Cheektowaga, NY Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Section 58-4 of the Town Code, added in 1997 and amended December 30, 2025 by Local Law No. 2-2026, caps dogs at three per premises for animals four months or older; the Town Clerk is barred from issuing any license that would put a premises over that count. "Premises" is defined narrowly as an individual living unit or dwelling, or an individual business or manufacturing unit, so a duplex or multi-unit building is measured unit by unit rather than as one lot. The rule also ties licensing to residency: the owner of each dog must actually reside on the premises where that dog is licensed, closing off using a relative's or neighbor's address to stack licenses.

A grandfather clause protects anyone who, as of the section's effective date, already held a valid dog license or purebred license for more than three dogs, so long as those dogs are personal pets and are never offered for sale or used in any business. That protection is not permanent for the household's dog count going forward: if any of the grandfathered dogs dies, or is sold or transferred, the owner cannot replace it, and no license will issue for a replacement dog unless the owner is back down to three or fewer dogs including the new one.

The cap sits in the same article as the Town's licensing, identification and impoundment scheme in Section 58-9, which requires every dog four months or older to be licensed annually through the Town Clerk's office with proof of rabies vaccination.