Walla Walla County, WA Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Limit, 1/2 acre or less
- 4 dogs/cats combined
- Limit, over 1/2 acre
- 6 dogs/cats combined
- Enclosure setback
- 10 feet from property line
- Waste removal
- Daily, sanitary disposal required
- Commercial kennel threshold
- 6+ dogs or cats triggers license
- Governing section
- WWCC § 17.26.020
- Enforced by
- Walla Walla County Community Development
Summary
In unincorporated Walla Walla County, a single parcel may hold no more than four dogs or cats combined if it is a half acre or smaller, rising to six combined on any larger parcel. Walla Walla County Code Section 17.26.020 sets this cap as a zoning development standard for animals, distinct from the county's dog-licensing chapter, and requires every pen, run, or kennel used to hold the animals to sit at least ten feet off the property line.
Minimum standards for animals shall be as follows:
Type of Animal Conditions ... Dogs, Cats Not more than a combined total of four dogs or cats over six months of age on a parcel containing ½ acre or less and no more than a combined total of six on a parcel greater than one-half acre. All cages, pens, runs or kennels used for holding animals shall be kept a minimum of 10 feet from any property line and shall be in a clean and sanitary condition, and must be disinfected on a routine basis. All waste material must be removed daily and disposed of in a sanitary method in accordance with regulations of the city/county health department.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 17.26, Development Standards, Animals, applies to animals and fowl kept for domestic purposes on unincorporated land, not to commercial operations. Section 17.26.020's table of minimum standards caps dogs and cats at a combined total of four over six months of age on a parcel of a half acre or less, and a combined total of six on any parcel larger than half an acre. The same section requires cages, pens, runs, and kennels to be kept a minimum of ten feet from any property line, kept clean and sanitary, and disinfected on a routine basis, with waste material removed daily and disposed of under city or county health department rules.
Section 17.26.015 lets the planning director refer any animal type not addressed in the table to the planning commission for its own minimum standard. A separate threshold applies to commercial operations: Section 6.04.010.L defines a "commercial kennel" as a lot, premises, building, or structure where six or more dogs or six or more cats over six months of age are kept, and Section 6.04.180 bars operating a commercial kennel without a license from the county, issued for one hundred dollars, that cannot be granted where it would violate zoning.
Walla Walla County Community Development enforces the 17.26.020 standard as a zoning condition; a parcel over the combined limit for its size is a code violation handled through the Chapter 14.13 enforcement process rather than the animal-control chapter.
Violations & Fines
Community Development pursues an over-limit household under the Chapter 14.13 notice of violation and civil penalty process for zoning noncompliance, not the animal-control infraction schedule in Chapter 6.04. A property owner who reaches six or more dogs or six or more cats without a commercial kennel license faces a separate violation of Section 6.04.180's license requirement, and no such license can issue if the use would violate the zoning standard in Section 17.26.020.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many dogs or cats can I keep on a small unincorporated Walla Walla County lot?
Does keeping six or more dogs make my property a commercial kennel?
How far must a dog kennel or pen be from my neighbor's property line?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Walla Walla County
Compare Walla Walla County to another location·View the Washington animal ordinances overview
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