Greenwood, IN Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Sec. 6-14, adopted by Ord. No. 16-17 (2016)
- First at-large fine
- $100.00 per twelve-month period
- Repeat at-large fine
- not less than $250.00
- Attack/menacing fine
- $500-$1,000, animal may be forfeited
- Control standard
- leash or confinement, Sec. 6-13
Summary
The City of Greenwood, Indiana makes it a violation for an owner or keeper to let an animal run at large, and the Code defines control as an animal on a leash or other device held by a competent person, or otherwise confined. A first at-large violation costs $100.00 in a twelve-month period, and later violations cost at least $250.00 each.
MONITORED means that the animal: (1) Is controlled by means of a leash or other device held by a competent person, which animal is sufficiently near the owner or handler as to be under his or her direct control and is obedient to that person's command; ... An owner or keeper of an animal commits a violation if that animal is at large in the city. ... Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, the first violation in any twelve-month period shall be subject to an admission of violation and payment of the designated civil penalty in the amount of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00). All subsequent violations in a twelve-month period are subject to a fine of not less than Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00) per violation.
Full Breakdown
Section 6-14 of the Greenwood General Ordinances, adopted by Ordinance No. 16-17 in 2016, makes it a violation for an owner or keeper of an animal to allow that animal to be at large in the City. Section 6-13's definitions establish what counts as controlled: an animal is 'monitored,' the standard implicitly required to avoid being at large, when it is controlled by a leash or other device held by a competent person close enough for direct control and obedient command, when it is confined within or on a vehicle being driven or parked, or when it is confined as the chapter otherwise requires.
Section 6-14(b) sets escalating civil penalties: the first at-large violation in any twelve-month period is subject to an admission of violation and a $100.00 civil penalty, while every subsequent violation within that twelve-month window carries a fine of not less than $250.00. Subsection (c) raises the stakes sharply if the at-large animal, away from its owner's property or the public right-of-way, attacks another animal or chases or approaches a person in a menacing way: the fine climbs to at least $500.00 if no injury results, and at least $1,000.00 if a person or another animal is injured, with the court able to order the animal forfeited or destroyed on request if the injury is serious. Section 6-18 separately folds all state animal-control law, including running-at-large statutes, into Greenwood's Chapter 6 as supplementary enforcement authority.
Violations & Fines
Letting an animal run at large violates Sec. 6-14(a): a $100.00 civil penalty for a first offense in twelve months, at least $250.00 for later offenses in that period, and at least $500.00 (or $1,000.00 if injury occurs) if the loose animal attacks or menaces a person or animal away from its owner's property.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as keeping a dog under control in Greenwood?
How much is the fine for a dog at large in Greenwood?
What if my loose dog attacks someone in Greenwood?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Greenwood
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