Everett's Animal Ordinances: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles animal ordinances a little differently. In Everett, Washington, there are 10 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.

Exotic Pets

Everett Municipal Code § 6.04.120 bans possessing, breeding or selling primates, big cats, bears, wild canids, venomous reptiles, large constrictors, and crocodilians. Violation is a misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000 and 90 days in jail, with a narrow registration path for animals already owned before the ban and licensed exotic sellers.

Key details: Primates: All nonhuman primates banned. Big cats: All wild Felidae banned, domestic cats exempt. Snakes: Pythons and 10-foot+ snakes banned. Max penalty: $1,000 fine, 90 days jail (misdemeanor). Grandfather registration window: 30 calendar days from effective date.

Violating EMC 6.04.120 is a misdemeanor under subsection D, punishable by a fine up to $1,000, up to 90 days in jail, or both, separately from the general Title 6 infraction penalty in EMC 6.04.140. Failing to timely register a grandfathered animal, or breaking the shelter's registration conditions, is also a violation. The animal services manager and designated officers may cite, seize and impound banned animals under EMC 6.04.110.

Compared to other cities, Everett takes a harder line on exotic pets. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Dog Leash Laws

Everett bans letting a dog run at large anywhere off its owner's property unless it is on a leash, tether or other physical control device no longer than eight feet, under EMC 6.04.070(B)(1). Animal control officers issue a $250 infraction citation for violations, and the Everett Animal Shelter impounds any dog found at large.

Key details: Leash/tether limit: 8 feet, under owner's control. Fine: Up to $250 infraction (EMC 6.04.140). Licensed-dog hold: 144 hours (6 days). Unlicensed-dog hold: 72 hours (3 days). Shelter: 333 Smith Island Road, Everett.

Letting a dog run at large is an infraction under EMC 6.04.140(A), punishable by a fine up to $250, unless the conduct also violates Everett's dangerous dog chapter (EMC 6.08), which can bring stiffer, criminal penalties. Animal control impounds any loose dog it catches: a dog with a current license tag is held 144 hours (six days) before disposition, while an unlicensed dog is held only 72 hours (three days), under EMC 6.04.090(F). The owner cannot reclaim an impounded dog until all fines, fees and impoundment costs are paid in full, per EMC 6.04.090(G)(2).

Cat Rules

Everett requires every cat over six months old to be licensed annually, with proof of current rabies vaccination, under EMC 6.04.030. A licensed cat is then the only animal exempt from the citywide at-large ban in EMC 6.04.070(B)(1), but even a licensed cat cannot trespass on a neighbor's property in a way that becomes a nuisance.

Key details: Licensing required: All cats over 6 months (EMC 6.04.030). License term: Annual, plus rabies proof. At-large exemption: Licensed domestic cats only. Nuisance trespass: Still unlawful even if licensed. Fine: Up to $250 (EMC 6.04.140).

Failing to license an adult cat, or letting a licensed cat become a nuisance by trespassing on a neighbor's property, is an infraction under EMC 6.04.140(A), carrying a fine up to $250. Because there is no city-run feral colony or trap-neuter-return program written into the code, an unowned stray cat trapped as a nuisance is processed through the same impoundment scheme as any other stray under EMC 6.04.090, and can become the legal property of a finder who reports the animal to animal control and keeps it unclaimed for thirty days.

Pet Store Rules

Everett prohibits retail pet stores from selling or offering for sale any dog, cat, or rabbit, though stores may still host adoptions of animals from public agencies or nonprofit rescues.

Key details: Rule: No retail sale of dogs/cats/rabbits. Allowed: Space for agency/nonprofit adoptions only. Penalty: Up to $250 per animal per day. Applies to: Retail pet stores in Everett.

Selling a dog, cat, or rabbit through a retail pet store is an infraction, punishable by a fine of up to $250 per animal, per day of the violation.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Everett actively enforces its pet store rules requirements.

Veterinary Clinic Zoning

Everett's commercial use table splits veterinary uses by animal size: small-animal vet clinics and animal day cares can locate in NR, urban residential, mixed-use and light-industrial mixed-use zones but cannot have outside runs, while large-animal clinics and commercial kennels are pushed into light-industrial and agricultural zones.

Key details: Small-animal clinics: NR, UR4/7, MU, LI-MU zones. Outside runs (small animal): Not permitted anywhere. Large-animal/kennels: LI-MU, LI zones; accessory only in AG. Noise standard: Not audible on residentially zoned lots. NR/UR condition: Must meet EMC 19.05.045 standards.

