Pierce County addresses hoarding through animal-cruelty, neglect, and licensing law. Keeping six or more dogs and/or cats requires a kennel license, owners must provide 'adequate care,' and cruelty or neglect is enforced under state law (RCW 16.52) and can lead to a 10-year ban on owning animals for habitual violators.
There is no section literally titled 'hoarding' in the Pierce County Code, but the conduct is reached through several provisions. PCC 6.02.010 requires 'adequate care' — sufficient food, water, shelter, sanitation, ventilation, space, and veterinary care. Keeping large numbers of animals without a license is directly regulated: PCC 6.03.020.I makes it unlawful to 'own, maintain, or have six or more dogs and/or cats' without a kennel/cattery license under Chapter 5.24 PCC. Cruelty and neglect are enforced under Washington State law, RCW Chapter 16.52 (Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). Critically for repeat offenders, PCC 6.03.030 provides that a person with violations found by the District Court within a five-year period may be designated a 'habitual violator' and 'shall be prohibited from
Neglect or cruelty is charged under RCW Chapter 16.52 (up to a felony) and PCC Chapter 6.03; abandoning animals is a misdemeanor. Keeping six or more dogs/cats without a license escalates from a Class 3 infraction to a misdemeanor. A
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
pierce-county-wa
Backyard residential composting is allowed and encouraged in Pierce County with no permit, but a compost pile that creates odor, attracts vermin, or otherwis...
pierce-county-wa
Pierce County has no ordinance specifically prohibiting or permitting synthetic/artificial turf on residential lots. Installation must still meet general zon...
pierce-county-wa
Pierce County encourages native and drought-tolerant plantings and requires native-vegetation retention on many development sites, but homeowners are free to...
pierce-county-wa
Rooftop rainwater collection is broadly allowed in Washington, and Pierce County has no ordinance prohibiting residential rain barrels or cisterns; larger sy...
pierce-county-wa
Pierce County government sets no county-wide residential watering schedule; outdoor watering rules are set by your water provider — mainly Tacoma Water and l...
pierce-county-wa
Every Pierce County landowner has an enforceable duty under RCW 17.10.140 to eradicate class A noxious weeds and control listed class B and C weeds. The Pier...
See how Pierce County's animal hoarding rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.