5 Ways the Ohio River Divides Indiana and Kentucky

You’re on vacation halfway across the Ohio River, and nothing outside your window has changed.

The water looks the same, and so does the sky.

For Hoosiers and Kentuckians, though, the rules on each bank can be different.

Here’s what changes the moment you reach the other side.

Note: This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Laws, tax rates, toll rates and regulations are subject to change.

1. 1792 Low-Water Line

You might picture the Ohio River’s state line running down the middle of the water.

It doesn’t.

Kentucky’s jurisdiction reaches the low-water mark on the north side of the channel, the U.S. Supreme Court held in 1890.

The low-water mark is the water’s edge when the river runs low, so Kentucky’s boundary sits on the Indiana shore rather than mid-channel.

If you cross from Indiana, Kentucky’s jurisdiction begins at that mark.

Under that ruling, a state bounded by a river keeps the boundary it had when it joined the union.

Kentucky became a state in 1792, so its line follows the river as it ran that year.

The case concerned Green River Island, about 2,000 acres on what is now the north side of the river.

The river ran in a channel north of the island in 1792, so the island stayed under Kentucky’s jurisdiction.

2. Two Time Zones

Between Perry County, Indiana, and Meade County, Kentucky, the Ohio River separates two time zones.

Under federal regulations, the Indiana bank is in the Eastern time zone and the Kentucky bank is in the Central time zone.

If you cross the river between those two counties, you change time zones.

Crossing back reverses it.

3. Snagging Rules

Indiana and Kentucky treat snagging differently on the Ohio River.

Indiana bars snagging on the Ohio River.

Kentucky allows it, within limits.

Under Kentucky’s rule on nontraditional fishing methods, the snagging season runs Feb. 1 through May 10.

That regulation still bars snagging sport fish, snagging from a boat and snagging within 200 yards of a dam.

If you fish from the bank, you follow the rules of the state you’re standing in.

From a boat, the rules of the state that issued your license go with you.

Kentucky’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources also reminds anglers that snagging isn’t permitted for any fish species on the Indiana side of the Ohio River.

4. Toll Bridges

RiverLink lists five Ohio River bridges between Louisville and Southern Indiana, and you pay to cross three of them.

The other two are free.

Two of the tolled bridges, the Abraham Lincoln Bridge and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge, carry I-65.

The third, the Lewis and Clark Bridge, links Prospect, Kentucky, and Utica, Indiana.

If your passenger vehicle has a transponder and a prepaid account in good standing, the $5.57 standard toll drops to $2.79.

That's half off.

This year's increase was 3.8%, under a bi-state resolution from 2013.

The free ones are the Clark Memorial and Sherman Minton bridges.

Before the Ohio River Bridges Project was completed in 2016, crossing on I-65 cost nothing, Louisville Public Media reported.

5. Unbuilt I-69 Bridge

No I-69 bridge crosses the Ohio River between Evansville, Indiana, and Henderson, Kentucky.

If you cross there today, you drive one of the two US 41 bridges, whose spans opened in 1932 and 1965.

The Indiana Department of Transportation and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet are committed to completing the link, the project's FAQ says.

Indiana finished the approach roads and bridges on its side of the project, Evansville station WFIE reported on Sept. 25, 2026.

Construction on the bridge should begin in spring 2027 and finish in 2031.

Until then, it's US 41.

Tolling is expected by Jan. 1, 2032, and only the new bridge will carry a toll.

Cigarette Prices Across the River

Evansville, Indiana, and Henderson, Kentucky, sit on opposite banks of the Ohio River.

A Spectrum News test purchase published July 1, 2025, found a pack of Marlboro Black at $10.55 in Evansville and $6.47 in Henderson.

The gap was $4.08.

The river doesn't set the cigarette tax, but it is where Indiana's rate ends and Kentucky's begins.

A pack you buy in Evansville carries Indiana's cigarette tax of $2.995, up from $1 before July 1, 2025.

If you cross to Henderson, you pay Kentucky's $1.10 tax instead.

Basketball Series

The two states the Ohio River divides also share a men's basketball series between Indiana University and the University of Kentucky.

You can watch the teams meet on Friday, Nov. 20, in Indianapolis.

According to Indianapolis station WISH-TV, Kentucky leads the all-time series 33-25.

CBS is the broadcaster, and the tip-off time is to be determined.

The date changed.

The schools first scheduled the game for Sunday, Dec. 27, then moved it; WISH-TV said another event may be taking place at the stadium that weekend because the Colts host the Bengals.