Caldwell, ID Animal Ordinances: Animal Hoarding (2026)

Caldwell addresses the conditions associated with animal hoarding through a combination of numerical pet limits and the state's animal cruelty law rather than a single ordinance using the word 'hoarding.' City Code section 10-02-15 limits the number of pets a household may keep, using the example of up to five cats, ten chickens, and one goat, and caps a household at no more than three different types of pets; exceeding those numbers requires a minimum half-acre lot and/or special use permit approval, and crossing into larger numbers shifts the property into the livestock category with its own density caps under 10-12-03-3. These limits restrict the kind of large-scale accumulation seen in hoarding situations. The substantive protection against the neglect that defines hoarding comes from Idaho Code 25-3504, which makes it a crime to be cruel to any animal or, having charge or custody of an animal, to subject it to cruelty; Idaho law authorizes law enforcement and animal control officers to take possession of cruelly treated animals and provide care pending disposition. Caldwell's animal control is provided by the Caldwell Police Department, which can respond to neglect and overcrowding complaints, and the city's Code Compliance Division can act on sanitation and nuisance conditions. Residents concerned about a possible hoarding situation should report it to Caldwell Police Animal Control, which can coordinate with area shelters such as the West Valley Humane Society. This entry reflects the combination of city pet limits and state cruelty law rather than a hoarding-specific city ordinance.