Westfield, IN Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Chapter 10 of the Westfield City Code contains no ordinance that singles out a dog breed; Section 10-9 instead ties the vicious animal label to individual conduct established in court. Subsection (a) provides that any animal that has been the subject of a prior court judgment finding it dangerous, violent or vicious is deemed vicious for purposes of the section, regardless of breed. Subsection (b) makes it unlawful to cause, permit, accompany or be responsible for a vicious animal's presence on the streets or public places of the city, or to let it run on another's premises, and it lets the animal control officer keep an impounded vicious animal at the impoundment facility pending the court's disposition.

Subsection (c) layers on additional precautions for a vicious animal's owner: a second perimeter or area fence enclosing a securely locked pen or kennel with buried or concrete-anchored sides that does not share fencing with the perimeter fence; when the animal is outside its enclosure but on the owner's property, a secure collar and leash no longer than ten feet, keeping the animal at least 15 feet inside an unfenced perimeter; a ban on chaining or tethering the animal to any inanimate object outside its enclosure; and a clearly visible, brightly colored warning sign at the premises.

Subsection (d) exempts law-enforcement dogs, and subsection (e) sets a fine of up to $500.00 per occurrence for violating the section. Section 10-25 layers on still more restrictions, including a two-animal cap and mandatory spay/neuter and microchipping, on any owner previously found in violation of Section 10-9.