How Leominster Handles Animal Ordinances: A Practical Guide

Leominster maintains 74 local ordinances across all categories, and 4 of those deal specifically with animal ordinances. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Leominster falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Dog Leash Laws

Leominster requires every dog outside its owner's property to be held on a leash or chain no more than six feet long, or a retractable leash extended no more than six feet near others, under Section 6-2. Dogs must otherwise be confined on the owner's premises by a leash, tether, run or secure enclosure.

Key details: Leash length: 6 feet max in public. Retractable leash: Capped at 16 feet extended. Exemption: Dogs engaged in sporting events. Impound fee: $20 per 24-hour period. Fines: $50, $100, $300 for repeat offenses.

Letting a dog run at large in violation of Section 6-2 is punishable under Section 6-5's fine schedule: fifty dollars for a first offense, one hundred dollars for a second, and three hundred dollars for a third or later offense, with each day counted separately. A minor's parent or guardian is liable if the dog's owner or keeper is a minor, and running at large on a designated rubbish-collection day carries its own fifty-dollar fine.

Chickens & Livestock

Leominster's zoning table of uses treats backyard poultry as a residential accessory use capped at ten birds. City Code § 22-17 allows keeping poultry, ten animals or less, by right in the Rural Residence and Residence A districts, requires a board of appeals special permit in RB, RC, BA and BB, and bans it in the Commercial, Industrial, Multi-Use and Village districts.

Key details: Governing section: City Code § 22-17, Table of Uses. Residential cap: Ten poultry animals or less. By-right districts: RR and RA (Rural Residence, Residence A). Special permit districts: RB, RC, BA and BB (board of appeals). Prohibited districts: Commercial, Industrial, MU1, MU2, Village.

Keeping poultry outside the districts where it is allowed, or without the board of appeals special permit required in RB, RC, BA and BB, is a zoning violation under City Code § 22-15, punishable by a fine of up to three hundred dollars per day the violation continues. Leominster can instead issue noncriminal citations of one hundred, two hundred and three hundred dollars for a first, second and third offense.

Breed Restrictions

Leominster does not restrict dogs by breed; instead Sections 6-2.1 and 6-2.2 regulate individually declared dangerous dogs. A dangerous dog must stay muzzled and restrained off its own property and, at home, be confined in a locked, weatherproof pen the animal control officer approves and posts with clear warning notices.

Key details: Breed policy: No breed bans; behavior-based rules only. Leash: 300-lb tensile strength, max 3 feet. Home enclosure: Locked pen, animal-control approved. Provoked dogs: Cannot be declared dangerous. Fine: $300 for any dangerous dog violation.

Violating the enclosure, muzzling or posting requirements for a dangerous dog carries the steepest fine in Chapter 6: three hundred dollars for any dangerous-dog violation under Section 6-5, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense. Ignoring a written order from the animal control officer or hearing authority regarding a dangerous dog is also unlawful under Section 6-2.1, and a minor owner's parent or guardian is liable for the fine.

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

Wildlife Feeding

Leominster prohibits feeding or baiting waterfowl and gulls anywhere in the city, with narrow exceptions for licensed farmers, propagators, kept pets, and mayor-authorized emergency feeding.

Key details: Covered birds: waterfowl (Anatidae), gulls (Laridae). Adopted: January 26, 1998. Farmer exception: G.L. c.128 §1A domesticated waterfowl. Emergency feeding authority: Mayor or state Division of Fisheries. Enforcement: Director of Public Health, Police.

Section 14-19 does not print a separate stand-alone fine schedule within the excerpted text; feeding or baiting waterfowl or gulls without qualifying under one of the listed exceptions, or without the required state or mayoral authorization, is a violation of the chapter enforceable by the Director of Public Health and Leominster police under the chapter's general enforcement section 14-16.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Leominster actively enforces its wildlife feeding requirements.

The Bottom Line

Leominster is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 4 rules covered here, 2 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Leominster, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

This guide is based on Leominster's current municipal code. Local rules can and do change, so check the individual ordinance pages for the latest details, penalties, and FAQs.