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

Chapter 131's definitions section, § 131.01, defines LIVESTOCK as certain domestic animals, including cattle (bovine), sheep, pigs, goats, bison, llamas, horses, mules, and donkeys, and expressly states that LIVESTOCK does not include aquatic animals, fish, dogs, cats, rabbits, mice, rats, guinea pigs, gerbils, chinchillas, minks, ferrets, poultry, and/or other birds. Because chickens, ducks, turkeys, and geese are poultry, keeping backyard fowl is not reached by Chapter 131's livestock-care standards at all, and any question of whether fowl are allowed on a given parcel runs through the Area Plan Commission's zoning rules rather than Animal Control.

For the animals the code does count as livestock, § 131.13(B) requires a windbreak and watershed to protect the livestock from weather conditions that would constitute a health hazard, and § 131.13(D) requires the owner to keep livestock areas free from materials and debris that may cause injury, including barbed wire, exposed glass, and an accumulation of trash or waste material. Section 131.14(D) repeats that housing duty, requiring livestock to be housed or kept in an area free from materials and debris that may cause injury.

These shelter and sanitation duties apply countywide in unincorporated Warrick County and are enforced by the Animal Control Officer, who can impound livestock found without adequate shelter under § 131.30 and the Chapter 131 penalty schedule in § 131.99, which caps a first offense fine at $100 and a repeat offense at $500.