Worcester County, MD Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

The number that matters in unincorporated Worcester County is set by the definition of KENNEL, COMMERCIAL in § PS 2-101(b). It covers an establishment which maintains for commercial breeding, treatment, boarding, sale, leasing, rental, training or exhibition a pack or collection of more than five dogs, cats or an aggregate thereof, over four months of age, other than a licensed veterinary facility. The definition then carves out a person who maintains no more than eight dogs, cats or an aggregate thereof, over four months of age, for personal use or companionship, hunting, exhibition, field working, or obedience trials. That person can include the sale of puppies or kittens from a maximum of two litters per calendar year, regardless of litter size, by the property owner or tenant.

Once a property is a commercial kennel, § PS 2-102(h) applies. No person or entity can operate one without a commercial kennel license from the Animal Control Warden, and each lot or parcel is a separate establishment needing its own license. The application must include written verification from the Department of Development, Review and Permitting that the applicant has complied with the Zoning and Subdivision Control Article. Licenses are obtained on or before July 1 of each year, expire June 30 of the following year, carry a fee set by resolution of the County Commissioners, and are not transferable.

A licensee must keep records for each animal: the name, address and contact information for the owner of each animal maintained at or sold from the kennel, rabies vaccination documentation for each animal over four months of age, and a list of other treatments and vaccinations. Holding a license grants the Warden a right of entry at all reasonable hours. Section PS 2-101(x) requires a shelter kennel for all commercial kennels, with a minimum of eighty square feet per dog, or thirty square feet per cat, and § PS 2-101(v)(1) prohibits tethering on the premises of a commercial kennel.

Every dog or cat over four months old, in a kennel or a home, also needs an individual license under § PS 2-102(a). Livestock such as cattle, hogs, fowl, emus and horses kept for bona fide agricultural or recreational use are outside the Subtitle under § PS 2-101(d). The Subtitle does not apply inside the Town of Ocean City.