Indiana Recording, Tracking & Surveillance Laws

At a glance

Adult subject — e.g., a spouse

Your own minor child

As a parent you generally have broad authority to monitor your own minor child — especially on a phone, computer, or vehicle you own or provide. The gray area is recording the child's conversations with other people, where wiretap law and the “vicarious consent” doctrine come in and outcomes vary — and if you're co-parenting, custody orders and the other parent's rights matter. Those are marked “seek legal advice.”

General (any subject)

Recording & consent

Indiana is a one-party consent state. Its wiretap law (Ind. Code § 35-33.5-5-5) lets you record a telephone or electronic communication if you're a party or one party consents. Notably, Indiana's wiretap statute excludes in-person oral conversation — but other laws (voyeurism, § 35-45-4-5; intimate-image distribution; and civil privacy torts) reach face-to-face capture.

Illegally intercepting a communication is a Level 5 felony, and victims also have a civil claim ($100/day or $1,000, whichever is greater). Conversations in public with no reasonable expectation of privacy are different. The federal overlay still applies.

Recording law enforcement

Recording on-duty police in public is protected by the First Amendment — Indiana sits in the Seventh Circuit — as long as you don't physically interfere. Note that Indiana law can require you to keep a set distance from an officer who tells you to; that's about proximity, not a ban on recording.

GPS & vehicle tracking

Indiana tightened its tracking law in 2023 (SB 161): it's a crime to use a GPS or tracking device to stalk or track a person without consent (Ind. Code § 35-46-8.5 and the stalking statute). Tracking a vehicle you own is generally fine; secretly tracking someone else can be criminal. Treat non-consensual tracking as a lawyer question.

Private-investigator licensing

Indiana requires a state license to work as a private investigator, under Ind. Code § 25-30-1, through the Private Investigator and Security Guard Licensing Board (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency). Applicants need qualifying experience and must meet the board's requirements; licenses run on a four-year cycle.

Out-of-state investigator reciprocity

Indiana's PI statute doesn't publish a general reciprocity license we could confirm — an investigator licensed elsewhere normally needs Indiana licensure (or a licensed Indiana firm) to work here. Confirm current terms with the Private Investigator and Security Guard Licensing Board before working an Indiana case.

Hidden cameras in private areas

Secretly using a camera to record or observe a person in a private area — a restroom, dressing room, bedroom, or where they undress — without consent is voyeurism in Indiana (Ind. Code § 35-45-4-5). Hidden cameras in private spaces are off-limits, and Indiana expanded its intimate-image law in 2024 to reach AI-generated imagery.

Cameras in your own home / nanny cams

You can put cameras in your own home, including nanny cams in common areas. The limits: don't aim a camera at a space a guest, tenant, or worker would reasonably treat as private (a bathroom, or a live-in caregiver's bedroom) — that risks the voyeurism statute — and remember audio of a phone or electronic communication follows the one-party recording law. Capturing others' private conversations you're not part of can be unlawful.

Doorbell & outdoor cameras

A doorbell or outdoor camera covering your own porch, yard, or the street is fine — no reasonable expectation of privacy in public view. Trouble starts if you point a camera into a neighbor's window or fenced yard, or capture private conversations you're not part of. Aim at your property, not through someone else's walls.

Workplace & employee recording

Indiana's one-party rule covers phone and electronic communications at work; in-person recording is limited by the voyeurism statute and privacy torts, not the wiretap law. Secretly recording a call you're not part of runs into the wiretap statute. Employers who monitor email or work systems should give clear notice, and federal workplace rules can apply.

Drone surveillance

Indiana has no dedicated drone-privacy statute for private conduct — its drone rules focus on law-enforcement use (warrant requirements). A private drone used to spy can still be reached by the voyeurism statute (§ 35-45-4-5), the on-private-property surveillance law (§ 35-46-8.5), trespass, and civil privacy claims. Because there's no on-point statute, treat drone surveillance of people as a lawyer question. FAA rules govern the airspace.

See an error or an out-of-date citation? Please let us know.

General legal information only, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by reading it. Statutes and their interpretation change; entries may be incomplete or outdated. We disclaim all warranties and any liability for reliance on this page. Confirm the current law at the official Indiana Codes and consult a licensed Indiana attorney before recording, tracking, installing cameras, or gathering evidence.