Indianapolis-Marion County's updated zoning code (Consolidated Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance) permits backyard hens in single-family residential (RS) and urban development districts. A maximum of six hens is allowed, roosters are prohibited, hens must be kept in a fenced rear yard, and coops must be set back 3 feet from any building on the property and 25 feet from any neighboring residence. Miniature goats and miniature horses are allowed in limited numbers on larger lots.
Keeping of chickens and small livestock in Indianapolis is regulated through the Marion County Consolidated Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance rather than Chapter 531 (Animals) of the Revised Code. Under the zoning rules, a resident of a single-family dwelling or duplex in a single-family residential (RS) or urban development zoning district may keep up to six (6) hens; roosters are prohibited. Hens may be kept only in a fully fenced rear yard, and the coop may not exceed 120 square feet in area or 10 feet in height, with a minimum of 6 square feet of run space provided per chicken. Chicken coops must be set back at least 3 feet from any building on the owner's property and at least 25 feet from any residence on a neighboring property. The updated code, which modernized Indianapolis's first major zoning overhaul in roughly five decades, also added limits for other small livestock: miniature goats are limited to three per quarter acre of land, and miniature horses are limited to two per acre. Indiana state law does not preempt these local zoning limits; agricultural and livestock keeping in incorporated areas is left to local zoning authority. Residents are advised to confirm their property's zoning district with the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development before adding chickens or livestock.
Keeping roosters, exceeding the six-hen limit, placing a coop in violation of the setback rules, or keeping livestock in a district or quantity not permitted by the Marion County zoning ordinance is a zoning violation enforced by the Department of Metropolitan Development / Business and Neighborhood Services, which may issue notices of violation, civil penalties, and abatement orders.
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