Morgan County, IN Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Chapter 91 of the Morgan County Code of Ordinances governs dog control in unincorporated Morgan County, Indiana, enforced primarily by the County Animal Control Officer working with the County Sheriff's Department, which receives calls and dispatches the officer under § 91.02. Section 91.01 defines AT LARGE to mean any dog off its owner's property that is not restrained or controlled by a competent person, except a dog actively engaged in supervised hunting. Under § 91.03, an unlicensed dog or a dog found running at large may be confined by any individual or officer acting for a municipal corporation, who must then notify the Sheriff's Department or the Animal Control Officer; that officer picks up the dog and delivers it to the County Animal Center for impoundment.

Anyone may also deliver a qualifying dog to the Animal Center directly. If the Animal Control Officer already knows the owner of an unlicensed at-large dog, impoundment is not required; the officer can instead notify the owner to regain control, license the dog, and cite the owner into court. Impounded dogs are held a minimum of three days, longer if the officer believes the owner is likely to be located. The Animal Control Officer must notify any owner identified on the dog's tags of the impoundment and the redemption procedure.

Violations of Chapter 91, including running a dog at large, carry a fine up to $100 per § 91.99, with each day of continued violation charged as a separate offense; unpaid fines after ten days go to the County Attorney or Prosecutor for court action, and collected fines are forwarded to the County Treasurer's General Fund.