Elkhart County, IN Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Chapter 90 of the Elkhart County Code of Ordinances, adopted by Ordinance 09-396 on December 7, 2009, defines LIVESTOCK at § 90.01 to include cattle, bison, cows and oxen, sheep, llamas, goats, chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks, swine, horses, and donkeys, non-wild animals commonly kept as farm animals, including for commercial purposes. Section 90.02, the chapter's general animal care requirements, applies to livestock alongside pets: division (O) specifically requires that livestock have 'demonstrable protection from the elements to include windbreaks and shade,' and the broader divisions in the same section, sanitary conditions without forcing an animal to stand or lie in its own excrement, sufficient food and water, veterinary care when ill or injured, and freedom from abuse or abandonment, apply equally to a backyard flock of chickens or a small herd of goats.

The chapter does not set a headcount limit, a coop size, a setback from a property line, or a permit process for keeping backyard poultry or livestock; § 90.05 instead points owners to the County Zoning Ordinance and any applicable planned unit development, special use, conditional use or variance for 'prohibitions, restrictions, limitations, terms or other provisions governing animals for the real estate affected.' That zoning instrument is published separately from the general code and governs where livestock may be kept, how many head, and any required distance from neighboring parcels; a resident keeping chickens in unincorporated Elkhart County needs to check that ordinance directly rather than relying on Chapter 90 for siting rules. Chapter 90 itself governs only the animal-welfare side: feeding, shelter from weather, and freedom from abuse, neglect or unsanitary confinement.