McCracken County, KY Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

McCracken County Code § 50.06(A), enforced by McCracken County Animal Control and the Sheriff's Office, makes it unlawful for anyone to let an animal they own or harbor run at large in unincorporated McCracken County. The chapter's definition of LIVESTOCK at § 50.01 covers cattle, sheep, swine, goats, emus, ostriches, horses, and other bovine, ovine, porcine, caprine, ratite, or equine animals; chickens and other poultry are not listed, so this running-at-large duty is aimed at grazing and range animals rather than backyard fowl. When livestock get loose, Animal Control or a Law Enforcement Officer is required to make reasonable efforts to notify the owner as soon as possible. § 50.99(E) sets a steeper penalty scale for livestock owners than for ordinary pet owners: a first offense under § 50.06 draws a fine of $60 to $250, and a second or subsequent offense draws $150 to $500, and the owner must also reimburse the county for capturing, impounding, boarding, and treating the animals.

Because § 50.99(A) treats each day of a violation, and potentially each animal, as a separate violation, an owner who repeatedly lets cattle or horses stray onto neighboring land or county roads can face stacked fines rather than one flat penalty. The rule reaches every unincorporated part of the county, including Lone Oak, Reidland, and Kevil, but not the City of Paducah, which enforces its own separate animal code.