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

Warrick County Code § 131.01 defines a DANGEROUS DOG based on the Animal Control Officer's records rather than breed: a dog that inflicts severe injury on a human without provocation; that aggressively bites, attacks, or endangers a human or other animal without provocation after already being classified as potentially dangerous and the owner notified; or that has at any time been trained, owned, or harbored to engage in animal fighting. The definition carves out a dog defending itself or its owner's home if it is kept to guard the property and the owner has posted notice signage.

Section 131.12(A) then bans owning or harboring a dog once it meets that definition, and (B) gives the Animal Control Officer sole discretion to make the dangerous-dog determination. Section 131.12(C) exposes the owner to a fine and lets the officer impound the dog under §§ 131.30 through 131.34. Once a dog is classified dangerous, § 131.32(G) bars the owner from ever redeeming it, stating that an owner in violation of the chapter shall not be permitted to redeem a dog determined to be a dangerous dog under § 131.12.

Penalties run through § 131.99: up to $100 for a first Chapter 131 violation, up to $500 for a repeat, and up to $750 in attorney fees if the county litigates. Because the standard is behavioral, a dog of any breed, including breeds sometimes singled out elsewhere, can only be restricted after a documented bite, attack, or fighting history in unincorporated Warrick County.