Albuquerque requires sterilization of dogs and cats over six months old unless owners pay for and maintain an intact-animal permit, one of the strictest such laws in the Southwest.
Albuquerque's HEART ordinance, ROA 1994 Chapter 9 Article 2, requires that every dog or cat over six months be spayed or neutered. Owners who wish to keep an intact animal must obtain an intact-animal permit from Animal Welfare, pay an annual fee, and meet conditions including secure containment and microchip registration. Breeders need a separate permit and must comply with breeding-litter limits. The ordinance is enforced through impound surcharges, with unaltered impounded animals reclaimable only after sterilization or permit issuance.
Unaltered animals trigger higher impound and reclaim fees, and repeated violations or unpermitted litters can result in citations, court-ordered sterilization, and misdemeanor charges.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Albuquerque, NM
Under Noise Control Ordinance section 9-9-11, each act in violation is a public nuisance and a separate civil violation, carrying a $250 fine for the first o...
Albuquerque, NM
Noise Control Ordinance section 9-9-7(B) bars operating power mowers, leaf blowers, rototillers, power saws, and similar outdoor power equipment within 500 f...
Albuquerque, NM
Under ROA 1994 Sec. 8-5-1-4(b), Albuquerque may establish residential on-street permit parking zones where a study shows a significant portion of available p...
Albuquerque, NM
In residential zones the Albuquerque IDO (Sec. 14-16-5-5(F)) limits how much of a front or street-side yard may be paved for parking - capped by lot size und...
Albuquerque, NM
Albuquerque Code Section 8-5-2-3 declares a vehicle abandoned if it sits unattended on a public street for 36 hours, on private property without owner consen...
Albuquerque, NM
On Albuquerque corner lots, the portion of a rear-yard wall abutting the front yard of a residential lot is held to the 3-foot front-yard limit within 10 fee...
See how Albuquerque's mandatory spay/neuter rules stack up against other locations.
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