Indiana Dog Breeder Licensing Requirements

According to the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH), a person must register as a commercial dog breeder if they maintain more than 19 unaltered female dogs that are at least 12 months old and sell dogs they breed to a dog broker, a pet store, or the general public (IC 15-21-1-4); moving dogs to more than one property does not avoid registration (345 IAC 13-1-3). BOAH describes this program as the Commercial Dog Breeders and Brokers law under Indiana Code 15-21. There is also a separate commercial dog broker category; BOAH states a broker application applies if you sell at least 500 dogs or puppies in a calendar year, or hold a USDA Class B (dealer) license (IC 15-21-1-5); the broker registration fee is $1,000 per year. Under amendments to IC 15-21 that took effect July 1, 2024, BOAH also requires retail pet stores, animal care facilities, and animal rescue operations to register. Animal care facilities (animal control centers, shelters, humane societies, and similar impounding facilities) must register with no minimum number of dogs (IC 15-21-1-2.3). The dog count test applies to animal rescue operations: a rescue must register if, during one year, it accepts more than 12 dogs, or more than 9 dogs and 3 unweaned litters, kept in a private home, or if it uses a network of private foster homes (IC 15-21-1-2.5).

Applications are handled by the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH). You can learn more and find the application on BOAH's Commercial Dog Breeder and Broker page at https://www.in.gov/boah/commercial-dog-breeder-and-broker/ and on its Licenses & Permits page at https://www.in.gov/boah/licenses-and-permits/. Breeders use State Form 54041 (Indiana Commercial Dog Breeder Program Registration) and brokers use State Form 57085. Mail the completed form with the full fee by check or money order, payable to the State of Indiana, to the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, Commercial Dog Breeder and Broker Program, Discovery Hall, Suite 100, 1202 East 38th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46205-2898. Registration lasts one year and must be renewed annually. Breeders and brokers should review Indiana Code 15-21, which governs the program and changed on July 1, 2024. For questions, BOAH's breeder and broker page lists 1-800-457-8283 and [email protected].

The annual fee to register or renew as a commercial dog breeder depends on the number of unaltered female dogs at least 12 months old: $75 for 50 or fewer, $200 for 51 to 100, $300 for 101 to 150, $400 for 151 to 250, and $500 for more than 250 (IC 15-21-3-1; 345 IAC 13-1-3). A commercial dog broker pays $1,000 per year (IC 15-21-3-2). Registration lasts one year, and a breeder or broker who operated without registering must pay twice the normal fee for each year unregistered (IC 15-21-2-3; 345 IAC 13-1-4). BOAH's fees, fines, and civil penalties rulemaking (LSA #24-377) was finalized in February 2025 as a civil penalty schedule (345 IAC 1.5) and did not change these registration fees, and LSA #25-432 is a Board of Veterinary Medicine rule that does not apply to dog breeders. Breeders should check the official BOAH pages for the current fee schedule before applying.

Since July 1, 2025, commercial dog breeders and brokers are subject to random, unannounced inspections by BOAH, which sets how often they occur (IC 15-21-5.5). BOAH generally may not inspect the same breeder more than once per calendar year unless the breeder fails an inspection and more visits are needed to protect the dogs, and it may also inspect and audit any breeder it has reason to believe is violating the law (IC 15-21-7-2). Inspectors check the federal standards of care in 9 CFR 3.1 through 3.12, which Indiana requires, plus state rules that cages with wire floors include a place where the dog can get off the wire, that wire cages allow reasonable movement, and that every dog gets a chance to exercise outside its cage at least once a day (IC 15-21-4-1). A failed inspection can lead to follow-up inspections, an order of compliance, and civil penalties (IC 15-21-5.5-2, IC 15-21-7-1).

Indiana commercial dog breeders must keep their records for at least five years (IC 15-21-5-2) and must give each buyer a copy of the dog's vaccination, medication, and treatment records when the dog is sold, exchanged, or adopted (IC 15-21-5-1). Indiana Code 15-21 governs the program, and BOAH's official pages are the best place to find any record-keeping rules. Breeders licensed with USDA may also have separate federal record-keeping duties under the Animal Welfare Act. The statute does not set a required record format, so breeders can ask BOAH about format questions.

Knowingly or intentionally operating as a commercial dog breeder or broker without registering is a Class A misdemeanor (IC 15-21-2-3), punishable by up to 1 year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000 (IC 35-50-3-2), and a material misstatement on a registration is also a Class A misdemeanor (IC 15-21-3-1). An unregistered breeder owes twice the unpaid registration fees and may not operate until registered (IC 15-21-2-3). BOAH may also seek an injunction, issue an order of compliance, and impose civil penalties of up to $500 for a knowing violation, $1,000 for an intentional violation, and $5,000 for violating an injunction, plus $10,000 for each day a violation is not corrected, and it may seek to bar a breeder from registering for up to 3 years (IC 15-21-7-1). BOAH's civil penalty schedule, adopted under LSA #24-377 and filed February 27, 2025, applies these same ranges to violations of IC 15-21 and 345 IAC 13 (345 IAC 1.5-3-1). Local governments may not adopt breeder ordinances stricter than IC 15-21, although stricter ordinances adopted before January 1, 2010 can still be enforced (IC 15-21-6-1). Breeders should review Indiana Code 15-21 and BOAH guidance for the current penalty provisions.