Gary, IN Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Section 8-40(a) of the Gary Municipal Code authorizes animal control officers to take up and impound unrestrained dogs and cats, as well as any animal causing a public nuisance. If the cat's owner can be identified from a license tag or other means, § 8-40(b) requires the animal control center to notify the owner by phone or mail immediately upon impoundment; an impounded cat is held no more than ten working days, and reclaiming it requires payment of the fee set in Chapter 20 plus proof of rabies vaccination and a current license.

If the owner cannot show a current license within five working days of impoundment, ownership rights terminate and the cat becomes the property of the animal control center for adoption or humane euthanasia. Section 8-69(a) separately requires anyone owning, keeping, harboring, or having custody of any animal, including a cat, over three months old to obtain a license from the city controller's office; the only stated exemptions are small cage birds and aquatic or amphibian pets kept solely as pets. Under § 8-69(b), the license application must include a rabies certificate from a licensed veterinarian, and the city issues a durable tag that must be worn at all times.

Section 8-69(d) caps a household at three animal licenses at a time unless the address holds a kennel permit. Failing to license a cat within the time § 8-69 sets carries its own penalty fee under § 8-2(c), payable at the city controller's office within 72 hours of notice, with an unpaid penalty escalating to a code offense.