Calvert County, MD Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Section 7-1-201 defines an ANIMAL FANCIER as a person who owns, harbors or keeps six or more dogs, six or more cats, or six or more rabbits over six months of age at a single residence for longer than 30 consecutive days, not for sale, breeding or other commercial activity. Section 7-3-303 confirms the threshold applies per species, not a combined total, so five dogs and five cats in the same house does not trigger the license. Anyone who crosses the threshold must obtain an annual Animal Fancier license from Animal Services under § 7-3-301, listing every dog, cat and rabbit over four months old with rabies, spay/neuter and microchip status, and pay a tiered fee: $75 for six to fifteen animals, $150 for sixteen to thirty, and $300 for thirty-one or more, set out in § 7-11-103.

Two exemptions exist: owners of hunting-breed dogs such as beagles, foxhounds, coonhounds, retrievers and pointers who file annual proof the dogs are actively hunted, and owners of livestock-guardian or herding breeds such as Great Pyrenees, Border Collies, Australian Shepherds or Anatolian Shepherds on land assessed as agricultural, who file annual proof of working use. Every animal, exempt or not, must still carry current rabies vaccination and County licensing.