Boone County, IN Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)

Boone County Code § 93.02(F), effective June 1, 2019, requires permanent identification for any domestic animal six months of age or older that permanently resides in the county with an owner whose legal address is within county limits, so the owner can be identified accurately, quickly, and easily at any time. Section 93.02(F)(2) offers two compliant options, either a microchip implanted in the animal that carries a registered identification number readable by a standard microchip scanner, or a permanent tag on a durable collar worn at all times bearing the owner's current name, address, and telephone number; this identification requirement is layered on top of, not a substitute for, any tag required by state law or elsewhere in the subchapter, such as the rabies vaccination tag under § 93.02(G)(4).

Under § 93.02(F)(3), the chip or tag may be removed only by the owner, custodian, or a veterinarian acting for the owner, and only temporarily for the animal's health or hygiene. Section 93.02(F)(4) obligates every veterinarian or other person in the county who implants a microchip to make the owner's name, address, and phone number, along with the corresponding chip number, available to the animal control officer on request, without a court order. Because the identification duty is separate from Chapter 93's care and vaccination rules, an animal control officer investigating a stray, bite, or nuisance complaint can also check compliance with § 93.02(F) and cite the owner under the general Chapter 93 penalty in § 93.99(C), capped at $100, for a missing microchip or tag.