Operating outside runs for a small-animal clinic where the table forbids them, or siting a large-animal clinic or commercial kennel in a zone the table does not list, is a zoning code violation subject to the city's standard code enforcement process for unpermitted uses. Noise audible on a residentially zoned lot from either use type is itself a table-specified violation, independent of the city's general noise ordinance.

Chickens & Livestock

Everett caps backyard chickens, fowl, rabbits and miniature goats or pigs on a sliding scale tied to lot size. A 10,000-square-foot lot can hold six chickens; larger lots get more, plus one extra bird per 5,000 additional square feet. Roosters and larger flocks need a city facility license.

Key details: Chickens, small lots: 6 on lots up to 10,000 sq ft. Chickens, largest lots: +1 per 5,000 sq ft over 35,000. Small livestock cap: 12 total per 10,000 sq ft. Miniature goats: 3 per household, over 10,000 sq ft lots. Pot-bellied pigs: 2 per household citywide.

Keeping more animals than the lot-size limit, an unpermitted rooster, or livestock outside the miniature-goat/pig exceptions violates EMC 6.04.035. Under EMC 6.04.140, violations of Title 6 are infractions punishable by a fine up to $250, and the city may also pursue injunctive relief since noncompliance is declared a public nuisance. Animal control (the city's animal services division, including the Everett animal shelter) enforces the chapter and can revoke a facility license under EMC 6.04.060 after a probable-cause finding.

Breed Restrictions

Everett's dangerous-dog ordinance evaluates dogs on documented behavior, not breed: the code bars declaring a dog dangerous based solely on breed, and Everett repealed its old breed-specific criteria in 2019.

Key details: Breed bans: None: no restricted-breed list. Declaration basis: Documented behavior, not breed. Old breed rule: Repealed by Ord. 3705-19 (2019). Burden of proof: Can't rest on breed alone.

There's no breed-based violation to cite: a dog is only restricted after an individualized dangerous-dog declaration under EMC 6.08.030, based on documented conduct rather than breed.

The rules around breed restrictions in Everett lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Wildlife Feeding

Everett's park code makes it unlawful to feed fowl, farm animals, or wildlife anywhere in a city park except at spots the parks and recreation director designates for that purpose. Snohomish County's county seat treats the violation as a civil infraction carrying up to a $250 fine, enforced by park rangers who patrol every city park.

Key details: Fine cap: $250 per infraction. Enforced by: Everett park rangers (EMC 9.06.034). Covers: Fowl, farm animals, wildlife. Exception: Parks director's designated feeding areas. Applies to: All Everett city parks, Snohomish County.

Feeding fowl, farm animals or wildlife outside a posted feeding area is a civil infraction, not a crime, but it still carries a fine up to $250 under EMC 9.06.080. A park ranger who witnesses the act may issue the citation directly; there is no warning requirement. Feeding animals that are nesting or breeding adds a separate $250 infraction under EMC 9.06.085 for molesting wildlife. Repeated violations of park rules can also trigger a park exclusion notice under EMC 9.06.235, barring the person from Everett parks for sixty to one hundred eighty days.

This is one of the stricter rules in Everett's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Pet Limits

Everett lets households keep up to two adult dogs or cats without a license; keeping more requires an animal-control facility license under Chapter 6.04.

Key details: Threshold: 2 adult dogs or cats. Above limit: Facilities license required. Enforced by: Everett Animal Control. Unlicensed penalty: Up to $1,000 fine, 90 days jail.

Operating an unlicensed facility, or a kennel/cattery without a permit or after revocation, is a misdemeanor: a fine up to $1,000, up to 90 days in jail, or both, per EMC 6.04.060(H).

Mandatory Spay/Neuter

Everett requires every animal adopted from the city shelter to be spayed or neutered before the adoption is completed, with four narrow exceptions for underage or medically unfit animals.

Key details: Applies to: Animals adopted from Everett shelter. Requirement: Spay/neuter before adoption completes. Exceptions: 4: age, health, transfer to rescue. Not required for: Pets never surrendered to shelter.

There's no separate penalty clause for this subsection; noncompliance simply blocks completion of a shelter adoption until the animal is altered or one of the four exceptions applies.

The Bottom Line

Everett is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 10 rules covered here, 3 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Everett, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

All of the above reflects Everett's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.