Indiana Service Dog Laws: What State Law Adds to the ADA

This page explains the law in general terms. It is not legal advice. For a specific situation, contact the agency listed on this site or an attorney.

Indiana service dog laws sit on top of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In many places the two say the same thing. In a few places the state adds something, uses different wording, or says nothing at all.

This guide walks through the Indiana Code next to the ADA, one rule at a time, with the citation for each. It covers the definition, public places, dogs in training, penalties for denying access, housing and employment. It states the law and does not give legal advice.

What you need before you start

The ADA.gov page "ADA Requirements: Service Animals" from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Indiana Code chapters named below: IC 16-32-3, IC 16-32-3.5, IC 22-9-5, IC 22-9-6, IC 22-9-7 and IC 35-46-3-11.5. Read the current text, because the legislature can amend it.
The Indiana Civil Rights Commission (ICRC) page "How to File a Discrimination Complaint".
About 30 minutes, and a note of which setting you care about: a store, a home, a job or all three.

Our companion guide, service dogs in Indiana: training, access rights and where they apply, covers the practical side of public access in more depth.

Step-by-step: reading Indiana law next to the ADA

Step 1: Start with the federal baseline

The U.S. Department of Justice, on ADA.gov, says service animals under the ADA are dogs individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Dogs that provide comfort or emotional support alone do not qualify.

The DOJ also says the ADA does not require professional training. Handlers may train their own dogs. There is no official registry, and the ADA does not require certification. Indiana law is built on the same idea, so keep this baseline in mind as you read the state rules.

Step 2: Check how Indiana defines a service animal

Indiana Code 16-32-3-1.5, as amended in 2023, defines a service animal as a dog or miniature horse individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The 2023 change (P.L.230-2023, House Enrolled Act 1354, effective July 1, 2023) replaced an older list of animal types, such as hearing, guide, seizure alert, mobility, psychiatric service and autism service animals.

The statute does not single out psychiatric service dogs. A dog trained to perform tasks for a person with a psychiatric disability fits the definition the same way any other task-trained dog does.

Two points where Indiana and the ADA differ in wording:

Miniature horses. Indiana's definition names them, and IC 16-32-3-1.7 handles them under a separate reasonable-modification test. The ICRC's public service-animal page describes a service animal as a dog and does not mention miniature horses. If you handle a miniature horse, check with the ICRC.
Other chapters. IC 22-9-5-9.5, in the employment chapter, still uses the older, broader list of animal categories. IC 35-46-3-11.5, the interference offense, has its own definition. The Indiana Code does not use one definition everywhere.

Step 3: Learn the public access rules

Indiana's Service Animals chapter, IC 16-32-3.5, largely mirrors the ADA. According to the Animal Legal & Historical Center's reproduction of the Indiana Code, it provides that:

A public accommodation, meaning any establishment that offers services, facilities or goods to the general public, must modify its policies to permit service animals (IC 16-32-3.5-4).
The handler may go into all areas open to the public (IC 16-32-3.5-10).
Staff may ask only whether the animal is required because of a disability and what work or task it is trained to perform. They may not require proof that the animal is certified, trained or licensed (IC 16-32-3.5-9).
A public accommodation may not charge a fee or add extra requirements because of the service animal (IC 16-32-3.5-11).
The animal may be excluded only if it is out of control or not housebroken. The business must still offer its goods and services without the animal (IC 16-32-3.5-5 and 3.5-6).
The animal must wear a harness, or be on a leash or tether, unless the disability or the task prevents it (IC 16-32-3.5-7).

These match the two questions ADA.gov lists. Under the ADA, staff cannot ask about the disability, require documentation or ID, or ask for a demonstration.

Step 4: Note what Indiana says about dogs in training

Here Indiana is more specific than most readers expect. IC 16-32-3-2(c) gives a service animal trainer, while engaged in the training process, the same public access that IC 16-32-3-2 and IC 16-32-3.5 give handlers. The animal must be under the trainer's control at all times on the premises. The Indiana State Library's July 2023 summary of HEA 1354 also notes that animals in training already had access and that the 2023 law added the control requirement.

The statute is silent on several things:

It does not define "service animal trainer".
It does not say whether an owner-trainer with a disability, or a volunteer puppy raiser, counts as a trainer.
It states no age, vest, harness or ID condition for the dog in training.

The ICRC's public service-animal page does not mention dogs in training. Do not assume more than the statute says. If your situation is unclear, ask the ICRC before relying on the rule.

Step 5: Understand the penalty for denying access

IC 16-32-3-2(b) makes it a Class C infraction to refuse access or charge a fee because of a service animal. An infraction is a civil violation, not a criminal charge. The fine amounts were not verified for this guide, so check the Indiana Code before quoting a figure.

