Warrick County, IN Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer Rules (2026)

Warrick County does not run a grooming-shop licensing or permit program. The closest the code comes is definitional and regulatory language folded into Chapter 131, ANIMALS. Section 131.01 defines GROOMING SHOP as 'a commercial establishment where animals are bathed, clipped, plucked, or otherwise groomed,' and § 131.26(B) gives the county's Animal Control Officer the right to inspect all permanent or mobile kennels, pet shops, grooming shops, and animal welfare organizations at any time during normal business hours. That inspection authority sits alongside § 131.26(A)'s space standard for primary enclosures, which caps any enclosure at three adult dogs or cats and requires room for each animal to turn about freely, stand, and sit and lie down comfortably, a standard a grooming shop's holding cages must also meet if it keeps animals on site.

Section 131.16 separately requires that grooming of an animal that normally requires it be free of excessive matting so as to allow the animal to move freely without complication or pain, a care duty that reaches any owner or custodian, including a commercial groomer. Unlike most other Chapter 131 sections, § 131.26 carries no specific 'Penalty, see § 131.99' cross-reference in the code as printed, but the Board of Commissioners' general enforcement authority under § 131.99(A) still applies to any violation of the chapter. In short, a Warrick County grooming shop faces inspection and animal-care standards, not a separate business license.