Indiana livestock laws come from two state agencies working in parallel: the State Board of Animal Health (BOAH), which enforces animal care and disease controls under Indiana Code Title 15, Article 17, and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), which regulates manure and waste at larger operations. Federal rules add a layer for interstate movement. Penalties run as high as $25,000 per day for environmental violations, and animal cruelty can bring felony charges on top of any regulatory fine.
Animal Care Standards Every Operation Must Meet
BOAH’s livestock and poultry care law sets five duties that apply to every operation, regardless of size:
- Provide water sufficient to maintain animal health.
- Provide shelter from weather when reasonably necessary to maintain health.
- Take reasonable measures to protect animals from injury or disease that could seriously endanger life or health, and treat or euthanize animals that are seriously ill or injured.
- Maintain an overall living environment that can reasonably be expected to keep animals healthy.
- Use handling and transportation methods and equipment reasonably expected to prevent injuries that would endanger life or health.
The recurring phrase “reasonably be expected” is the enforcement standard. BOAH measures your practices against what a competent livestock operator would do, not against what is cheapest.1Indiana State Board of Animal Health. Livestock and Poultry Care Law
Disease Reporting, Vaccination, and Quarantine
Title 15, Article 17 sets separate chapters for rabies, bovine tuberculosis, bovine brucellosis, and swine brucellosis, along with broader authority over dangerous and diseased animals.2Justia. Indiana Code Title 15 Article 17 – Animal Health and Animal Products Livestock owners must report contagious diseases promptly so BOAH can contain outbreaks before they spread.
Indiana requires brucellosis vaccination for cattle calves. A licensed, USDA Category II accredited veterinarian must administer the vaccine while the calf is between 4 and 10 months old (120 to 299 days). Tuberculosis testing is also regulated under BOAH rules, particularly for cattle moving interstate or changing hands.3Indiana State Board of Animal Health. Cattle: Dairy and Beef
Rabies vaccination in Indiana applies to dogs, cats, and ferrets rather than livestock, so livestock owners don’t face a rabies vaccination duty for their herd.4Indiana State Board of Animal Health. Pet Vaccination Laws
Under Indiana Code 15-17-3-13, BOAH can quarantine animals and premises to prevent, control, and eradicate disease. It can also restrict or prohibit the movement of animals into, out of, or within Indiana by permit or other means, factoring in whether the animals came from areas known or suspected to harbor disease.5Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 15-17-3-13 – Additional Powers and Duties A quarantine order can freeze an operation until BOAH is satisfied the threat has passed.
When You Need IDEM Approval as a Confined Feeding Operation
Indiana’s Confined Feeding Control Law (Indiana Code 13-18-10) requires IDEM approval before you build, expand, or operate a Confined Feeding Operation (CFO). Starting construction without that approval is itself a violation.
Your operation is a CFO once you confine any of the following:
- 300 or more cattle
- 600 or more swine or sheep
- 30,000 or more poultry (chickens, turkeys, or ducks)
- 500 or more horses
Larger operations that reach EPA’s Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) thresholds, such as 700 mature dairy cows, 1,000 cattle, or 2,500 swine over 55 pounds, pick up additional federal and state requirements.6Indiana Department of Environmental Management. About Confined Feeding Operations and Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
Indiana offers two approval paths. Operations that don’t discharge manure or pollutant-bearing water need a CFO Approval under 327 IAC 19. Operations that do discharge to state waters must obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) CAFO Individual Permit under 327 IAC 15-16. You need one or the other. A non-discharging operation can voluntarily pursue the NPDES permit if it chooses.7Indiana Department of Environmental Management. What Type of Approval Do CFOs Require?
