Lansing, MI Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

04 of the Zoning Code, titled 'Keeping of animals,' sets the numeric limit on household pets for every zoning district in Lansing, Ingham County. as an accessory use in any zoning district,' so no zoning district in the City bars pet ownership outright. ' Puppies under four months don't count toward that cap, so a litter doesn't automatically put a household over the limit, but once a dog turns four months old it counts as one of the three. The section does not set a numeric cap on cats, fish, birds, or hamsters, only on dogs, which distinguishes the household pet limit from the separate cap on backyard poultry in Subsection (d), which allows no more than five hens (and no roosters, ducks, peacocks, turkeys, or emus) on one- or two-family residential property.

The dog limit applies per dwelling unit, not per lot, so a duplex with two separate units could lawfully house up to three dogs in each unit. Because the standard sits in the Zoning Code's general provisions chapter (1250), it applies uniformly across every residential, commercial, and mixed-use district in the City rather than being tied to a specific zone.