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

The Code of Cecil County defines "KENNEL, HOBBY" in §142-1 as an organization or individual owning or housing no less than 10 and no more than 20 dogs over four months old, kept for practical purposes such as hunting or tracking. Crossing that ten-dog threshold pulls an owner out of ordinary pet ownership and into Article VII's kennel licensing scheme: §142-25 requires an annual Animal Care and Control Officer inspection, a completed veterinary-care and exercise plan kept on file for a year, an individual dog license for each dog, and a separate hobby kennel license obtained through the Director of Finance's office.

A hobby kennel may breed and sell up to two litters in a twelve-month period without becoming a commercial kennel; breeding or selling more than two litters requires the stricter commercial kennel license and standards of §142-24 instead. Puppies sold from a hobby kennel must be at least eight weeks old and certified healthy by a licensed veterinarian, and holding the license gives the Animal Care and Control Authority standing permission to inspect the mother and puppies for health and nutrition. Below the ten-dog line, Chapter 142 imposes no separate numeric household pet limit; ordinary owners are instead governed by the chapter's general licensing (§142-30), restraint (§142-20) and care (§142-17) requirements that apply regardless of how many animals are kept.