Manure Rules That Apply Even Below the CFO Threshold
IDEM sets detailed requirements for how manure is stored, staged, and applied to land at regulated operations. Solid manure staged in crop or pasture fields from a regulated CFO or CAFO must be bermed or covered if left for more than 72 hours, and must be land-applied within 90 days. Staged manure must meet setback distances and cannot be placed in standing water, floodways, or waterways.8Indiana Department of Environmental Management. Confined Feeding Program Manure Management
Smaller farms below the CFO thresholds are not fully exempt. Every Indiana farm must manage manure so it doesn’t cause a discharge that violates Indiana Code 13-30-2-1, and must comply with fertilizer material use and record-keeping provisions under 355 IAC 8.9Indiana Department of Environmental Management. Solid Manure Staging Fact Sheet
Transporting and Moving Livestock
Within Indiana, BOAH’s care standard for transportation requires handling methods and equipment reasonably expected to prevent injuries that would endanger animal life or health, meaning adequate ventilation, secure footing, and protection from weather extremes.1Indiana State Board of Animal Health. Livestock and Poultry Care Law
Once you cross state lines, the federal Twenty-Eight Hour Law (49 U.S.C. ยง 80502) sets a hard time limit. Carriers cannot confine animals in a vehicle for more than 28 consecutive hours without unloading them for feeding, water, and rest. Once unloaded, animals must get at least five consecutive hours of rest in pens with feed and water. Sheep can be confined an additional eight hours beyond the 28-hour limit if that period ends at night, and for any livestock, the owner or person in custody can submit a written request separate from the bill of lading to extend confinement to 36 consecutive hours.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 U.S. Code 80502 – Transportation of Animals
Federal regulations under 9 CFR Part 86 also require official identification for livestock moving interstate. The specifics turn on the species:
- All sexually intact cattle and bison 18 months or older, all dairy cattle regardless of age, and any cattle used for rodeo, recreational events, shows, or exhibitions must carry official identification before interstate movement.
- Sheep and goats must be officially identified before interstate movement unless exempt under 9 CFR Part 79.
- Swine must be officially identified under 9 CFR 71.19.
Exceptions cover cattle moving directly to slaughter within three days and commuter herds operating under agreements between shipping and receiving states.11eCFR. 9 CFR Part 86 – Animal Disease Traceability BOAH coordinates with the federal traceability system and can impose pre-entry permit conditions for livestock entering Indiana.
Right to Farm Protection Against Nuisance Suits
Indiana Code 32-30-6-9 shields established agricultural operations from nuisance claims triggered by new neighbors complaining about odor, dust, or noise. An operation that has been running continuously at a location for more than one year cannot be declared a public or private nuisance because of changed conditions in the surrounding area, provided two things hold: there has been no significant change in the type of operation, and the operation would not have been a nuisance when it originally began at that location.12Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 32-30-6-9 – Agricultural and Industrial Operations
“Significant change” is defined narrowly. Switching from one type of agricultural operation to another, changing ownership or scale, joining or leaving a government program, and adopting new technology are all explicitly excluded. Stop operations for more than one year, though, and you lose the continuity that triggers the protection.
One exception matters most: the protection doesn’t apply if the nuisance results from negligent operation. A careless operation loses the shield even after decades on the same land.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
Violating Indiana’s environmental management laws, water pollution control laws, or any IDEM permit condition carries a civil penalty of up to $25,000 per day of violation. The per-day structure means ongoing non-compliance compounds quickly: a waste-management problem left unresolved for 30 days could theoretically generate up to $750,000 in liability.13Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 13-30-4-1 – Violations IDEM’s civil penalty policy weighs the severity of the violation and compliance history when setting an actual amount.
Indiana Code 35-46-3-12 adds criminal exposure that runs alongside regulatory penalties:
- Knowingly or intentionally abusing a vertebrate animal is a Class A misdemeanor, escalating to a Level 6 felony on a prior conviction or where the abuse was committed to threaten or intimidate a family or household member.
- Knowingly or intentionally torturing or mutilating a vertebrate animal is a Level 6 felony.
- Knowingly or intentionally killing a domestic animal without the owner’s consent is a Level 6 felony.
A Level 6 felony in Indiana carries a potential sentence of six months to two and a half years and a fine up to $10,000. Criminal charges can be filed on top of any BOAH or IDEM regulatory action.14Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-46-3-12 – Cruelty to Animals
BOAH can also halt operations at facilities that fail care standards until compliance is achieved, and IDEM can issue stop-work orders or revoke CFO approvals for persistent environmental violations. For an operation that depends on IDEM approval to exist legally, losing that approval closes the business.
Appealing an Enforcement Action
Both agencies allow administrative appeals, but the window is short. For IDEM enforcement actions, including fines, permit denials, and corrective orders, you must file a Petition for Administrative Review with the Indiana Office of Administrative Law Proceedings (OALP) within 20 days of the enforcement action. Petitions can be filed by mail or email and must also be served on IDEM’s Office of Legal Counsel. If you’re appealing a permit decision, a copy must go to the permittee as well.15Indiana Office of Administrative Law Proceedings. Guide to IDEM Administrative Appeals
BOAH actions on animal health, including quarantine orders and operational restrictions, are subject to administrative hearings under Indiana Code Title 15, Article 17, Chapter 17. An administrative law judge reviews the evidence and can affirm, modify, or reverse the original action.
Miss the 20-day window and you generally waive the right to challenge the action, leaving the original penalty or order in place. If an enforcement notice arrives from either agency, that filing deadline is the date to work backward from.