Animal Ordinances in Hammond, IN (2026)
12 verified animal ordinances for Hammond, Indiana, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
In the City of Hammond, Indiana, keeping chickens, ducks, turkeys or any other domestic bird or fowl as a pet is banned in residential areas, and keeping horses, cattle, swine, sheep, rabbits, mules or goats anywhere in the city is unlawful outright, except on zoned farm or agricultural business property.
Hammond Bans Backyard Chickens and Livestock
Heavy RestrictionsHammond Code of Ordinances §§ 91.035, 91.037(B)
§ 91.035 DOMESTIC ANIMALS AND FOWL. ... (A) No person shall own, possess, or have custody on the premises in a residential area any animal classified as a domestic bird or fowl. (B) No person shall keep or permit to be kept in a residential area any domestic bird or fowl as a pet. (C) This section shall not be construed as to prevent the operation of any farm or agricultural business property o...
Dog Leash Laws
In the City of Hammond, Indiana, dogs and cats must be humanely restrained on their owner's property, either indoors, in a secure locked pen, or behind an escape-proof fence, and must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet whenever off the property, under Code of Ordinances § 91.071.
Hammond Requires 6-Foot Leash Off Property
Some RestrictionsHammond Code of Ordinances § 91.071(A)
§ 91.071 DOGS AND CATS UNDER RESTRAINT; FEMALES IN HEAT TO BE KEPT UNDER RESTRAINT. ... (A) All dogs and cats shall be humanely and safely kept under restraint. It is an animal owner's responsibility to ensure that animals on and off their real property be restrained. ... (2) When off the real property, animals shall be on a leash not to exceed 6 feet in length. The leash shall not contain any ...
Breed Restrictions
Hammond, Indiana does not ban dogs by breed. Instead, Hammond Animal Control can declare any animal 'dangerous' after a bite, unprovoked attack or repeated aggressive charging, then order the owner to build a locked 6-foot enclosure, muzzle and leash it off-property, post a warning sign, carry $300,000 in liability insurance and complete obedience training.
Hammond's Dangerous Animal Declaration Rules
Significant RestrictionsHammond Code of Ordinances § 91.105
The city’s Animal Control shall have the authority to make a determination that an animal is a dangerous animal as defined in § 91.001, and to order the owner to comply with any of the measures set forth in this section for the protection of public health, safety and welfare. ... While on the owner’s property, the owner must securely confine the dangerous animal indoors or within a securely enc...
Beekeeping
In the City of Hammond, Indiana, keeping bees in a residential district is a public nuisance unless the beekeeper stays within 2 colonies, uses queens from licensed breeders, keeps hives inside a 4-foot fence set entirely within the owner's property, and posts a warning sign about the apiary.
Hammond Beekeeping Rules: 2-Colony Residential Limit
Some RestrictionsHammond Code of Ordinances § 91.036
§ 91.036 BEES. ... The keeping of bees within the residential districts of the city is declared to be a public nuisance unless: (A) A person has not more than 2 colonies of domestic honey bees (Apis Mellifera) with queens purchased from licensed breeders/beekeepers, and an aggressive colony must be re-queened immediately; ... (C) A person encloses the property where the colonies live in a fence...
Exotic Pets
In the City of Hammond, Indiana, no one may keep a wild or vicious animal for display or exhibition, and no one may keep any wild animal as a pet at all, under § 91.037(A) of the city code, with a limited carve-out for zoos, circuses and performing-animal exhibitions.
Hammond Bans Keeping Wild Animals as Pets
Heavy RestrictionsHammond Code of Ordinances § 91.037(A)
§ 91.037 KEEPING CERTAIN ANIMALS PROHIBITED. (A) No person shall keep or permit to be kept on his or her premises any wild or vicious animal for display or for exhibition purposes, whether gratuitously or for a fee. This section shall not be construed to apply to zoological parks, performing animal exhibitions or circuses. No person shall keep or permit to be kept any wild animal as a pet. The ...
Wildlife Feeding
In the City of Hammond, Indiana, feeding ducks, geese or other waterfowl anywhere in the city carries a flat $25 fine. The city posts signage at Wolf Lake, George Lake and Forsyth Park, its three main waterfowl habitats, warning residents against feeding the birds.
Feeding Waterfowl Banned in Hammond Parks
Light RestrictionsHammond Code of Ordinances § 91.024
§ 91.024 FEEDING WATER FOWL PROHIBITED. (A) No person within the city shall feed ducks, geese or other waterfowl. (B) Proper signage shall be placed by the city's Sign Department in the Wolf Lake, George Lake and Forsyth Park. (C) The penalty for violations of this section shall be a fine of $25.
