Broken Arrow's Animal Ordinances: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles animal ordinances a little differently. In Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, there are 8 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Mandatory Spay/Neuter

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (Tulsa County) requires dogs and cats adopted from the city animal shelter to be sterilized, or placed under a signed sterilization agreement, before or shortly after they go home with a new owner.

Key details: Scope: Dogs/cats adopted from city shelter. Authority: OK Dog and Cat Sterilization Act. Deadline: Sterilized by 6 months old. Enforcement: Misrepresentation charge, § 16-42.

Failing to honor a signed sterilization agreement can be prosecuted as misrepresentation to a city official under section 16-42.

Chickens & Livestock

Broken Arrow bars stables, kennels, coops, and similar livestock enclosures within 40 feet of a neighbor's home or certain public buildings, and keeps swine out of the city except on agriculturally zoned tracts.

Key details: Stable/coop setback: 40 ft from homes/buildings. Setback violation: class B offense. Swine kept: only on ag-zoned (A-1) tracts. Livestock pasturing: allowed on ag/unplatted land. Pasturing requires: owner consent + livestock fencing.

Placing a livestock stable, coop, or kennel within 40 feet of a neighboring residence or listed building is a class B offense under § 5-11(a). Keeping swine outside the § 5-3 exceptions, or pasturing livestock without required fencing under § 5-10(b), is separately unlawful.

Dog Leash Laws

Broken Arrow makes it a class C offense for an owner to let a dog run at large, and separately bans leaving a dog on an unsupervised tie-out or tether.

Key details: At-large violation: class C offense. "At large" means: unrestrained off owner's property. Unsupervised tether/tie-out: prohibited (§5-10(c)). Enforcement: police department, § 5-2. Impound release: requires paid fees.

Each at-large incident is a class C offense under § 5-9; unsupervised tethering violates § 5-10(c). Impounded dogs are not released until impoundment and boarding fees are paid in full under § 5-2(c).

Pet Limits

Broken Arrow caps most properties at four domestic animals, a fifth is unlawful, unless the lot is agriculturally zoned or the owner holds a hobbyist exemption permit allowing up to 20 dogs and cats.

Key details: Cap without permit: 4 domestic animals. 5+ animals: class B offense. Ag-zoned (A-1) lots: exempt from cap. Hobbyist permit allows: up to 20 dogs/cats. Farm animals: cows, horses, goats not capped.

Keeping five or more capped domestic animals without a hobbyist exemption permit is a class B offense under § 5-11(b). A hobbyist permit holder convicted of related offenses loses the permit and is barred from reapplying for five years under § 5-11(d)(8)(b).

Cat Rules

Broken Arrow requires cats over six months old to carry current rabies vaccination and applies its general at-large ban to cats, but no longer requires a city cat license or tag.

Key details: Rabies vaccination: required at 6+ months. Vaccine interval: annual, or tri-annual w/ vet cert. Failure to vaccinate: class C offense. At-large ban: applies to cats too. City cat license: repealed in 2024.

Failing to vaccinate a cat against rabies is a class C offense under § 5-5; letting a cat run at large is a separate class C offense under § 5-9(a), and animal control may impound the cat under § 5-2.

Veterinary Clinic Zoning

Broken Arrow requires animal hospitals, training schools, kennels, and veterinary clinics to front an arterial street, with large-animal clinics needing at least five acres, under the city's Zoning Ordinance commercial-use standards.

Key details: Street access: Principal entrance/exit on arterial street. Large-animal clinics: Minimum 5-acre parcel required. Covers: Hospitals, kennels, training schools, clinics. Governing section: Zoning Ordinance Sec. 2-3-4.A.

A veterinary clinic, animal hospital, kennel, or training school sited without arterial street frontage, or a large-animal clinic on a parcel under five acres, fails Sec. 2-3-4.A and can be denied site plan approval.

Beekeeping

Broken Arrow allows backyard beekeeping but caps density at one hive per 2,500 square feet of lot, requires colonies sit 20 feet from any property line, and mandates a flyway barrier near boundaries.

Key details: Max hive density: 1 per 2,500 sq ft of lot. Property-line setback: 20 feet minimum. Flyway barrier: 6 ft tall, required near boundary. Ag-zoned exception: no limit at 200 ft setback. Violation: class B offense.

Keeping honeybees without meeting the density, setback, or flyway-barrier standards is a class B offense under § 5-11(c), separate from any nuisance-animal citation the hive might also draw.

Exotic Pets

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (Tulsa County) bans keeping venomous reptiles or any wild or exotic animal within city limits, with narrow exceptions for zoos, pet shops, and a discretionary permit issued by the city council.

Key details: Ban: Venomous reptiles, wild/exotic animals. Exception: City council permit required. Insurance: $50,000 minimum liability coverage. Penalty: Class A offense, per day.

Keeping a prohibited animal, or violating permit terms, is a class A offense, a separate offense each day, and can trigger permit revocation and removal of the animal.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Broken Arrow actively enforces its exotic pets requirements.

The Bottom Line

Broken Arrow's animal ordinances rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Broken Arrow is broadly strict or permissive.

These rules come from Broken Arrow's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.