Ankeny, IA Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Section 55.11, Number of Dogs and Cats Limited, sets a flat household cap rather than a per-person cap: no family or occupant of the same address may own, harbor or keep more than four dogs, four cats, or a combination of the two exceeding four total, on any residentially zoned lot in Ankeny. The four-animal ceiling counts every dog and cat living at the address together, so a household with three dogs and two cats is already over the line even though neither species alone exceeds four.

The section builds in one narrow allowance for breeding: a litter of puppies or kittens, or a portion of a litter, may be kept on the property for up to twelve weeks from the date of birth without the young animals counting toward the limit, giving an owner whose animal has given birth a grace window before the litter must be placed elsewhere. The limit is tied to zoning; it applies specifically to residentially zoned lots, distinguishing it from Ankeny's separate section 55.05 ban on keeping livestock and its Chapter 58 chicken permit rules, which govern other animals kept on residential property under different numeric caps. Enforcement falls to the Ankeny Police Department and the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, the society under contract with the City for animal control.