Marion, OH Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Three divisions of § 618.12 govern backyard poultry and livestock. Division (B) applies to any animal except dogs and cats: no pen, kennel, coop, cage, hutch or other enclosure can be installed, kept or used within 100 feet of any building used as a residence or for a commercial use where persons are employed.

Division (C) bans a list of animals from being kept or harbored within the City of Marion other than on Agricultural Zoned parcels or the County Fairgrounds: cows, horses, mules, lamas, minks, ferrets, swine, goats, sheep and roosters. Pot belly pigs are the exception, permitted if each parcel has two or less. The Safety Director can grant a specific exemption, temporary or permanent, to a person with a legitimate scientific, educational, commercial or other purpose for maintaining the prohibited animals.

Division (D) puts fowl and rabbits under a permit system. The owner, keeper or harborer must complete the registration process, hold a valid permit from the City Safety Director and follow every rule and condition the Safety Director adopts. Parakeets, parrots and finches kept indoors as domestic pets, in numbers under four, are not required to register. The application lists the keeper's name and address, the type and number of animals, and a schematic of the parcel showing where the animals are kept. The Safety Director's rules cover a clean and dry shelter with adequate bedding and feeding area, sanitary conditions so no person is offended by odors or pests, and regular inspections of the area by the Safety Director or an agent. Registration is not required on Agricultural Zoned parcels, at the County Fairgrounds, in veterinary hospitals, or where animals are housed for sanctioned competitions.

After a finding of a rules violation, the Safety Director sets a hearing and then either continues or revokes the permit. An aggrieved person appeals under O.R.C. 2506. Section 618.06 separately bars selling poultry younger than four weeks of age in lots of less than six.