Shelby, MI Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

' The chapter's SMALL ANIMAL definition in § 100-1 covers domesticated, nonlivestock, warm-blooded pets typically kept in a household, including mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits, chinchillas and ferrets, but excludes dogs, cats, livestock, poultry and wild or dangerous animals, so those four small-animal slots are counted separately from the dog and cat limits. The cap does not count young animals against the household total right away: § 100-12(A) provides that 'animals born on the premises to a legally confined pet may remain thereon until four months of age, after which they shall be considered adult dogs or cats,' giving owners a four-month grace period to place a litter before it counts toward the three-dog or four-cat ceiling.

Beyond the numeric limit, § 100-12(C) requires every animal kept in the village to be confined in a pen or inside the dwelling under sanitary, safe and secure conditions, and any outdoor pen for a dog must be of sturdy, secure construction designed to prevent escape. A household exceeding the limit can seek relief only by qualifying as a permitted veterinary clinic, kennel or commercial use; the ordinance does not otherwise describe a variance process.