Animal Ordinances in Elkhart County, IN (2026)
7 rules for unincorporated Elkhart County, Indiana.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Elkhart County's animal code names chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks as LIVESTOCK under § 90.01 and requires every owner to give livestock demonstrable protection from the elements, including windbreaks and shade, under § 90.02(O). Where you may keep them is a separate question the code sends to the County Zoning Ordinance.
Elkhart County Livestock & Poultry Care Rules
Some RestrictionsElkhart County Code of Ordinances §§ 90.01, 90.02(O), 90.05
LIVESTOCK. Non-wild animals and their kinds, commonly kept as farm animals, including those kept for commercial purposes, such as: (1) Cattle, bison, cows and oxen; (2) Sheep; (3) Llamas; (4) Goats; (5) Chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks; (6) Swine; (7) Horses; and (8) Donkeys. ... § 90.02 GENERAL ANIMAL CARE REQUIREMENTS. ... (O) For livestock, has demonstrable protection from the elements to ...
Dog Leash Laws
Elkhart County requires every dog owner to keep the animal 'properly under restraint and not at large' under § 90.02(H). Section 90.01 defines AT LARGE broadly: off the owner's property without a leash, on a leash that doesn't confine it, or otherwise not under the owner's direct control, with narrow exceptions for hunting and farming dogs under supervision.
Elkhart County Dogs-At-Large & Restraint Law
Some RestrictionsElkhart County Code of Ordinances §§ 90.01, 90.02(H)
AT LARGE. (1) An animal that is: (a) Not on a leash and is off the property of its owner or the owner's agent; (b) On a leash that does not adequately confine the animal to the property of the owner or the owner's agent; (c) On a leash that is not otherwise under the immediate control of a person physically capable of restraining the animal; or (d) Otherwise not under the direct control of the ...
Breed Restrictions
Elkhart County has no breed ban: § 90.01 defines DANGEROUS ANIMAL by conduct, not breed, covering any animal that seriously injures, attacks or repeatedly runs at large aggressively. Section 90.12 then requires a $500 registration, secure enclosure and $300,000 in liability insurance within 48 hours of impoundment.
Elkhart County Dangerous Animal Registration Law
Significant RestrictionsElkhart County Code of Ordinances §§ 90.11(C), (D), 90.12(A)
(C) Upon the impoundment of a dangerous animal pursuant to this section, the owner shall be given 48 hours to show proof of, or to complete, a dangerous animal registration. (D) If the owner fails to show proof of or to complete a dangerous animal registration within 48 hours of impoundment, or if the owner waives in writing all ownership interests in the animal, the animal may be humanely euth...
Beekeeping
Beekeeping is legal across Elkhart County and treated as agriculture. Indiana requires no state hive registration, though the DNR offers voluntary registration and inspects for disease. Recklessly disturbing another person's hive is a Class B misdemeanor.
Elkhart County Beekeeping Rules
Some RestrictionsIndiana Code § 14-24-11-4(b)
A person, other than the state or a political subdivision of the state, that recklessly disturbs or molests an apiary, a honeybee hive, a honeybee colony, or other honeybee habitat, natural or manmade, without the permission of the owner commits a Class B misdemeanor.
Cat Rules
Elkhart County's animal code protects colony caretakers who feed and shelter free-roaming cats. Section 90.13 keeps a caretaker from being treated as an 'owner' and shields a registered, Trap-Neuter-Return managed colony from the chapter's other requirements, while § 90.08 still requires rabies vaccination for any cat an owner keeps or harbors.
Elkhart County Free-Roaming Cat Colony Rules
Some RestrictionsElkhart County Code of Ordinances §§ 90.01, 90.08, 90.13
§ 90.13 CARE OF FREE-ROAMING CATS. For purposes of this chapter, a colony caretaker shall not be considered nor deemed to be the owner of the free-roaming cats cared for in the colony. Notwithstanding any of the terms and provisions of this chapter, this chapter shall not prohibit a colony caretaker from maintaining a managed colony. ... MANAGED COLONY. A colony that is registered with a sponso...
Microchipping
Elkhart County doesn't require pet owners to microchip animals outright, but § 90.10(D) requires the county's animal control facility to scan every stray it takes in for a microchip, and § 90.12(A)(8) makes proof of microchip implanting mandatory for anyone registering a dangerous animal.
Elkhart County Animal Microchip Scanning Rule
Light RestrictionsElkhart County Code of Ordinances §§ 90.01, 90.10(D), 90.12(A)(8)
MICROCHIP. A tiny computer chip, implanted underneath the skin of an animal that contains identification information relating to that animal. ... (D) If stray animals are picked up by or turned in to an animal control facility, they shall be scanned by the animal control facility for an identifying microchip unless doing so presents an unnecessary hazard to the animal control agent. The animal'...
Bird Protection
Elkhart County parks are a no-hunting zone for wild birds and other feral animals. Section 93.018 makes it unlawful to kill, wound, trap, shoot at, chase or even possess a feral bird, mammal, reptile or amphibian taken from a county park, with narrow fishing and permitted-management exceptions.
Elkhart County Park Wildlife Protection Rule
Heavy RestrictionsElkhart County Code of Ordinances § 93.018
§ 93.018 INFLICTING INJURY TO WILDLIFE PROHIBITED. Except as hereinafter provided, it shall be unlawful for any person within a park to kill, wound, hunt, trap, shoot, throw rocks or missiles at, chase, molest or remove any feral mammal, reptile, amphibian or bird, or knowingly to buy, receive, have in his or her possession, sell or give away any such mammal, reptile, amphibian, bird or egg so ...
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