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Animal Ordinances in Fishers, IN (2026)

10 verified animal ordinances for Fishers, Indiana, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.

Verified from official government sources

Chickens & Livestock

Fishers' animal code (Chapter 91) classifies fowl as livestock and requires adequate food, water, space, and care, but sets no numeric flock limit. Whether chickens or livestock may be kept on a given lot is controlled by the city's zoning / Unified Development Ordinance, and any animal not kept in conformity with zoning is a public nuisance.

Fishers Chickens and Livestock (Fowl)

Heavy Restrictions

Dog Leash Laws

Fishers prohibits dogs and other animals from running at large anywhere in the city. On public property a dog must be leashed and under the direct control of a competent person. Off-leash is allowed only on the owner's own property or in designated dog parks, where the dog must obey commands.

Fishers Dog Leash and Restraint Rules

Some Restrictions

Breed Restrictions

Fishers has no breed-specific ban. The city's 'dangerous animal' rules are based on an animal's behavior, not its breed. The code expressly states no dog may be declared vicious because of breed alone, and dangerous-animal status follows attacks, bites, or injuries rather than appearance.

Fishers Dog Breed Restrictions

Few Restrictions

Beekeeping

Fishers' animal control code (Chapter 91) does not address beekeeping; honeybees are insects, not the vertebrate 'animals' the chapter regulates. Whether hives are allowed on a given lot is a zoning question under the city's Unified Development Ordinance, so residents should confirm with Fishers Planning and Zoning.

Fishers Beekeeping Rules

Some Restrictions

Exotic Pets

Fishers' animal code does not itself regulate exotic or wild animals; it expressly leaves wild and exotic animal regulation to the State of Indiana under 312 IAC Article 9 (Fish and Wildlife). The city code defines exotic animals as wild animals not native to Indiana and lists common domestic pets that are allowed.

Fishers Exotic and Wild Animals

Some Restrictions

Wildlife Feeding

Fishers' animal code does not contain a general ban on feeding wild animals such as deer, geese, or raccoons; the code expressly leaves wild-animal regulation to the State of Indiana. The one feeding rule it does impose targets feral cats: feeding an unregistered feral cat colony is prohibited.

Fishers Wildlife Feeding

Some Restrictions

Livestock

Fishers' animal code defines livestock to include horses, cows, goats, pigs, other four-legged animals, and fowl, and requires owners to provide adequate food, water, space, and humane care. The code sets no numeric limits; whether livestock may be kept on a parcel is controlled by city zoning, and animals kept contrary to zoning are public nuisances.

Fishers Livestock Keeping

Heavy Restrictions

Animal Hoarding

Fishers' animal code defines and prohibits animal hoarding - collecting animals without adequate shelter and care, hoarding dead animals, or keeping animals in filthy, insanitary conditions that endanger people or animals. Hoarding overlaps with neglect, and a court may order seizure of animals and a ban on future ownership.

Fishers Animal Hoarding

Heavy Restrictions

Pet Limits

Fishers' animal code sets no general numeric limit on how many dogs or cats a household may keep. A two-animal cap applies only as an added restriction to people who have already been found in violation of specified care, restraint, nuisance, dangerous-animal, bite, or cruelty sections.

Fishers Pet Limits

Few Restrictions

Cat Rules

Fishers requires cats three months and older to carry permanent identification (microchip or collar tag), be vaccinated against rabies, and - if over six months - be spayed or neutered unless a free breeder's permit applies. Feral cats are addressed through a registered trap-neuter-return colony program rather than ordinary ownership.

Fishers Cat Rules

Some Restrictions

Looking for Hamilton County county-wide rules?

County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Fishers city rules.

Animal Ordinances in Hamilton County