Muncie, IN Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

Muncie's pet-shop ordinance, Section 90.28, treats every pet shop and rescue facility as an "animal establishment" that needs its own permit from the animal care and services department, and lets the department director inspect animals and premises at any time as a condition of holding that permit. An applicant must disclose whether the owner or operator has ever been convicted of cruelty to animals; a conviction blocks a permit unless the director reviews the application, and any permit issued on false or withheld information is void.

To qualify, the establishment must avoid becoming a public nuisance, keep sick or diseased animals isolated, keep every animal caged or under control at all times, follow the chapter's general animal-care standards, and never sell an animal that is unweaned or obviously diseased. Permits run on a calendar year starting January 1, with new applicants paying a prorated fee for the remainder of the year. Pet shops pay a $200.00 annual permit fee, while nonprofit rescue facilities pay $100.00, and that revenue funds the city's spay/neuter assistance program.

Violators face a fine of double the permit fee for a first offense, doubling again for each subsequent violation, though the escalation resets if the owner or operator stays clean for 12 consecutive months after the first offense. The ordinance was adopted by Ordinance No. 56-06 in December 2006 and amended by Ordinance No. 15-08 in 2008 and Ordinance No. 51-12 in 2013.