Washington County, UT Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Household pet cap
- 5 total on lots ≤ 1 acre
- Kennel threshold
- 3+ dogs kept commercially
- Rabies revaccination, dogs
- Every 2 years
- Rabies revaccination, cats
- Every 12 months
- Zoning civil penalty
- $250/day after 10-day cure notice
Summary
On a residential lot of one acre or less in unincorporated Washington County, household pets, meaning dogs, cats, or other animals ordinarily kept in the house for personal use, are capped at five total. Keeping three or more dogs for boarding, breeding, or sale instead makes the property a kennel.
HOUSEHOLD PETS: Animals or fowl ordinarily permitted in the house and kept for personal use, such as dogs and cats, but not kept for commercial purposes, as defined in this title, and not exceeding five in total number if in a zone where the lot size is one acre or less.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-17: Code current through: Ord. 2026-1329-O, passed 8-18-2026).
Full Breakdown
" Larger residential-agricultural lots are not bound by that five-pet cap and instead fall under the separate large/medium animal ratios. The same section defines KENNEL as "an establishment having three (3) or more dogs for the purpose of boarding, breeding, buying, grooming, letting for hire, training for fee, adopting or selling," a threshold that distinguishes ordinary household pet-keeping from a commercial or hobby-breeding operation requiring separate zoning approval; kennels are barred outright in some agricultural districts, such as the A-5 zone. Beyond the numeric zoning cap, Title 5, Chapter 3, Article B imposes animal control duties on every dog and cat owner in the unincorporated area: § 5-3B-2 requires a tag and collar, and § 5-3B-7 requires rabies vaccination, with dogs revaccinated every two years and cats every twelve months using a modified rabies virus vaccine. An unvaccinated or untagged dog or cat is barred from any sidewalk, street, alley, or public place in the unincorporated county.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the five-pet household cap is a Title 10 zoning violation enforced under § 10-1-22 ($250/day civil penalty after a 10-day cure notice, or class B misdemeanor prosecution). Separately, keeping an unvaccinated or untagged dog or cat under § 5-3B-7 is a class B misdemeanor punishable under § 1-4-1, and the county sheriff or poundmaster may impound the animal.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many dogs and cats can I keep as pets in Washington County?
At what point does having multiple dogs require a kennel license?
Do dogs and cats need rabies shots in the unincorporated county?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
Compare Washington County to another location·View the Utah animal ordinances overview
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