Lafayette, IN Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 10.03.045(A) of the Lafayette Municipal Code makes it unlawful for any owner or possessor of an animal to let it run at large anywhere in the city, whether or not it is wearing a collar and tag, and any animal caught running at large may be impounded immediately under Chapter 10.08. Subsection (B) places an ongoing duty on every owner to exercise reasonable care to protect people, property, and other animals from harm the animal might cause. Subsection (C) spells out what "restraint" requires: the animal must either be securely and humanely enclosed in a house, building, fenced pen, or other enclosure it cannot climb, dig, jump, or otherwise escape, with the enclosure locked whenever the animal is unattended; or securely tethered by a chain, cable, trolley, or other restraint strong enough to prevent escape; or kept on a leash held by a competent person while on public property or property open to the public, unless it is off-leash but obedient to voice command with its handler present, which applies only on the owner's own property or in a designated dog park.

Because § 10.03.045 sits in Chapter 10.03, "Nuisance Animals and Other Regulations," a dog running loose can also trigger the separate public-nuisance provision at § 10.03.010 if it interferes with pedestrians, traffic, or neighboring property. Enforcement runs through the Lafayette Police Department's Animal Control unit under § 10.07.010, and § 10.03.045 has no dedicated fine, so a violation is punished under the Chapter 10.03 catch-all at § 10.03.990.