Animal Ordinances in Tippecanoe County, IN (2026)
9 rules for unincorporated Tippecanoe County, Indiana.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
In unincorporated Tippecanoe County, a resident may keep up to two horses they personally own as an accessory use with no minimum lot size, under Unified Zoning Ordinance section 4-11-2(f). Boarding, breeding, training or riding horses for anyone else, or housing more than two, reclassifies the property as a commercial equine facility requiring at least five acres.
Tippecanoe County Backyard Horse-Keeping Rule
Some RestrictionsTippecanoe County Unified Zoning Ordinance § 4-11-2(d)-(f)
(d) Boarding, breeding, training and riding horses can be accessory to a residential development, if it occupies land within that development at least 5 acres in area, and is made available only to residents of that development. (Amend 5) (e) This 5-acre minimum shall also apply where such a facility is the primary use of the property. (f) Keeping up to 2 horses owned by a property’s occupant i...
Dog Leash Laws
Tippecanoe County owners may not let a dog or other animal run at-large: loose and out of the owner's direct control or physical restraint. Dogs tied on a rope, chain or cable also need at least 12 feet of unobstructed movement in a 180-degree arc under § 90.05(D).
Tippecanoe County Leash And At-Large Dog Rules
Some RestrictionsTippecanoe County Code of Ordinances §§ 90.02, 90.03(A)(1), 90.05(D)
AT LARGE. An animal not under the direct control of an individual or restrained by an enclosure, leash, chain, or other device of actual physical restraint. (§ 90.02) ... § 90.03 PROHIBITED ACTS. (A) An owner shall not do any of the following: (1) Permit an animal to be at-large. ... § 90.05 RESTRAINT. (D) Dogs restrained through rope, chain, or cable must have unobstructed freedom of movement ...
Breed Restrictions
Tippecanoe County does not ban or restrict any dog breed by name. Chapter 90 instead defines a "hazardous animal" by conduct, biting or injuring without provocation, and the Animal Control Officer keeps a Hazardous Animal List that any animal, regardless of breed, can land on after an unprovoked bite or attack.
Tippecanoe County Dangerous Dog Rule Is Behavior-Based
Some RestrictionsTippecanoe County Code of Ordinances §§ 90.02, 90.11(H)
HAZARDOUS ANIMAL. An animal that attacks, bites, or injures humans or domesticated animals without adequate provocation or an animal with a known propensity to attack, bite, or injure humans or domesticated animals. (§ 90.02) ... (H)(1) The Animal Control Officer shall maintain a Hazardous Animal List. The presence of an animal on this list shall constitute prima facie evidence that the animal ...
Pet Limits
Tippecanoe County's animal-control chapter does not cap the number of dogs or cats a household may keep. § 90.03(A)(8) instead bars keeping animals in a quantity the owner cannot properly care for, and any numeric per-lot cap comes from the county's separate zoning ordinance, not Chapter 90.
Tippecanoe County Sets No Fixed Pet Cap
Few RestrictionsTippecanoe County Code of Ordinances §§ 90.01(A), 90.03(A)(8)
§ 90.01 APPLICATION. (A) ... Nothing in this chapter is intended to limit the applicability or enforcement of zoning ordinances in Tippecanoe County including, without limitation, those restricting the number of animals permitted in a given area. ... § 90.03 PROHIBITED ACTS. (A) An owner shall not do any of the following: ... (8) Maintain animals in quantity or type that is offensive or dangero...
Cat Rules
Tippecanoe County treats a free-roaming cat as a "community cat" under § 90.13 unless its owner can be identified by microchip or collar and reclaims it within 24 hours of notice. Community cats delivered to the shelter can be sterilized, vaccinated, chipped, ear-tipped and returned to where they were found.
Tippecanoe County Community Cat Rules
Light RestrictionsTippecanoe County Code of Ordinances § 90.13
§ 90.13 COMMUNITY CATS. (A)(1) For purposes of this section, COMMUNITY CAT means any free roaming cat or cat found at large other than a cat: (a) Whose owner can be readily determined by microchip, identifying collar, or other immediately available information; and (b) Which cat is not ordinarily permitted to roam outside of the owner's residence. ... (B) A cat found at-large shall be regarded ...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Tippecanoe County does not require every pet fixed. But an owner cited for at-large, inoculation, restraint, humane-treatment or habitual-offender violations, or who owns a hazardous animal, must sterilize that animal or pay a $250 opt-out fine under § 90.10(B) and (D), with steep penalties for breaking the agreement.
Tippecanoe County Mandatory Spay Neuter Rule
Significant RestrictionsTippecanoe County Code of Ordinances § 90.10(B)-(E)
(B) Subject to division (D), owners who commit a violation of §§ 90.03 (Prohibited Acts), 90.04 (Inoculation), 90.05 (Restraint), 90.06 (Humane Treatment), or 90.07 (Habitual Offender), and owners of a hazardous animal must, in addition to paying the fines imposed for those violations, have the subject animal sterilized or agree to do so. This division (B) does not apply to an animal that has a...
Microchipping
Tippecanoe County does not require every pet to carry a microchip. But any owner cited for an at-large, inoculation, restraint, humane-treatment or habitual-offender violation must have that animal microchipped under § 90.10(A), and any animal the county impounds must be chipped before release unless a veterinarian objects.
Tippecanoe County Mandatory Pet Microchipping Rule
Some RestrictionsTippecanoe County Code of Ordinances § 90.10(A)
§ 90.10 MANDATORY MICROCHIPPING AND STERILIZATION. (A) Owners who commit a violation of §§ 90.03 (Prohibited Acts), 90.04 (Inoculation), 90.05 (Restraint), 90.06 (Humane Treatment), or 90.07 (Habitual Offender), must, in addition to paying the fines imposed for those violations, have the subject animal microchipped. The Animal Control Officer may, at his or her discretion and subject to his or ...
Pet Store Rules
Tippecanoe County bans retail pet stores in the unincorporated county from selling dogs or cats outright, adopted as a puppy-mill ordinance in 2024. Stores may only host adoption events for animal shelters or rescues, or sell dogs sourced from tightly regulated, certified breeders or brokers.
Tippecanoe County Pet Store Sale Ban
Significant RestrictionsTippecanoe County Code of Ordinances § 90.14
PET STORE. A retail establislnnent where animals are sold, exchanged, bartered or offered for sale as pet animals to the general public at retail. The term does not include an animal care facility or animal rescue organization... (B) Restrictions on the sale of animals. Except as provided in division (C) below, a pet store shall not sell, deliver, offer for sale, barter, auction, give away, or ...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
In unincorporated Tippecanoe County, the Unified Zoning Ordinance treats a veterinary clinic as a use that cannot hide inside an ordinary home occupation. Section 5-5-4(g) lists a veterinarian, veterinary clinic, office, or hospital among activities barred from every standard home occupation. The ordinance carves out one exception: Section 5-5-6(a)(11) permits a veterinary clinic or hospital as a Rural Home Occupation on qualifying acreage.
Tippecanoe County Veterinary Clinic Zoning Ban
Significant RestrictionsTippecanoe County Unified Zoning Ordinance §§ 5-5-4(g), 5-5-6(a)(11)
5-5-4 PROHIBITED HOME OCCUPATIONS: (Amend 103) For reasons of incompatibility with permitted uses, and/or violations of neighborhood character, permitted home occupations shall not include the following: ... (f) Kennel; (g) Veterinarian or any veterinary clinic, office, or hospital; (h) Welding shop; ... 5-5-6 PERMITTED RURAL HOME OCCUPATIONS: (a) Rural home occupations may include, but are not...
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