Parma, OH Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Codified Ordinances Chapter 618, the City's animal control chapter, does not write a household pet limit as a bare number the way some suburbs do. 01(t) defines 'kennel' or 'shelter' as any premises where five or more cats or kittens and/or dogs and puppies are boarded, bred, trained, bought, or sold, carving out only licensed commercial animal establishments that are separately defined in division (i) as pet shops, grooming shops, guard-dog services, or similar retail or wholesale animal businesses. Because the definition applies to any premises, not just businesses, a residence that houses five or more dogs and/or cats crosses into the same regulatory category used for boarding and breeding operations, even without an explicit cap written as a number of pets per household.

09, which apply per animal rather than per household. 01(o) and (cc). Because the code does not spell out a separate permit process or fee schedule for households that reach the five-animal kennel threshold, residents approaching that number should confirm with the Health Department and Building Department whether an unlicensed kennel use would also run into the City's Planning and Zoning Code before adding another dog or cat.