How Fargo Handles Animal Ordinances: A Practical Guide
Fargo maintains 140 local ordinances across all categories, and 13 of those deal specifically with animal ordinances. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Fargo falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.
Pet Store Rules
Fargo lets pet stores sell dogs, cats, and other animals, there's no adoption-only mandate, but every pet store needs an annual license from the city auditor and health department inspection first.
Key details: License issued by: City auditor, annually Jan. 1. Threshold for "pet store": 25+ animals sold per year. Colored animals: Artificially colored animals banned. Max fine: $1,000 infraction.
Operating a pet store without a license, or violating the health officer's standards, is an infraction under § 1-0305(B), punishable by a fine up to $1,000; the Director can also suspend or revoke the store's license.
Bird Protection
Fargo makes it unlawful to kill, injure, or attempt to kill or injure any harmless wild bird within city limits, or to destroy their eggs or nests, unless otherwise permitted by law.
Key details: Citation: Fargo Municipal Code § 12-0305. Protected class: Harmless wild birds per N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-02. Prohibited acts: Killing, injuring, egg/nest destruction. Penalty: Infraction, fine up to $1,000. Pigeons excluded: Handled separately as nuisance (Art. 11-10).
Killing, injuring, or attempting to kill or injure a harmless wild bird, or destroying its eggs or nest, is punishable as an infraction, carrying a fine up to $1,000 under Fargo's general penalty schedule.
Compared to other cities, Fargo takes a harder line on bird protection. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Fargo zoning bars animal hospitals, kennels, stables, and other animal care or boarding facilities from operating as home occupations in any residential zoning district, with no conditional-use exception available for veterinary practices.
Key details: Rule: No animal hospitals as home occupations. Citation: Fargo Municipal Code § 20-0403(C)(5)(d). Includes: Animal hospitals, kennels, stables, boarding. Exception: None: unlike limited dog grooming. Where allowed: Commercial/retail zoning districts only.
Operating a veterinary clinic, animal hospital, or boarding kennel from a residence violates the home occupation rules and can trigger zoning code enforcement and required cessation of the business use.
This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Fargo actively enforces its veterinary clinic zoning requirements.
Microchipping
Fargo does not require microchipping for pets generally. A dog is only required to be microchipped once a court designates it dangerous or potentially dangerous and it must be registered with police.
Key details: General pet microchipping: Not required. Microchip required for: Dangerous/potentially dangerous dogs. Registered with: Fargo Police Department. Trigger: Municipal Court designation order.
Failing to complete or file the required registration (including microchip proof) for a dog designated dangerous or potentially dangerous is an infraction under § 12-0117(G)(5); the dog can also be impounded until compliance.
If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Fargo gives residents more flexibility on microchipping.
Exotic Pets
Fargo prohibits keeping monkeys, wolves, big cats, poisonous snakes, and other wild or exotic animals as pets or for display anywhere in the city.
Key details: Governing section: § 12-0218. Removal notice period: 5 days. Penalty class: Infraction, per day. Exempt species: Ferrets, rabbits, lab rats. Exempt operations: Licensed zoos, circuses, vet clinics.
Each day of violation is a separate infraction; police investigate complaints, order removal within 5 days, and may seize, impound, or kill an animal that poses a serious risk or has already caused harm.
This is one of the stricter rules in Fargo's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.
Chickens & Livestock
Fargo bans keeping horses, cattle, sheep, goats, and swine within city limits unless the property is zoned AG-Agricultural District.
Key details: Governing section: Fargo Municipal Code § 12-0203. Where allowed: AG-Agricultural District property only. Covered animals: Horses, cattle, sheep, goats, swine. Impound fee (horse/cattle): $2.00 each. Fair/exhibition exception: Temporary, health dept.-approved.
Farm animals found outside an AG-zoned property are impoundable under § 12-0204/12-0205; the chief of police or any officer may seize them. Redemption fees run $1-$2 per animal depending on species (horse kind and cattle $2, sheep/swine/goats $1), plus daily boarding charges, under § 12-0213. Unredeemed animals may be sold at public auction per § 12-0210-0212.
This is one of the stricter rules in Fargo's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.
Coyote Management
Fargo bans feeding deer within city limits and runs an annual archery-based Wildlife Management Program, set by the board of city commissioners, to control the urban deer population.
