Animal Ordinances in Columbus, IN (2026)
8 verified animal ordinances for Columbus, Indiana, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
The City of Columbus, Indiana allows a backyard chicken flock of no more than four hens, with no roosters, on owner-occupied property. The coop and run need four square feet per bird, a twenty foot setback from every property line, and a premises identification number from the Indiana State Board of Animal Health.
Backyard Chicken Rules in Columbus, Indiana
Significant RestrictionsColumbus Municipal Code § 6.08.045
A. Harboring a chicken flock shall be prohibited within the city limits unless the chicken flock is in the possession of a keeper as defined by 6.04.010 or the confinement of the chicken flock, not to exceed four hens, complies with the following criteria: ... 2. The chicken flock shall be housed in a chicken coop that provides each individual chicken with not less than four square feet of livi...
Dog Leash Laws
Section 6.08.010 of the Columbus Municipal Code says all animals shall be restrained in the City of Columbus, Indiana, meaning under direct control of the owner or kept within the owner's property. The fine is twenty dollars for a first offense and rises by twenty dollars per repeat offense within a year, capped at one thousand dollars.
Dog Leash and Restraint Rules in Columbus, Indiana
Some RestrictionsColumbus Municipal Code §§ 6.04.010, 6.08.010, 6.08.040, 6.08.100
"At large" means any animal that is not under restraint or properly confined by the owner. ... "Restraint" means under direct control of the owner or limited or restricted within the bounds of the real property of the animal's owner or agent. ... A. All animals shall be restrained. ... A. For any violation of sections 6.08.010 and 6.08.025 a fine of twenty dollars for the first offense, with th...
Breed Restrictions
In the City of Columbus, Indiana, dangerous-animal status is decided by the Animal Care Services Commission on an animal's behavior or training, not on its breed. A declared animal must be confined, muzzled or caged off the premises, and spayed or neutered and microchipped within thirty days.
Dangerous Animal Rules in Columbus, Indiana
Some RestrictionsColumbus Municipal Code §§ 6.04.010, 6.08.030
"Dangerous animal" means any animal that, by its behavior or training, constitutes an immediate or serious physical threat to human beings or other domestic animals. ... A. Every dangerous animal, as determined by the Animal Care Services Commission, shall be restrained by the owner within a building or secure enclosure, as recommended by an Animal Care Services Manager, and shall be physically...
Exotic Pets
The City of Columbus, Indiana splits wild animals into two classes. Class 1 animals such as hedgehogs and sugar gliders need Indiana permits and a report to Animal Care Services. Class 2 animals, including venomous snakes and any other animal that is not domestic, are forbidden within the city.
Exotic and Wild Animal Rules in Columbus, Indiana
Heavy RestrictionsColumbus Municipal Code §§ 6.04.010, 6.08.190, 6.08.220
"Wild animals (Class 1)" means any of the following: fish, nonvenomous snake, nonvenomous reptile, nonvenomous amphibian, degu, sugar glider, hedgehog, and/or birds not normally kept as cage birds. "Wild animals (Class 2)" means any animal or hybrid of any animal that is not a domestic animal or wild animal (Class 1), as defined in this chapter, or any mammal the United States government or the...
Cat Rules
The City of Columbus, Indiana runs a trap, neuter and return community cat program. Free-roaming cats are sterilized, ear-tipped and vaccinated, then returned. Feeding or sheltering a free-roaming cat for more than sixty days is unlawful unless the caretaker follows the code. Caretaker violations carry a twenty dollar first fine.
Community Cat and Cat Rules in Columbus, Indiana
Some RestrictionsColumbus Municipal Code §§ 6.12.050, 6.12.060
A. A community cat program is established in order to encourage the stabilization of the free-roaming cat population in the city by utilizing a trap, neuter, and return methodology. ... D. It shall be unlawful for a person to provide food, water or shelter to a free-roaming cat for a period of more than sixty days unless in compliance with this code. The Animal Care Services Department may impo...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
In the City of Columbus, Indiana, an owner of an unaltered dog or cat found at large pays one hundred dollars for a first violation, or has the animal spayed or neutered within twenty-one days, and five hundred dollars or alteration for each later violation. Dangerous animals must be altered within thirty days, and adopted dogs and cats are altered before adoption.
Spay and Neuter Penalties for Dogs and Cats in Columbus, Indiana
Some RestrictionsColumbus Municipal Code §§ 6.08.020(B), 6.08.040(C)
B. Any owner of an unaltered male or female dog or cat found to be at large is subject to additional fines and fees as described in Section 6.08.040. ... C. For violations of section 6.08.020 (B), a fine of one hundred dollars or voluntary spay or neuter of the animal within twenty-one days of the first violation, a fine of five hundred dollars or voluntary spay or neuter of the animal within t...
Microchipping
In the City of Columbus, Indiana, every dog and cat must carry current identification outside the home. A registered microchip is one approved option, alongside a collar tag. The city offers tags or microchipping for fifteen dollars if the pet is spayed or neutered and twenty-five dollars if it is unaltered.
Pet Microchip and ID Rules in Columbus, Indiana
Light RestrictionsColumbus Municipal Code §§ 6.12.010, 6.12.020, 6.12.030
All dogs and cats of any age must have current and valid identification upon them, whenever outside the dwelling unit of the owner. ... The means of identification required by this section shall be in additions to any tags required to be worn by dogs or cats by state law or other provisions, and shall include, but not be limited to, one or more of the following: ... B. A microchip implanted in ...
Pet Store Rules
In the City of Columbus, Indiana, no pet shop can sell, offer for sale, barter, auction or give away cats, rabbits or dogs. Shops can host adoption showcases for Animal Care Services or rescue groups only if they hold no ownership interest and take no fee. The fine is $500 per animal.
Pet Shop Sales Ban in Columbus, Indiana
Heavy RestrictionsColumbus Municipal Code §§ 6.04.010, 6.08.280
"Pet shop" means any business enterprise except a kennel that buys and sells any species of animal. ... A. No pet shop shall sell, deliver, offer for sale, barter, auction, give away, or otherwise transfer or dispose of cats, rabbits, or dogs. Nothing in this section shall prohibit pet shops from collaborating with Animal Care Services or rescue groups to offer space for such entities to showca...
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