Prince William County, VA Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Sec. 7 treats "small animals normally kept as pets," a category that explicitly excludes the farm animals covered in subsection 6, as an accessory use permitted in every agricultural and residential zoning district regardless of lot size. Inside that broad allowance sits one hard numeric limit: no more than four dogs six months of age or older can be kept on a property unless the owner has obtained zoning approval for a kennel. Cats and other small pets are not subject to any equivalent county-wide cap under this section.

Dogs kept outside the dwelling unit must be securely restrained, by a pen, fence, or other restraining device, unless directly under the owner's control, and any such outdoor facility can only sit in a side or rear yard, set back at least ten feet from every property line. For households that need more than four dogs, subsection 9 provides the path: a noncommercial kennel is permitted by-right in the A-1 Agricultural and SR-5 zoning districts for up to eight dogs, and any kennel proposing more than eight dogs, or any kennel in the SR district at any size, needs a Special Use Permit.

Kennel structures carry a larger setback than ordinary dog runs, a minimum of 25 feet from every property line, and dogs in a permitted kennel must still be restrained by pens, runs, fences or similar devices. A Special Use Permit for a kennel can also add conditions such as a larger setback or a cap on adult dogs.