South Bend, IN Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Sec. 5-60(a) requires anyone "owning or harboring more than one (1) unaltered dog or one (1) unaltered cat over the age of six (6) months" to apply for a kennel/cattery permit. A resident who exceeds one intact animal may instead apply for a non-altered residential permit, which requires a pre-issuance inspection and annual renewal by the permit holder. Initial eligibility for that residential permit is capped at no more than three unaltered pets, and also requires no outdoor housing while the owner is absent, suitable exercise space for the breed and number owned, no history of SBARC violations, and current vaccinations for all animals; the permit can be refused or revoked for cause, including animals running at large, substantiated nuisance complaints, or breeding without a breeders permit.

Anyone boarding dogs or cats for compensation must separately obtain a kennel/cattery permit under subsection (b). Under the fee schedule at Sec. 5-52(c), a residential unaltered animal permit costs $50 for 0 to 1 unaltered animal and $300 for 2 to 3 unaltered animals. A grandfather clause in Sec. 5-60(c) let households already exceeding these limits register with the Division of Animal Welfare within 90 days of the ordinance's passage to keep their existing animals exempt from the limit; households that missed that window are not exempt.