Hammond, IN Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)
Key Facts
- Fowl/bird ban section
- § 91.035, residential areas
- Livestock ban section
- § 91.037(B), citywide
- Livestock covered
- Horse, cattle, swine, sheep, rabbit, mule, goat
- Exception
- Zoned farm/agricultural business property
- Penalty
- Up to $500 per day, § 91.999(A)
Summary
In the City of Hammond, Indiana, keeping chickens, ducks, turkeys or any other domestic bird or fowl as a pet is banned in residential areas, and keeping horses, cattle, swine, sheep, rabbits, mules or goats anywhere in the city is unlawful outright, except on zoned farm or agricultural business property.
§ 91.035 DOMESTIC ANIMALS AND FOWL. ... (A) No person shall own, possess, or have custody on the premises in a residential area any animal classified as a domestic bird or fowl. (B) No person shall keep or permit to be kept in a residential area any domestic bird or fowl as a pet. (C) This section shall not be construed as to prevent the operation of any farm or agricultural business property operating within the zoning laws of the city. ... § 91.037 KEEPING CERTAIN ANIMALS PROHIBITED. ... (B) It shall be unlawful for any person to keep, have, possess, own or harbor any horse, cattle, swine, sheep, rabbit, mule or goat within the city.
Full Breakdown
035, DOMESTIC ANIMALS AND FOWL, bars anyone from owning, possessing or having custody of "any animal classified as a domestic bird or fowl" in a residential area, and separately bars keeping a domestic bird or fowl "as a pet" in a residential area. 001, DOMESTIC BIRD and FOWL is defined broadly to mean "any pigeon, duck, goose, chicken, turkey, guinea hen or any other species of fowl or bird," so backyard chicken coops, duck pens and similar setups are squarely covered. Subsection (C) carves out an exception for a farm or agricultural business property operating within the city's zoning laws, meaning the ban applies to ordinary residential lots, not to land zoned and operated as agricultural.
037(B) goes further for traditional livestock, making it unlawful for any person to "keep, have, possess, own or harbor any horse, cattle, swine, sheep, rabbit, mule or goat within the city," with no residential-area limitation and no agricultural exception written into that subsection. Read together, the two sections leave essentially no legal path for backyard chickens in a residential neighborhood and an outright citywide livestock ban, reflecting Hammond's status as a dense Lake County industrial city with no meaningful agricultural zoning tier for hobby farming. 070 additionally makes it unlawful for an owner to let geese, ducks or chickens run at large in any public street, alley or park.
Violations & Fines
Violations of §§ 91.035 and 91.037 are penalized under the chapter's general penalty, § 91.999(A): a fine not exceeding $500, with each day a violation continues or is permitted to continue treated as a separate offense. Hammond Animal Control or the licensing authority may act on a complaint-driven basis to require removal of prohibited fowl or livestock.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep backyard chickens in Hammond, Indiana?
Is keeping goats or rabbits legal in Hammond?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hammond
How Hammond compares: Best Cities for Backyard Chickens·Compare Hammond to another location·View the Indiana animal ordinances overview
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