Key details: Feeding threshold: 1/2 cubic foot of feed. Feeding penalty: up to $1,000 infraction. Cull method: archery only, by permit. Season/areas set by: board of city commissioners. Program eligibility: governed by ND Game and Fish.
Feeding deer is an infraction under the code's default classification (§ 1-0305(B)), fined up to $1,000. Violating Wildlife Management Program rules is likewise an infraction under § 12-0409, fined up to $1,000 per offense.
Compared to other cities, Fargo takes a harder line on coyote management. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.
Pet Groomer Rules
Fargo's zoning code lists dog grooming among home occupations that are prohibited outright, unless the business is small enough to qualify as a Minor Home Occupation and gets a Conditional Use Permit.
Key details: Base rule: Home dog grooming is prohibited. Exception path: Qualify as Minor Home Occupation. Permit required: Conditional Use Permit, Sec. 20-0909. Customer cap: 4/day, 12/week, 7am-9pm only. Permit lifespan: Ends automatically upon property sale.
Running a dog grooming business from a home without qualifying as a Minor Home Occupation and securing a Conditional Use Permit is a Land Development Code violation, prosecuted as an infraction with fines up to $1,000; each day counts separately.
Compared to other cities, Fargo takes a harder line on pet groomer rules. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.
Breed Restrictions
Fargo has no breed-specific ban: any dog can be declared potentially dangerous or dangerous based on its own conduct, triggering registration, insurance, and control rules.
Key details: Basis for designation: behavior, not breed. Potentially-dangerous insurance: $100,000 minimum. Dangerous-dog insurance: $400,000 minimum. Registration fee: up to $300–$600/year. Enforcing agency: Fargo Police Department.
Allowing a designated dog to run at large is a Class B misdemeanor; owning a dog after being barred, or failing to surrender a dog designated dangerous/potentially dangerous twice, is also a Class B misdemeanor. Other violations (failing to register, ignoring court conditions) are infractions.
This is one of the stricter rules in Fargo's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.
Wildlife Feeding
Fargo prohibits feeding deer anywhere within city limits, defining feeding as leaving out a half cubic foot or more of grain, produce, or other edible material that regularly attracts deer.
Key details: Prohibited act: Feeding deer anywhere in city. Feeding threshold: 1/2 cubic foot or more. Height rule: On ground or below 5 feet. Exempt: Vets, animal control, park staff, game officials. Not feeding: Live fruit trees and vegetation.
Violating the deer-feeding ban is an infraction under Fargo's default ordinance classification (§ 1-0305(B)), the same category used for city code violations without a specific listed penalty.
Compared to other cities, Fargo takes a harder line on wildlife feeding. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.
Pet Limits
Fargo households may keep no more than six dogs and cats combined per dwelling, with a police-permit exception for approved rescue homes.
Key details: Combined limit: 6 dogs and cats. Age counted: Over six months old. Exception: Police-issued rescue home permit. Permit term: 1 year, renewable.
Keeping more than six dogs/cats without a qualified-home permit violates § 12-0116; animal control can cite the owner and require the household to come into compliance.
Cat Rules
Fargo requires every cat over four months old to be licensed and kept off its owner's property only on a leash. Loose cats found at large are impounded and owners pay to reclaim them.
Key details: Leash/chain limit: 6 feet maximum. License required: cats over 4 months, annually. Impound hold: 3 days before disposition. Household cap: 6 dogs/cats combined. Habitual at-large: 3 convictions in 2 years = surrender.
At-large violations are cited municipal offenses; unclaimed, unlicensed, or rabies-suspect impounded cats may be destroyed after three days. Three at-large convictions within two years triggers a court finding of 'habitually at large' and mandatory surrender.
Dog Leash Laws
Fargo requires dogs off their owner's property to be on a leash no longer than six feet, or the owner faces a running-at-large violation.
Key details: Max leash length: 6 feet. Habitually at large threshold: 3 convictions in 2 years. Surrender deadline after order: 7 days. Enforcement: Fargo Police Department.
Running at large is a violation; failing to surrender an animal after a habitually-at-large court order (within 7 days) is a Class B misdemeanor.
The Bottom Line
Fargo is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 13 rules covered here, 8 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Fargo, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.
These rules come from Fargo's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.