Hamilton County, IN Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Hamilton County Code Section 15-2.1-1-10, part of the county's Animal Control chapter (Title 15, Article 2.1), applies to any dog, cat, or other animal that a court has already found dangerous, violent, or vicious in a prior judgment. Once that finding exists, the animal is 'deemed vicious' for every purpose under the chapter. The owner, possessor, or custodian may not let the animal onto the streets or public places of the county, or onto another person's property, unless it is securely muzzled to prevent it from biting. Animal control officers may impound a vicious animal on the spot and hold it at the impoundment facility until a court rules on its disposition.

Owners who keep a vicious dog outdoors must fence part of the property with a second perimeter fence and confine the animal inside a pen or kennel of adequate size. Outside that enclosure but still on the owner's property, the dog must be on a leash no longer than ten feet and kept at least 15 feet inside the property line, unless the whole yard is securely fenced. Law enforcement dogs are exempt from the section entirely.

A second violation, or a violation of related sections such as the public-nuisance or owner-responsibility provisions, triggers the county's additional restrictions under Section 15-2.1-1-27: forfeiture of the animal and a possible court order barring the person from owning any animal anywhere in Hamilton County, incorporated or unincorporated.