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

The City of Newark, Ohio regulates livestock keeping through a handful of sections in Chapter 618 of the Newark Code of Ordinances, enacted by the Newark City Council in Licking County. Section 618.17(a) bars keeping or permitting to be kept any pigs or swine of any kind on any premises, lot or parcel of land of less than two acres or within 600 yards of any dwelling within the corporate limits; either condition triggers the ban. Section 618.18(a) bars driving, leading or riding any horse, mule, donkey or cow upon any sidewalk in the City. Section 618.19(a) bars keeping or using any stable, barn or barnyard so near to a lot where another person resides that its contents are discharged upon that lot, and bars letting it create habitual noxious odor, unsanitary condition or damage to another person or property. Section 618.28(d) confirms that a domestic animal does not include any livestock or any wild animal.

Poultry is addressed at the point of sale and distribution. Section 618.06(a) bars dyeing or coloring any rabbit or baby poultry, including chicks and ducklings, bars selling, offering, raffling or giving away dyed animals, and bars distributing poultry younger than four weeks of age in lots of less than three. Stores, shops and vendors offering young poultry must provide and operate brooders or other heating devices needed to maintain the poultry in good health, and keep adequate food and water available at all times. The staged text of the Code of Ordinances prints those rules but no separate numeric limit on hens or roosters, so use the provisions above as the controlling text on this topic.

Two related duties apply to livestock owners. Section 618.14(d) bars letting any dead animal the person owned or possessed lie on any public ground, street or private lot longer than ten hours, and section 618.21 requires the owner of an escaped animal that is not indigenous to Ohio or presents a risk of serious physical harm to report within one hour to the Animal Control Officer, Newark law enforcement and the County Sheriff, and the Clerk of Council.