Elgin, IL Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

04. No person may keep more than three dogs in or about a single-family residence, and no more than two dogs in any single-family unit of a multiple-family housing building within the city. The limit applies only to dogs older than three months, so a litter of young puppies does not immediately put an owner over the cap. There is no permit process to keep additional dogs above the limit; the ordinance is a flat prohibition, not a variance-eligible standard. When the limit is exceeded, the animal control officer or other city personnel do not simply issue a ticket and let the extra dogs stay: the ordinance directs them to apply to the hearing officer or to the circuit court for an order of removal, which can force the surrender or relocation of the excess animals.

The dog-limit rule sits alongside the city's broader nuisance framework in Sec. 240(A), which separately makes it unlawful to keep animals in a pen, stable or place that becomes offensive to neighbors through odor or debris, so an owner at the numeric limit can still be cited for how the dogs are kept even if the headcount itself is legal. 04 generally, including this subsection, is assigned to the chief of police, police officers, the animal control officer, and any other person designated by the chief of police or city manager under Sec. 230.