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

Warrick County Code § 131.10(A) makes it unlawful for an owner to let the animal 'stray beyond the owner's property or premises unless the animal is maintained on a leash or is engaged in lawful hunting and accompanied by the owner.' Section 131.20(A), captioned RESTRAINT, HITCHING OR TYING, extends the confinement duty onto the owner's own land: an animal not under the owner's 'direct control' there must be 'secured without means of escape by a leash,' or held in a 'pen, fenced (either physical or electronic) enclosure, corral, cage, house, or other secure enclosure.' If a dog is tied out, § 131.20(D) sets a specific tether standard: the line must be 'at least three times the length of the dog as measured from the tip of said dog's nose to the tip of its tail,' and of 'adequate strength for the breed, weight, size, and age of the dog.' Section 131.20(B) and (C) add collar rules: no rope, chain, or cord may attach directly to an animal's neck, and prong-type collars cannot stay on an animal for 24 hours or more, or at all outside active training.

Warrick County Animal Control enforces the leash law countywide except inside Boonville, Newburgh, Chandler, Elberfeld, Lynnville, and Tennyson, which run separate town codes. A first violation of the at-large or restraint rules carries a fine up to $100 and a repeat violation up to $500 under § 131.99, and the Animal Control Officer may impound a loose dog under §§ 131.30 through 131.34, holding it six days before it becomes county property.