IN · verified 2026-10-23
Indianapolis, IN
Short answerYes: the City of Indianapolis code allows up to 12 chickens, quail, pigeons and ducks combined per premises; roosters are allowed; no permit is required; and the setback is not verified yet.
Buying notes for backyard hens inside the City of Indianapolis corporate limits. HOA covenants and county rules outside city limits can differ.
Heads up: These rules apply inside the City of Indianapolis corporate limits only. An HOA or neighborhood covenant can still ban hens. Those private rules are usually not public, so HenCheck does not look them up.
Primary source: Sec. 743-306 Personal Livestock and Table 743-306-3: Permitted Personal Livestock (Consolidated Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance).
At a glance
- Hen cap
- Up to 12 chickens, quail, pigeons and ducks combined per premises
- Roosters
- Allowed
- Permit & fee
- No permit required
- Setback
- Not verified yet
The rule, quoted
Word for word from Sec. 743-306 Personal Livestock and Table 743-306-3: Permitted Personal Livestock (Consolidated Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance).
How many hens
“The following domesticated adult animals are permitted outside in accordance with Table 743-306-3 without a Personal Livestock License pursuant to Chapter 838 of the Revised Code of the Consolidated City and County.”
Table 743-306-3 allows up to 12 adult chickens, quail, pigeons and ducks on a lot, with no minimum lot size. Adults are birds 8 months and older. The use must be accessory to a single-family or two-family home, and the owner or caretaker must live there.
Sec. 743-306 Personal Livestock and Table 743-306-3: Permitted Personal Livestock (Consolidated Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance).
Roosters
“Roosters are limited to one per lot and between dusk to dawn the rooster must be kept inside an enclosed coop or similar fully-enclosed structure.”
One rooster per lot, shut in from dusk to dawn.
Permit and fee
“The number of domesticated adult animals may be increased or kept on a smaller lot if the owner maintains a valid Personal Livestock License and the conditions of that license are maintained.”
A Personal Livestock License under Chapter 838 is needed only to keep more birds than the table allows or to keep them on a smaller lot; that license fee was not checked.
Setback / screening
“Pen, shelter, coop, roost, hutch, or other shelter for animals must not be located in a front yard and must meet setbacks required in the district.”
No coop distance is set for hens; the coop must stay out of the front yard and meet your zoning district’s setbacks.
Also in this section
Homes only
“This use must be accessory to a single-family detached or two-family dwelling as the principal use on the same lot or parcel and shall be for personal use only.”
Odor
“Odors from the animals or from animal waste must not be discernible at any property line.”
What to buy
Named products and shops are real. Confirm stock, shipping, and that the vet still sees poultry before you spend money.
Shared Indianapolis, IN metro list: same stores for every city in this metro.
Hatchery
Cackle Hatchery
Ships live chicks to Indiana via USPS Priority Mail. Cackle's FAQ lists Indiana among the states it ships to, with chicks going out Mondays and Wednesdays from February to August and Wednesdays only from August to late October. Order sexed pullets if your city bans roosters or does not address them.
Feed store
Tractor Supply — Indianapolis (#119)
Indianapolis — 8815 South Atlantis Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46239. (317) 862-1013. Store page lists livestock feed and farm supplies, including chicken coops, waterers and feeders.
Coop
OverEZ Medium Chicken Coop with Wooden 8 ft Chicken Run
Dimensions: Coop 50¼ in L × 52½ in W × 62¼ in H (includes nesting box), sized by OverEZ for up to 10 chickens; Wooden 8 ft run 8 ft W × 8 ft L × 6 ft 3 in H
Price: Coop $1,699.00 (Classic, Farmhouse or Coastal finish); Wooden 8 ft run $1,899.00. Prices as shown on overezchickencoop.com on 2026-10-22.
The coop footprint is about 4.2 ft × 4.4 ft and the run is 8 ft × 8 ft, so with the coop at the end of the run plan on roughly 8 ft × 12.5 ft. Measure your setback from the cited code before you pick a spot, and check any height limit: the run is 6 ft 3 in tall. OverEZ ships coops and runs by tractor-trailer freight to the end of your driveway; homes on roads a truck cannot reach may need to pick up at a freight terminal.
Vet
No verified poultry vet yet
We have not confirmed a clinic here that says it treats chickens. Call local vets and ask before you need one.
Verified 2026-10-23 against Sec. 743-306 Personal Livestock and Table 743-306-3: Permitted Personal Livestock (Consolidated Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance). at https://us-east-1-indy.graphassets.com/ActDBC5rvRWeCZlNNnLrDz/cmt92eutl0sby06k4j93lzpo6. Read the live code before you build or order birds.