Rio Rancho, NM Animal Ordinances: Livestock (2026)

Section 90.29 of the Rio Rancho Municipal Code controls domestic livestock. Subsection (A) provides that, except for chickens and animals permitted by Title XV (Land Usage) of the code, no person may keep any domestic livestock or domestic fowl within the city. 'Domestic livestock' is defined broadly in Section 90.02 to include horses, cattle, mules, donkeys, burros, swine, goats, and sheep, and 'domestic fowl' means guineas, ducks, turkeys, or geese (chickens are excluded from that definition and handled separately). Goats are specifically allowed under conditions in Section 90.29(D): goats, including pygmy or Nigerian dwarf goats, may be kept only on residential lots of at least one acre in an E-1 zone; pygmy or Nigerian dwarf goats may also be kept in an R-1: Single-Family zone if all goats are dehorned and male goats neutered. No more than three goats may be maintained on any one lot or contiguous lots under unified ownership. Secure predator-proof enclosures must be built before the goats are acquired, and owners must provide shade, constant potable water, appropriate food, husbandry, and veterinary care, and control insect pests. Under Section 90.29(E), livestock may not run at large within city limits or trespass on others' cultivated fields and gardens.