Peoria, IL Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

The trigger is purely numeric: once a household's combined dog-and-cat count over four months old passes four, Sec. 4-1 classifies the owner as a "multiple-pet owner" and Sec. 4-65(a) requires an annual $25 license from the city, obtained no later than 30 days after acquiring the fifth animal and renewed by January 1 each year. " Paying this license does not excuse the owner from Peoria County's separate rabies registration fee for each dog or cat. Sec. 4-66 requires the applicant to consent to a premises inspection before the license issues, with annual reinspection for marginal properties, and sets housing standards: outdoor shelters must have four sides, a roof, floor and bedding, sit at least ten feet from property lines, and no more than two dogs may be housed outside at a time on a lot under 10,890 square feet.

An applicant with more than three chapter violations in the prior three years cannot qualify. Operating without the license is itself a violation under Sec. 4-65(b), punishable by a fine of not less than $200. A second conviction triggers automatic revocation under Sec. 4-67 for three months to five years, after which the former licensee must reapply and show compliance; revocation also forces the owner to relinquish the animals to the shelter. Sec. 4-68 lets the animal shelter manager impound the dogs and cats of any unlicensed multiple-pet owner outright, and the animals are redeemed only after fees are paid and a license application is approved.