Hammond, IN Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 91.037(A)
- Pet ban
- No wild animal as a pet, no exception
- Exhibition exception
- Zoos, circuses, performing-animal shows only
- Definition
- ANIMAL = any live vertebrate, domestic or wild
- Adopted
- Ord. 4109, passed 7-14-1975
Summary
In the City of Hammond, Indiana, no one may keep a wild or vicious animal for display or exhibition, and no one may keep any wild animal as a pet at all, under § 91.037(A) of the city code, with a limited carve-out for zoos, circuses and performing-animal exhibitions.
§ 91.037 KEEPING CERTAIN ANIMALS PROHIBITED. (A) No person shall keep or permit to be kept on his or her premises any wild or vicious animal for display or for exhibition purposes, whether gratuitously or for a fee. This section shall not be construed to apply to zoological parks, performing animal exhibitions or circuses. No person shall keep or permit to be kept any wild animal as a pet. The licensing authority shall have the power to release or order the release of any infant wild animal kept temporarily which is deemed capable of survival.
Full Breakdown
" The display/exhibition clause is expressly limited by an exception for "zoological parks, performing animal exhibitions or circuses," but the flat pet-keeping ban carries no such carve-out in the text, meaning the exhibition exception does not reach someone simply keeping a wild animal at home. 001, defines ANIMAL broadly as "any live, vertebrate creature, domestic or wild," giving the wild-animal ban a wide reach across reptiles, mammals and other vertebrate species rather than a narrow list of named species. 001, power to release or order released any infant wild animal kept temporarily that is deemed capable of survival in the wild, an escape valve aimed at orphaned wildlife taken in briefly rather than kept permanently.
037(B)'s separate, unrelated ban on horses, cattle, swine, sheep, rabbits, mules and goats, a distinct livestock provision that does not turn on an animal being wild.
Violations & Fines
A violation of § 91.037(A) is punishable under the chapter's general penalty, § 91.999(A): a fine not to exceed $500, with each day the wild animal remains on the premises constituting a separate, additional offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep a wild animal as a pet in Hammond, Indiana?
Are there any exceptions to Hammond's wild animal ban?
What counts as a wild animal under Hammond's code?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hammond
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