Clay, NY Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

The Town Board found in § 230-20A(3) that harboring animals in a community carries risks ranging from noise and odor nuisances to health hazards, and it addressed that by capping how many animals a household may keep. Under § 230-20A(3)(a), a property or dwelling in a Residential, Planned Development or Commercial Zone District cannot contain more than three adult dogs and three adult cats, with 'adult' meaning over six months of age; younger puppies and kittens fall outside the cap. The same subsection lifts the numeric limit for smaller caged or tanked animals such as tropical fish, exotic birds, ferrets, gerbils and hamsters that are kept in aquariums or birdcages.

Households on five acres or more in the RA-100 Zone District are not bound by the three-and-three cap at all under § 230-20A(3)(b); in every other district, a nonconforming household or farm use over the limit needs a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals under § 230-20A(3)(c). Enforcement of the dwelling cap falls to the Office of Planning and Development and the Code Enforcement Officer as a zoning matter, distinct from the Town's dog-licensing chapter (§ 69), which the Dog Control Officer and Onondaga County Sheriff separately administer for individual dog licenses and at-large complaints.