Bloomington, IN Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)

48 (Adopted Animals) of Title 7, requires that any dog, cat, rabbit, or ferret adopted from the City of Bloomington Animal Shelter be spayed or neutered by a veterinarian before it leaves for its new home. The City of Bloomington Animal Care and Control Department pays for the procedure itself, so the mandate is not an out-of-pocket cost for adopters. If a veterinarian determines the animal cannot safely undergo the operation at adoption time, the ordinance does not waive it: the animal must still be spayed or neutered later, as soon as the veterinarian determines it is able.

The mandate is not limited to shelter adoptions. 040(e), part of the enforcement chapter, adds a second trigger: any animal found stray or at-large for a second time within the same twelve-month period must be implanted with a microchip by the Animal Care and Control Department and spayed or neutered by a licensed veterinarian, both at the owner or guardian's expense. If the repeat stray is impounded at the shelter, the microchipping and altering happen before it is released; if it was not impounded, the owner has thirty days from notice to have both done and to prove it to the shelter.

00 for a first offense, doubling on repeat, so keeping a pet intact after a required alteration carries its own separate penalty on top of the spay/neuter mandate.