Greenwood, IN Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Section 6-22 of the Greenwood General Ordinances, adopted by Ordinance No. 16-17 in 2016 as part of Chapter 6's Animal Regulations article, flatly prohibits keeping livestock or poultry within the City of Greenwood. The section carves out a single narrow exception: properties that are properly zoned and operated as agricultural operations or suburban fringe uses under the City's other applicable laws, meaning the zoning classification, not simply lot size or a resident's preference, determines whether animals such as chickens, goats or cattle may lawfully be kept.

Because the exception depends on zoning, a resident on an ordinary residential lot in a subdivision such as Old Town Greenwood or a newer development cannot keep backyard chickens no matter how few birds are involved or how the coop is built; only parcels carrying an agricultural or suburban fringe zoning designation under Chapter 10, the Unified Development Ordinance, qualify. Section 6-22(b) sets the civil penalty structure: a first violation in any twelve-month period draws an admission of violation and a $50.00 civil penalty, while every subsequent violation within that same twelve-month period carries a fine of not less than $100.00 per violation.

The prohibition sits alongside Section 6-17's ban on animals causing a nuisance through habitual noise, and Section 6-18's requirement that all owners provide adequate food, water and shelter, both of which continue to apply to any animal lawfully kept on properly zoned property.