Noblesville, IN Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Noblesville's Code of Ordinances places no restriction on dog ownership based on breed. Instead, § 90.09(A) ties the "vicious animal" designation to conduct verified by a court: only an animal that has been the subject of a prior judgment in which a court found it dangerous, violent, or vicious is deemed vicious under the chapter. Once an animal carries that designation, § 90.09(B) makes it unlawful for an owner or custodian to bring the dog, cat, or other animal onto city streets or public places, or to let it run onto another person's property, unless it is securely muzzled to prevent biting.

The animal control officer may impound a vicious animal and hold it at the impoundment facility, at the owner's cost, until the court decides its disposition. Section 90.09(C) layers on confinement duties for the home property: on top of the general restraint rules in § 90.12, an owner who keeps a vicious dog outdoors must build a second perimeter or area fence, and inside it install a pen or kennel with secure sides buried two feet into the ground (or set in a concrete pad or wire bottom) and a secure, inward-opening, locked gate.

When outside that enclosure but still on the property, the animal must be attended by the owner and held on a leash no longer than ten feet, kept at least fifteen feet inside the property line unless that boundary is itself securely fenced. Chaining a vicious dog to a tree, post, or building outside its enclosure is barred outright, and law enforcement dogs are exempt from the whole section. A violation is a Class A Infraction under § 90.99(A)(1), fined $100 to $500, with each 24-hour period of noncompliance a separate offense.