Dating back to the early days of the state road system, SR 5 was first signed in the southern part of the state in the 1920s. During the 1930s, the highway was moved to northern Indiana, before being moved very soon after to its current alignment. The road was extended to the Michigan state line in the late 1930s. In the mid-1960s SR 5 had its southern end moved north to Warren. Within the next several year the northern end was moved to SR 120 from the Michigan state line. Around the mid-1980s SR 5 was extended south SR 22 in Upland, replacing an old state road that was decommissioned around ten years earlier.