TickZone

Checked against CDC guidance, sources cited on this page. Last reviewed July 1, 2026. Who makes TickZone

Tick Identification in Indiana

The ticks you are most likely to find in Indiana, with photos and the size, color, and markings that tell them apart. Only the deer tick carries Lyme disease. Below the chart, see which types live in your county.

Female deer tick (blacklegged tick) on a green leaf, with a reddish-orange body, dark shield, and black legs, no white markings

Deer tick

Ixodes scapularis

Carries Lyme

Established in Indiana

Size:
Small, a sesame seed (nymph: a poppy seed)
Look for:
Reddish-orange body, solid dark shield, black legs, no pattern
Carries:
Lyme, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, Powassan
Full deer tick guide →
Female American dog tick with an ornate off-white and brown mottled shield behind the head

American dog tick

Dermacentor variabilis

Established in Indiana

Size:
Larger, an apple seed
Look for:
Brown with an ornate off-white mottled shield
Carries:
Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia (rare)
Full american dog tick guide →
Female lone star tick on a green blade of grass, reddish-brown with a single bright white dot in the center of its back

Lone star tick

Amblyomma americanum

Established in Indiana

Size:
Medium, rounded
Look for:
Reddish-brown; female has a single white dot on the back
Carries:
Ehrlichiosis, STARI, alpha-gal syndrome
Full lone star tick guide →
Female brown dog tick, uniform reddish-brown with no distinct markings

Brown dog tick

Rhipicephalus sanguineus

Found nationwide, the one tick that infests homes and kennels indoors

Size:
Medium, narrow body that tapers toward the head
Look for:
Uniform reddish-brown, no ornate markings
Carries:
Rocky Mountain spotted fever, canine diseases
Full brown dog tick guide →
Female Gulf Coast tick with an ornate silvery patterned shield

Gulf Coast tick

Amblyomma maculatum

A southern tick spreading north into the mid-Atlantic

Size:
Large, bigger than a lone star
Look for:
Silvery ornate markings on the shield, no single dot
Carries:
Rickettsia parkeri spotted fever
Full gulf coast tick guide →
Female Asian longhorned tick, small and uniform reddish-brown with no markings

Asian longhorned tick

Haemaphysalis longicornis

A newer arrival, established in the mid-Atlantic and spreading north

Size:
Small and plain, often found in large numbers
Look for:
Reddish-brown with no markings
Carries:
Mainly a livestock threat; human disease risk under study
Full asian longhorned tick guide →
Rocky Mountain wood tick, brown-bodied with an ornate off-white and gray marbled shield behind the head, resembling the American dog tick

Rocky Mountain wood tick

Dermacentor andersoni

Not established in Indiana

Size:
Larger, an apple seed
Look for:
Brown with an ornate off-white and gray marbled shield
Carries:
Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever, tularemia
Full rocky mountain wood tick guide →
Pacific Coast tick, brown with a marbled silvery and gray ornate shield and long mouthparts

Pacific Coast tick

Dermacentor occidentalis

Not established in Indiana

Size:
Larger, an apple seed
Look for:
Brown with a marbled silvery-gray ornate shield
Carries:
Pacific Coast tick fever, tularemia
Full pacific coast tick guide →

Indiana establishment is shown for the three ticks CDC tracks by county; the others carry a regional range note. Source: CDC tick surveillance (ArboNET Tick Module), 2025. County surveillance is coarse: “not established” is a lack of records, not proof a tick is absent.

Deer, dog and lone star ticks by Indiana county

These are the three ticks CDC maps county by county, not the only ticks in Indiana: the brown dog, Gulf Coast, and Asian longhorned ticks are in the chart above. Tap a county for its daily tick-risk detail.

CountyDeer tickAmerican dog tickLone star tick
Adams CountyReportedEstablishedNot established
Allen CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Bartholomew CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Benton CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Blackford CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Boone CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Brown CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Carroll CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Cass CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Clark CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Clay CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Clinton CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Crawford CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Daviess CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Dearborn CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Decatur CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
DeKalb CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Delaware CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Dubois CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Elkhart CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Fayette CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Floyd CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Fountain CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Franklin CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Fulton CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Gibson CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Grant CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Greene CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Hamilton CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Hancock CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Harrison CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Hendricks CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Henry CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Howard CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Huntington CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Jackson CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Jasper CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Jay CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Jefferson CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Jennings CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Johnson CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Knox CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Kosciusko CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
LaGrange CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Lake CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
LaPorte CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Lawrence CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Madison CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Marion CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Marshall CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Martin CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Miami CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Monroe CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Montgomery CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Morgan CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Newton CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Noble CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Ohio CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Orange CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Owen CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Parke CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Perry CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Pike CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Porter CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Posey CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Pulaski CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Putnam CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Randolph CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Ripley CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Rush CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Scott CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Shelby CountyReportedEstablishedReported
Spencer CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
St. Joseph CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Starke CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Steuben CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Sullivan CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Switzerland CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Tippecanoe CountyEstablishedEstablishedReported
Tipton CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Union CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Vanderburgh CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Vermillion CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Vigo CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Wabash CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Warren CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Warrick CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Washington CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Wayne CountyEstablishedEstablishedEstablished
Wells CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
White CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established
Whitley CountyEstablishedEstablishedNot established

Lone star ticks and alpha-gal syndrome

The lone star tick is established in Indiana in 49 of 92 counties (see the table above). Its bite can cause alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat.

Do not overlook the tiny ones

Nymph deer ticks are the size of a poppy seed and cause most Lyme cases in Indiana because they are so easy to miss. When you check for ticks, look for the small ones too, especially in June and July.

Indiana tick risk by town

A daily 0–100 tick-risk score for every town in Indiana.

See Indiana →

Tick identification chart

The national chart, plus identification for other states.

All states →

Frequently asked questions

What types of ticks live in Indiana?
Indiana has the deer tick (blacklegged tick), which carries Lyme disease and is established across the state; the American dog tick, which is established; and the lone star tick, which is established and causes alpha-gal syndrome. County-level presence is shown in the table above.
Which Indiana tick carries Lyme disease?
The deer tick, also called the blacklegged tick, is the tick that spreads Lyme disease in Indiana. The American dog tick and lone star tick do not carry Lyme, though they can transmit other illnesses.
Are there lone star ticks in Indiana?
Yes. The lone star tick is established in Indiana, in 49 of the state's 92 counties (Bartholomew County, Brown County, Clark County and more, listed in the table above). It causes alpha-gal syndrome, a red-meat allergy.
How can I tell these ticks apart?
Use size, color, and legs. The deer tick is small with a reddish-orange body, a solid dark shield, and black legs. The American dog tick is larger and brown with an ornate off-white mottled shield. The female lone star tick has a single white dot on her back. The chart above shows each one.

Tick risk where you live

Tick activity is local and changes daily. Pick your state for tick season dates, the species that live there, and a daily tick-risk score for every town.