Pet Limits
Hammond Code of Ordinances § 121.20 classifies any premises keeping three or more dogs, cats, or other household domestic animals as a kennel, which § 121.21 confines to C-4 General Commercial zoning as a conditional use.
Hammond Kennel Threshold for Multiple Pets
Some RestrictionsHammond Code of Ordinances §§ 121.20, 121.21
KENNEL. Any lot, premises or establishment wherein any person engages in the business of boarding, breeding, buying, letting for hire, training for a fee or selling dogs and cats, or where three or more dogs, cats or other household domestic animals at least 3 months of age are kept. ... Pursuant to Title IX of the zoning ordinance, animal kennels are permitted only as conditional uses within a...
Cat Rules
In the City of Hammond, Indiana, a female cat in heat must be confined so she cannot contact another animal, and residents who borrow a Hammond Animal Control cat trap must post a $25 deposit, refunded only if the trap comes back undamaged, under Code of Ordinances §§ 91.071(B) and 91.077.
Hammond Cat Confinement and Trap Deposit Rules
Some RestrictionsHammond Code of Ordinances §§ 91.071(B), 91.077
(B) Every female dog or cat in season shall be confined in a residence or secure enclosure in a manner that the female dog or cat cannot come into contact with another animal. Breeding of any dog or cat within the city without a valid kennel permit (as defined in § 121.20) is prohibited. ... § 91.077 CAT TRAPS. (A) In the event a resident requests a cat trap from Hammond Animal Control, the res...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
In the City of Hammond, Indiana, sterilization is mandatory only for unclaimed dogs and cats adopted out of the city shelter: § 91.075 bars Hammond Animal Control from releasing one for adoption unless it is already sterilized or the adopter signs a written agreement guaranteeing sterilization. There is no citywide mandate for pets already owned.
Hammond Requires Sterilization for Shelter Adoptions
Light RestrictionsHammond Code of Ordinances § 91.075
§ 91.075 STERILIZATION. No unclaimed dog or cat shall be released for adoption without being sterilized, or without a written agreement from the adopter agreeing and guaranteeing that the animal will be sterilized.
Pet Store Rules
Hammond Code of Ordinances § 121.36 requires a license before operating a pet shop or cattery in Hammond, Indiana, with fees tied to animal count and a mandatory triplicate bill of sale for every dog sold under § 121.40.
Hammond Pet Shop and Cattery License Rules
Some RestrictionsHammond Code of Ordinances §§ 121.36, 121.40
No person shall engage in the business of operating a pet shop or a cattery without first having obtained a license therefor. ... Each and every operator of a pet shop or cattery must give a bill of sale with each dog. The bill of sale must reflect the approximate breed, color, sex and age, together with a statement as to special conditions regarding sterilization operations and inoculations, i...
Pet Groomer Rules
Hammond Code of Ordinances § 121.01 requires a permit before operating a commercial animal establishment, a category that by definition includes grooming shops, and § 121.02 sets a $100 annual permit fee for each grooming shop.
Hammond Grooming Shop Permit Rules
Some RestrictionsHammond Code of Ordinances §§ 121.01, 121.02
COMMERCIAL ANIMAL ESTABLISHMENT. Any pet shop, grooming shop, auction, riding school or stable, zoological park, circus, performing animal exhibition or kennel. ... GROOMING SHOP. A commercial establishment where animals are bathed, clipped, plucked or otherwise groomed. ... No person shall ... operate a commercial animal establishment ... or animal shelter without first obtaining a permit in c...
Bird Protection
In the City of Hammond, Indiana, it is illegal to molest, kill, trap, hunt, shoot at or remove any bird, bird's nest, or bird eggs within any city park. The Board of Park Commissioners enforces the ban, and violators face the general park penalty under Hammond Code of Ordinances Chapter 10.
Hammond Bans Killing or Trapping Park Birds
Some RestrictionsHammond Code of Ordinances § 99.31(A)
(A) No person shall, within any park, molest, kill, wound, trap, hunt, take, chase, shoot, throw missiles at, remove or have in his or her possession any feral animal, reptile, bird, bird's nest or squirrel's nest; remove the young of any animal or the eggs or young of any reptile or bird; or knowingly buy, receive, have in his or her possession, sell or give away any animal, reptile, bird or e...
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