Warrick County, IN Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Warrick County treats cats as domestic animals subject to Chapter 131's general restraint duty, but § 131.20(A) carves out one cat-specific exception: 'In agriculturally zoned areas, however, cats may be allowed to run at large on the owner's property when not under the owner's direct control.' Outside agricultural zoning, a cat not under an owner's direct control must be leashed or confined to a pen, fenced enclosure, cage, or house like any other pet, under the same section. Section 131.17(A)(4) sets a minimum outdoor exercise area of 'twelve square feet per cat,' and § 131.17(B) caps any single enclosure at 'three adult dogs or cats,' a limit echoed for kennels at § 131.26(A).

The county does not license cats or require a rabies tag specific to cats beyond the general rabies-vaccination duty in § 131.40, which reaches any animal three months or older required by law to be vaccinated. Warrick County Animal Control, through its Animal Control Officer, can classify a free-roaming cat outside an agricultural zone as a nuisance under § 131.01 if it interferes with passersby or is at large, opening the door to a fine and impoundment under §§ 131.30 through 131.34. Violations of the restraint and enclosure limits draw the standard Chapter 131 penalties: up to $100 for a first offense and up to $500 for a repeat offense under § 131.99, plus possible attorney fees up to $750 if the county litigates.