Canyon County, ID Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Dogs allowed without license
- up to 3 per household
- Max dogs with personal kennel license
- 5
- Kennel license fee
- $30.00 per year
- Kennel setback from other homes
- 150 feet minimum
- Public-hearing notice radius
- 600 feet from the tract
- Numeric limit set for cats
- none
- Applies only in
- unincorporated Canyon County, Idaho
Summary
Unincorporated Canyon County, Idaho limits an ordinary household to three canines over three months old under Canyon County Code § 03-05-09. A fourth dog requires a personal kennel license from the county, capped at five canines total, with siting rules, a public-notice hearing and an annual fee. The code sets no matching numeric limit for cats.
(1) Personal Kennel License: It is unlawful to keep, maintain or possess upon the premises of any one household more than three (3) canines three (3) months of age or older in an unincorporated area of the county unless the owner or person in charge thereof shall have obtained a personal kennel license for a maximum of five (5) canines. ... (3) Kennel License Fee: The kennel license fee is thirty dollars ($30.00) per year. This fee may be amended by resolution of the board of county commissioners.
Full Breakdown
Section 03-05-09(1), Personal Kennel License, makes it unlawful to keep more than three canines three months of age or older on the premises of one household in unincorporated Canyon County without a personal kennel license, which caps the household at five canines. Subsection (2) ties the license to the county zoning ordinance (Chapter 7) and requires notice of any public hearing on the license to be mailed to every abutting property owner within 600 feet of the tract, including across dedicated street rights-of-way. Subsection (2)(B) bars siting a kennel within 150 feet of another dwelling unless the kennel owner gets written consent from every owner within 300 feet, and (2)(C) requires the kennel be kept clean and sanitary with dogs reasonably restrained from habitual barking, yelping or howling that annoys the neighborhood.
Subsection (3) sets the kennel license fee at $30 per year, amendable by Board of County Commissioners resolution. The provision addresses only canines by its plain text; Canyon County's animal control article has no parallel numeric cap on cats per household, so cat ownership counts go unregulated. This applies only in unincorporated Canyon County; Caldwell, Nampa and the county's other cities set their own kennel and pet-limit rules.
Violations & Fines
Keeping more than three dogs without a personal kennel license, or more than five even with one, violates § 03-05-09(1) and is enforced by the sheriff's animal control officers under the article's uniform citation authority. A kennel sited without the required 150-foot setback or neighbor consent, or run in unsanitary or noisy conditions, also violates the licensing conditions in § 03-05-09(2)(B) and (2)(C).
Frequently Asked Questions
How many dogs can I keep in unincorporated Canyon County without a permit?
What does a Canyon County personal kennel license require?
Is there a limit on how many cats I can own in Canyon County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Canyon County
Compare Canyon County to another location·View the Idaho animal ordinances overview
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