Muncie, IN Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Muncie's Chapter 90 animal code separates two residential bans that often get confused. Section 90.19 prohibits livestock and poultry (cattle, horses, mules, swine, goats and fowl) on any property zoned R-1 through R-6. Section 90.20 goes further and bars keeping or harboring any undomesticated animal, meaning wildlife species not traditionally kept as pets, on the same residentially zoned parcels. The prohibition applies wherever the Title XV zoning map designates R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5 or R-6, so a resident cannot rely on lot size or a rural-feeling street to avoid it; only the zoning classification controls.

Both bans trace to Ordinance No. 16-03, adopted August 4, 2003, and neither carries a permit or variance route written into the animal code itself. Violations of Section 90.20, like any other provision in Chapter 90, are misdemeanors under Section 90.25, punishable by a fine of up to $500.00 for each offense; Muncie Animal Care and Services, part of the Muncie Police Department's animal control operation, is the enforcing agency and can issue a notice of ordinance violation. Chapter 90 also states in Section 90.26 that it repeals all prior city laws on animals, so this 2003 ordinance is the controlling text for wild-animal possession inside city limits.