Blue Hill, NE Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Maximum allowed
- 4 dogs and/or cats total
- Basis
- combined total, not per species
- Puppy/kitten grace period
- 4 months after birth
- Added by
- Ordinance No. 641 (6/12/12)
- Max fine
- $500.00 per offense (§ 3-601)
Summary
Blue Hill Municipal Code § 3-204 bars any owner from keeping more than four dogs and/or cats total on their residential premises at one time, though a litter's offspring don't count toward the cap for the first four months after birth.
No owner or keeper of any dogs or cats shall keep, harbor, or maintain in, about or upon the premises occupied by such owner as his or her residence, more than four dogs and/or cats total at any one time. The offspring of any dog or cat shall not count toward the maximum number of dogs or cats allowed, for a period of four months after the birth of said offspring.
Full Breakdown
Section 3-204, Limitation on Number Allowed, sets Blue Hill's household pet cap: no owner or keeper of any dogs or cats shall keep, harbor, or maintain in, about or upon the premises occupied by that owner as a residence more than four dogs and/or cats total at any one time. The limit is a combined total, not four of each species, so a household with three dogs and two cats already exceeds it. The section builds in a birth exception: the offspring of any dog or cat do not count toward the maximum for a period of four months after birth, giving owners a window to find homes for a litter without an immediate violation.
The provision was added by Ordinance No. 641 on June 12, 2012, and sits within Article 2, Dogs and Cats, alongside the licensing scheme in § 3-203 and the running-at-large rule in § 3-209. Because the cap is premises-based rather than person-based, it applies per residence regardless of how many people live there or how many are listed as owners. Blue Hill's Zoning Ordinance separately governs keeping poultry, livestock and other farm animals under Municipal Code § 3-301, but § 3-204's four-animal ceiling applies specifically to dogs and cats and is enforced independent of the zoning district a property sits in.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the four-dog-and-cat limit is a Chapter 3 misdemeanor enforced under the general penalty, § 3-601: a fine of not more than $500.00 per offense, with each 24-hour period the household remains over the limit counted as a separate violation. Animal control can also impound excess animals under § 3-222.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many dogs and cats can I have in Blue Hill, Nebraska?
Do new puppies or kittens count toward Blue Hill's four-pet limit?
What happens if a Blue Hill household has more than four pets?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Blue Hill
Compare Blue Hill to another location·View the Nebraska animal ordinances overview
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