Boone County, IN Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum chain length
- 12 feet, regardless of dog size
- Chain condition
- Must not injure dog; must move freely
- Guard dog fencing
- Perimeter fence, locked gates, warning signs required
- At-large fine
- $50 first offense, $100 each later offense/year
- Governing ordinance
- Ord. 2018-02, passed 6-4-2018
Summary
Boone County's animal code discourages chaining a dog but does not ban it: a chained dog needs at least a 12-foot chain regardless of size, one that will not injure its neck and can move freely in all directions. The separate at-large ban on unrestrained animals applies only within incorporated areas of the county, not unincorporated land.
(1) It shall be unlawful for any owner or possessor of any domestic animal to allow such animal to run at large, whether wearing a collar and tags or not, within any incorporated area of the county. ... (3) Chaining of a domestic dog is discouraged, but if it is done, the following is required: ... (b) The chain must be at least 12 feet in length, regardless of the size of the dog; (c) The chain must be not of a weight heavy enough to cause physical damage to the dog's neck or body; and (d) The chain must be able to move freely in all directions.
Full Breakdown
Boone County Code § 93.02(D) sets the county's restraint standard for dogs, adopted under Ord. 2018-02 (passed 6-4-2018). Division (D)(3) discourages chaining a domestic dog but does not prohibit it, and imposes three conditions when an owner does chain a dog: the chain must be at least 12 feet long regardless of the dog's size, it must not be heavy enough to injure the dog's neck or body, and it must be able to move freely in all directions; dog-show participants are exempted from these chaining conditions under (D)(3)(e).
A related standard in (D)(4) requires anyone keeping a guard dog or watchdog to confine it within a perimeter fence with all gates securely locked, posting a beware-of-dog sign at least ten inches high and 14 inches wide on every exterior side for each 50 feet of fence line, with a minimum of two signs. The chapter's separate at-large prohibition, § 93.02(D)(1), makes it unlawful for an owner to let a domestic animal run loose, collared or not, but its text is limited to within any incorporated area of the county, so the ban as written targets Boone County's towns rather than open unincorporated land, subject to the special reorganized-township definition of incorporated in § 93.02(A).
Section 93.99(A) fines an owner $50 for a first at-large offense and $100 for each later offense within a year where the rule applies, and § 93.99(C) sets a $100 cap for other Chapter 93 violations.
Violations & Fines
Chaining a dog with a chain shorter than 12 feet, one heavy enough to injure the dog, or one that cannot move freely violates § 93.02(D)(3) and can draw the $100 general violation fine under § 93.99(C). Failing to fence and sign a guard-dog enclosure under (D)(4) is enforced the same way; a proven at-large violation where that rule applies carries $50 for a first offense and $100 for each later offense within a year under § 93.99(A).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to chain a dog in Boone County?
Do I need a fence for a guard dog in Boone County?
Does the county's leash-and-at-large law apply on rural properties outside town?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boone County
Compare Boone County to another location·View the Indiana animal ordinances overview
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