; (3) a child or stepchild; (4) a grandchild or stepgrandchild; (5) a grandparent or stepgrandparent; (6) a brother, sister, stepbrother, or stepsister; (7) a niece or nephew; (8) an aunt or uncle; (9) a daughter-in-law or son-in-law; (10) a mother-in-law or father-in-law; or (11) a first cousin. (c) Except as provided in subsections (d) through (k), a person who knowingly or intentionally: (1) touches another person in a rude, insolent, or angry manner; or (2) in a rude, insolent, or angry manner places any bodily fluid or waste on another person; commits battery, a Class B misdemeanor. (d) The offense described in subsection (c)(1) or (c)(2) is a Class A misdemeanor if it: (1) results in bodily injury to any other person; or (2) is committed against a member of a foster family home (as defined in IC 35-31.5-2-139.3 ) by a person who is not a resident of the foster family home if the person who committed the offense is a relative of a person who lived in the foster family home at the time of the offense. (e) The offense described in subsection (c)(1) or (c)(2) is a Level 6 felony if one (1) or more of the following apply: (1) The offense results in moderate bodily injury to any other person. (2) The offense is committed against a public safety official while the official is engaged in the official's official duty, unless the offense is committed by a person detained or committed under IC 12-26 . (3) The offense is committed against a person less than fourteen (14) years of age and is committed by a person at least eighteen (18) years of age. (4) The offense is committed against a person of any age who has a mental or physical disability and is committed by a person having the care of the person with the mental or physical disability, whether the care is assumed voluntarily or because of a legal obligation. (5) The offense is committed against an endangered adult (as defined in IC 12-10-3-2 ). (6) The offense: (A) is committed against a member of a foster family home (as defined in IC 35-31.5-2-139.3 ) by a person who is not a resident of the foster family home if the person who committed the offense is a relative of a person who lived in the foster family home at the time of the offense; and (B) results in bodily injury to the member of the foster family. (f) The offense described in subsection (c)(2) is a Level 6 felony if the person knew or recklessly failed to know that the bodily fluid or waste placed on another person was infected with hepatitis, tuberculosis, or human immunodeficiency virus. (g) The offense described in subsection (c)(1) or (c)(2) is a Level 5 felony if one (1) or more of the following apply: (1) The offense results in serious bodily injury to another person. (2) The offense is committed with a deadly weapon. (3) The offense results in bodily injury to a pregnant woman if the person knew of the pregnancy. (4) The person has a previous conviction for a battery or strangulation offense included in this chapter against the same victim. (5) The offense results in bodily injury to one (1) or more of the following: (A) A public safety official while the official is engaged in the official's official duties, unless the offense is committed by a person detained or committed under IC 12-26 . (B) A person less than fourteen (14) years of age if the offense is committed by a person at least eighteen (18) years of age. (C) A person who has a mental or physical disability if the offense is committed by an individual having care of the person with the disability, regardless of whether the care is assumed voluntarily or because of a legal obligation. (D) An endangered adult (as defined in IC 12-10-3-2 ). (h) The offense described in subsection (c)(2) is a Level 5 felony if: (1) the person knew or recklessly failed to know that the bodily fluid or waste placed on another person was infected with hepatitis, tuberculosis, or human immunodeficiency virus; and (2) the person placed the bodily fluid or waste on a public safety official, unless the offense is committed by a person detained or committed under IC 12-26 . (i) The offense described in subsection (c)(1) or (c)(2) is a Level 4 felony if it results in serious bodily injury to an endangered adult (as defined in IC 12-10-3-2 ). (j) The offense described in subsection (c)(1) or (c)(2) is a Level 3 felony if it results in serious bodily injury to a person less than fourteen (14) years of age if the offense is committed by a person at least eighteen (18) years of age. (k) The offense described in subsection (c)(1) or (c)(2) is a Level 2 felony if it results in the death of one (1) or more of the following: (1) A person less than fourteen (14) years of age if the offense is committed by a person at least eighteen (18) years of age. (2) An endangered adult (as defined in IC 12-10-3-2 ).
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
Questions this section answers
Is battery a felony or a misdemeanor in Indiana?
It depends on the circumstances: battery ranges from a Class B Misdemeanor to a Level 2 Felony in Indiana under Ind. Code § 35-42-2-1.
Basic battery: Class B Misdemeanor (Ind. Code § 35-42-2-1(c)) · Battery resulting in bodily injury or against foster family member: Class A Misdemeanor (Ind. Code § 35-42-2-1(d)) · Battery with moderate bodily injury or against protected persons: Level 6 Felony (Ind. Code § 35-42-2-1(e)) · Battery by infected bodily fluid/waste (base): Level 6 Felony (Ind. Code § 35-42-2-1(f)) · Battery causing serious injury, deadly weapon, or against protected persons: Level 5 Felony (Ind. Code § 35-42-2-1(g)) · Battery by infected bodily fluid/waste against public safety official: Level 5 Felony (Ind. Code § 35-42-2-1(h)) · Battery causing serious bodily injury to endangered adult: Level 4 Felony (Ind. Code § 35-42-2-1(i)) · Battery causing serious bodily injury to child under 14: Level 3 Felony (Ind. Code § 35-42-2-1(j)) · Battery causing death of child or endangered adult: Level 2 Felony (Ind. Code § 35-42-2-1(k))
Which Indiana statute covers battery?
Battery is governed by Ind. Code § 35-42-2-1 (Battery).
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.