Tinley Park, IL Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Cap
- Three dogs and three cats per address
- Litter allowance
- One litter under 3 months old permitted
- Kennel exemption
- Licensed kennels exempt from dog-license cap
- Grandfather date
- Owners predating September 28, 2010 protected
- Grandfather loss
- 3+ nuisance complaints in 3 months
Summary
Tinley Park caps most households at three dogs and three cats at a time under § 91.15, with licensed kennels exempt, and bars keeping more than one litter of young under three months old. Owners who already exceeded the cap before September 28, 2010 may keep those animals but cannot replace them once the count drops.
(A) No person having the same location of residence shall apply for, receive or be issued in excess of three dog licenses; provided, however, that kennels, duly licensed by the village, shall be exempted from the provisions of this section. It shall be unlawful to own, keep, maintain or harbor more than three dogs and three cats at any one location at the same time within the village, and it shall be unlawful to own, keep, maintain or harbor more than one litter of young during the period from birth to three months of age. ... (C) The exemption allowed by division (B) above shall not be available to any person who receives more than three nuisance complaints relating to the animals in any three-month period.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-40: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ordinance 2026-O-007, passed 2-17-2026, Resolution 2018-R-077, passed 10-2-18, and State legislation current through 2010 Pamphlet No. 7).
Full Breakdown
15, NUMBER OF ANIMALS ALLOWED PER HOUSEHOLD, sets the village's pet cap two ways: no address may apply for, receive or be issued more than three dog licenses, and separately it is unlawful to own, keep, maintain or harbor more than three dogs and three cats at the same location at the same time. A single litter of puppies or kittens under three months old is allowed even if it pushes the household over the numeric cap, but only one litter at a time. Licensed kennels are exempt from the three-dog license limit entirely.
15(B) bars replacing any of those animals once the household is back at or under the cap. 15(C) strips it from any owner who racks up more than three nuisance complaints about the animals within a rolling three-month period, at which point the ordinary three-dog, three-cat cap applies in full. Because the licensing cap and the keeping cap are enforced separately, a resident who never applies for a fourth dog license can still be cited under the keeping-and-harboring clause for having a fourth animal on the property, whether licensed or not.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the household cap without the pre-2010 grandfather protection is a Chapter 91 violation subject to the § 10.99 general penalty of $50 to $750 per day the excess animals remain. A grandfathered owner who generates more than three nuisance complaints about the animals in any three-month span loses the exemption under § 91.15(C) and becomes liable for the same fines for every animal above the three-and-three limit.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many pets can I legally keep in Tinley Park?
I already had five dogs before 2010, can I keep them?
Can I lose my grandfathered pet exemption?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tinley Park
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Pet Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Cook County handle pet limits.