Lake County, IN Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)
Key Facts
- Hold period, ID present
- 10 working days
- Hold period, no ID
- 3 working days
- Accepted ID types
- Tag, license, rabies tag, tattoo, microchip
- Reclaim requires
- Proof of ownership, fees, rabies proof
- Enforcing agency
- Lake County Animal Control
Summary
Lake County Animal Control treats a microchip as valid proof of ownership when a lost dog or cat is impounded. A chipped animal is held ten working days before it becomes county property, versus three days for one with no identification at all.
Animal Control shall undertake reasonable steps to locate the owner of any impounded domestic animal with apparent sign of ownership, such as an identification tag, animal license tag, rabies tag, tattoo, and/or microchip. ... An impounded domestic animal shall become the property of Animal Control if unclaimed: (1) After being held ten working days for an animal with apparent sign of ownership, such as an identification tag, animal license tag, rabies tag, tattoo, and/or microchip. (2) After being held three working days for an animal with no apparent sign of ownership.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-14: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through 6-9-2026; and State legislation current through Indiana Legislative Service, 2025 Acts, Pamphlet No. 3).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 90 of the Lake County Code does not require pet owners to microchip their animals, but it builds the microchip into how Animal Control processes an impounded dog or cat. 06(B) gives an animal "with apparent sign of ownership, such as an identification tag, animal license tag, rabies tag, tattoo, and/or microchip" a ten working-day hold before it becomes the property of Animal Control, while an animal with no apparent sign of ownership is held only three working days. 06(A)(2) requires proof of ownership, payment of all fees Animal Control has imposed, current registration, proof of rabies vaccination or prepaid vaccination and licensing, and a rabies tag identifying the owner before the county releases the animal.
06(C) is placed for adoption or humanely destroyed. Microchipping is therefore best understood in Lake County as leverage to get an animal back faster and avoid the shorter three-day clock, not as an independent legal mandate.
Violations & Fines
There is no separate microchipping citation or fine because chipping is not itself required. Failing to reclaim an impounded animal within its hold period, chipped or not, results in the animal becoming county property under § 90.06(B) and being placed for adoption or euthanized under § 90.06(C); owners also remain liable for impoundment fees and charges under § 90.07(B) regardless of how the animal was identified.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Lake County require dogs and cats to be microchipped?
Why does a microchip matter if an animal gets picked up?
Does having a microchip skip the reclaim fees?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lake County
Compare Lake County to another location·View the Indiana animal ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.