West Des Moines, IA Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Section 5-3A-15, part of the dog and cat licensing article in Chapter 3 of the West Des Moines City Code, sets the household limit for pets over six months of age. It is unlawful for an owner to harbor, house or confine more than four cats or four dogs, or a combination of four such animals, and the section adds a hard ceiling of eight animals total once cats and dogs are combined. The cap applies specifically to animals older than six months, so a litter of puppies or kittens under that age does not immediately push a household over the limit.

The section opens with an exception for allowances made elsewhere in the Code, including Title 9, the Zoning ordinance, so a use permitted under a zoning district's animal-keeping standards can supersede the flat four-and-four rule. The limit also carves out aquatic and amphibious animals entirely, meaning fish, turtles and similar pets are not counted toward either the four-per-species cap or the eight-animal household total. Enforcement runs through Section 5-3A-16: violations of the licensing article are simple misdemeanors that police officers, animal control officers, code enforcement officers or the Police Chief's designees may instead charge as municipal infractions, at their discretion, the same enforcement structure used for the rest of the City's dog and cat licensing requirements.