Detroit Code Chapter 6 caps household pets at four dogs without a kennel license and prohibits animal hoarding, cruelty, or neglect under both city and Michigan animal-welfare statutes.
Detroit Animal Care and Control (DACC), part of the Health Department, enforces Chapter 6 limits and Michigan Penal Code §750.50. Households may keep up to four dogs four months or older without a multiple-animal license; exceeding the limit triggers nuisance and zoning review. Officers respond to complaints of severely overcrowded conditions, untreated illness, or accumulated waste, and may impound animals when veterinary care is denied. Hoarding cases often coincide with property-blight enforcement by BSEED. Convictions can include fines, mandatory mental-health evaluation, and forfeiture of all animals on premises.
First-time hoarding-related cruelty is a misdemeanor up to 93 days jail and $1,000; felony cruelty up to four years prison; impoundment fees apply.
Detroit, MI
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Detroit, MI
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Detroit, MI
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See how Detroit's animal hoarding rules stack up against other locations.
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