Fishers, IN Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

City of Fishers Code § 91.02 defines an 'exotic animal' as 'a wild animal that is non-native to the State of Indiana,' and defines a 'wild animal' as one that lives in the wild or is not domesticated. The same section is explicit that 'this chapter is not intended to regulate wild and or exotic animal[s]' and that 'regulation of wild and or exotic animals is governed through the State of Indiana, 312 IAC, Article 9, Fish and Wildlife.' By contrast, the code's definition of 'domestic animal' lists species that may normally be kept as pets, including dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, lizards, iguanas, hamsters, ferrets, mice, non-venomous snakes, spiders, birds, and gerbils, and reserves to the City Council the right to amend that list. So a resident keeping a common domesticated pet is within the city's domestic-animal rules (identification, vaccination, sterilization, restraint, and care), while anyone wishing to possess a genuinely wild or exotic, non-native species must look to Indiana's Department of Natural Resources rules under 312 IAC Article 9 rather than to the Fishers code. Indiana requires permits for many wild animals possessed in captivity, so prospective owners should confirm requirements with the Indiana DNR before acquiring a wild or exotic animal.