Indiana also protects the animal itself. IC 35-46-3-11.5 says knowingly or intentionally interfering with, or striking, tormenting, injuring or mistreating, a service animal while it is assisting a person with an impairment is a Class A misdemeanor. It becomes a Level 6 felony if it causes serious permanent disfigurement, unconsciousness, protracted impairment, or the animal's death. The statute includes a defense for reasonable acts of training, handling or discipline.

Step 6: Separate service dogs from emotional support animals in housing

Housing is where Indiana's rules diverge most from public access, and where mixing up terms causes trouble. Under the ADA, emotional support animals are not service animals. Indiana's housing statutes treat them separately:

Guide dogs. IC 22-9-6-5 says a landlord may not refuse a tenant with a disability because the person has a guide dog.
Emotional support animals (IC 22-9-7, enacted in 2018). A landlord may require written verification from a health service provider when the disability is not readily apparent (IC 22-9-7-9). A landlord may not charge a fee to keep an emotional support animal (IC 22-9-7-13).
Misrepresentation. IC 22-9-7-12 makes misrepresentation by a tenant or provider a Class A infraction. That includes fitting a non-emotional-support animal with a harness, collar, vest or sign.

The statute is silent on how a task-trained service dog that is not a guide dog fits into these housing sections. Federal housing rules are enforced separately by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), so check with HUD or the ICRC about your own lease. The ICRC deadline for housing complaints is one year.

Step 7: Check the employment rule

IC 22-9-5-20(f) and (g) cover work. A covered employer may not interfere with the use of an animal that is, or is being specially trained as, a service animal. An employer also may not refuse to let an employee with a disability keep a service animal with them at all times at work.

Remember the definition mismatch from Step 2. Because IC 22-9-5-9.5 still uses the older categories, the employment chapter may read more broadly than the 2023 public-access definition. The statute does not explain how the two fit together, so the ICRC is the place to ask.

Step 8: Confirm there is no Indiana registry

No state service-animal registry, tag or ID program turned up on in.gov or in the Indiana Code. Indiana law actually bars a public accommodation from requiring proof that the animal is certified, trained or licensed (IC 16-32-3.5-9(b)). The ADA is the same. Online registrations, ID cards and certificates are not legal proof of anything, and neither the ADA nor Indiana law requires them.

Indiana also has no public-access offense for faking a service dog. The only misrepresentation offense found is the housing infraction for emotional support animals in Step 6. A 2019 bill that would have created a service-animal offense did not advance.

Step 9: Know where to file a complaint

The Indiana Civil Rights Commission handles complaints. Its website is in.gov/icrc, and its phone number is 317-232-2600. There is an online complaint portal, and it costs nothing to file. The ICRC lists these deadlines:

Setting	Filing deadline
Public accommodations	180 days
Employment	180 days
Housing	1 year

For ADA concerns, the Department of Justice maintains its own FAQ at ADA.gov.

Quick comparison: ADA and Indiana side by side

Topic	ADA (per ADA.gov)	Indiana
Who is covered	Dogs individually trained to do work or tasks	Dogs or miniature horses so trained (IC 16-32-3-1.5)
Questions staff may ask	Two questions only	Same two questions (IC 16-32-3.5-9)
Proof or certification	Not required	May not be required (IC 16-32-3.5-9)
Dogs in training	Not addressed on the page cited	Trainer access with control required (IC 16-32-3-2(c))
Emotional support animals	Not service animals	Separate housing rules (IC 22-9-7)
Registry	None	None found

Tips for using these laws well

Cite the section, calmly. If a business refuses entry, naming IC 16-32-3.5-9 or the ADA two-question rule in a polite tone often helps a manager sort out what staff may ask.
Keep your own notes. Write down the date, place, who you spoke with and what was said. The ICRC deadlines are short.
Keep the dog under control. Control and housebreaking are the only reasons Indiana lists for excluding a service animal. A dog that is calm and on a leash or tether leaves a business little to point to.
Ask before you assume. Where the statute is silent, as with trainer definitions, call the ICRC rather than guessing.
Use humane training. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) supports reward-based methods, and that is also the safer route for a dog that must stay calm in public.

Common mistakes to avoid

Buying a registry or certificate. It is not required by the ADA or by Indiana law and does not prove anything. A business may not demand it either.
Treating emotional support animals as service dogs. Public access rights follow task training. Housing rules for emotional support animals live in a separate chapter.
Quoting a fine amount. The statutes label violations as Class A or Class C infractions, but check the current Indiana Code before citing a figure.
Relying on an old summary. The 2023 amendments changed the definition. Older web pages still list the former categories.
Waiting too long to file. Public accommodation and employment complaints have a 180-day window.
Assuming an owner-trainer qualifies for in-training access. The statute does not say.

What to expect

After working through these steps, you should be able to tell which rule applies to a given place, cite the right section, and know where to go if something goes wrong. Businesses that learn the two-question rule and the no-proof rule often resolve a dispute at the counter, though results vary by situation.

A complaint to the ICRC may lead to an investigation, but no outcome is certain. This article describes the law and is not legal advice. For a specific dispute, contact the ICRC or an attorney.