Little Rock's Animal Ordinances: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles animal ordinances a little differently. In Little Rock, Arkansas, there are 12 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.

Pet Store Rules

Little Rock does not ban retail sale of dogs or cats. Sec. 6-47 lets any licensed pet shop sell live animals as pets, provided the shop meets minimum sanitation and cage-size standards.

Key details: Retail dog/cat sale ban: None. License required: Privilege license. Hot water minimum: 160 degrees F. Cage size rule: Room to stand, turn, stretch. Noncompliance consequence: License denial or revocation.

Failure to meet the Sec. 6-47 sanitation and cage standards is grounds for denial or revocation of the shop's privilege license. Code violations generally are also punishable under Sec. 1-9 by a fine up to $1,000, doubled for repeat offenses.

Little Rock is more permissive than most cities when it comes to pet store rules. That said, there are still limits.

Veterinary Clinic Zoning

Little Rock's zoning code files a veterinary practice under the term "animal clinic (enclosed)" and where one can open depends entirely on the district. In the C-1 neighborhood commercial district, and in the O-1 and O-3 office districts, the planning commission must approve it as a conditional use before it can operate; in the C-2, C-3 and C-4 commercial districts it is permitted outright.

Key details: Zoning term: "Animal clinic (enclosed)": no outside runs, no overnight outdoor boarding. C-1 commercial district: Conditional use, planning commission approval required. O-1 & O-3 office districts: Conditional use, planning commission approval required. C-2, C-3, C-4 districts: Permitted by right, no hearing needed. Violation fine: $50 to $500 per day, misdemeanor.

Sec. 36-4 makes any zoning-chapter violation, including operating an animal clinic without the required conditional-use approval in a district that demands one, a misdemeanor: each day it continues is a separate offense. Fines run $50 to $500 per offense, capped at $250 per day for a continuing violation. The enforcing officer issues a written order specifying the violated sections and giving 7 days to abate, or as little as 24 hours if the same party was cited in the prior 12 months; the city may also seek an injunction to restrain the unlawful use.

Cat Rules

Little Rock caps households at four cats, requires an annual license and rabies tag for every cat, and mandates microchipping plus sterilization for any cat allowed outdoors.

Key details: Household cat limit: 4 cats without a permit. License fee, sterilized cat: $10.00/year. License fee, unsterilized cat: $32.50/year. Free-roaming cats: must be microchipped + sterilized. Cat chaining: prohibited.

Untagged/unlicensed cat found running loose is treated as a stray and becomes city property; noncompliant free-roaming owners get a 10-day warning notice; keeping over 4 cats without a permit or chaining a cat is a Little Rock Animal Code violation subject to citation.

Mandatory Spay/Neuter

Little Rock requires every free-roaming cat to be sterilized, with a narrow exception for cats a licensed vet certifies can't safely be spayed or neutered.

Key details: Applies to: All free-roaming cats. Exemption: Vet certifies unable to reproduce. First step: 10-day written warning notice. ID also required: Microchip with recovery registry. Penalty basis: General penalty, Sec. 1-9.

First noncompliance draws a 10-day written warning to sterilize/microchip or document intent to keep the cat indoors; continued noncompliance is a citation punishable under the Code's general penalty section (Sec. 1-9).

Pet Limits

Keeping animals on a property that becomes unclean, odorous, or fecal-fouled is a separate violation from Little Rock's headcount cap, and it's the tool used against hoarding-type conditions.

Key details: Fecal removal interval: At least every 48 hours. Governing section: Sec. 6-3. Enforcement: Animal Services citation or order. Applies regardless of: Whether animal count is legal.

Citation under Sec. 6-2 with a fine per Sec. 1-9; an enforcement order can also require compliance by a set date, and animals may be impounded if conditions pose a health or safety risk.

Chickens & Livestock

Little Rock lets residents keep backyard chickens, rabbits, and other small fowl citywide with no permit, but coops must meet minimum floor-space rules and stay at least 5 feet from the owner's house and 25 feet from a neighbor's.

Key details: Chicken coop floor space: 3 sq ft per bird over 4 months. Setback from owner's house: At least 5 feet. Setback from neighbor's house: At least 25 feet. Hoofed livestock setback: 300 feet from other residences. Permit required: No permit needed.

Keeping chickens or fowl closer than 5 feet from your own house or 25 feet from a neighbor's, providing inadequate coop space, or letting chickens run at large under Sec. 6-48 are code violations subject to citation.

Pet Groomer Rules

Little Rock regulates pet grooming businesses as "kennels" under Sec. 6-46, requiring compliance with facility standards to keep a privilege license.

Key details: Governing section: Sec. 6-46, Kennels. Grooming businesses classed as: Kennel. License needed: Privilege license. Enclosure surfaces required: Impervious material, proper drainage. Non-compliance penalty: License denial or revocation.

Failure to meet the enclosure, sanitation, ventilation, or exercise-area standards in Sec. 6-46 is grounds for the city to deny or revoke the groomer's privilege license, which is required to legally operate.

Microchipping

Little Rock requires owners of free-roaming cats to have them microchipped and registered with a national recovery network, under the city's animal confinement ordinance alongside mandatory sterilization.

Key details: Applies to: Free-roaming cats citywide. Requirement: Implanted microchip, national registry. Grace period: 10-day warning notice to comply. Dangerous-breed dogs: Also microchip-required, Sec. 6-19. Enforcement: Little Rock Animal Services Division.

A first violation draws a ten-day written warning from Animal Services to microchip and sterilize the cat, or commit in writing to indoor confinement; potentially dangerous breed dogs found without a microchip are out of compliance with their permit and subject to citation and seizure.

Dog Leash Laws

Little Rock City Code Sec. 6-16(a) gives dog owners two duties: keep the dog securely confined behind a fence or otherwise restrained on your own property, and keep it under effective control by leash or other supervised restraint any time it is off that property.

Key details: Governing section: City Code Sec. 6-16. Who is covered: Any person owning, possessing or keeping a dog. On your property: Securely confined behind a fence or restrained to prevent escape. Off your property: Leash or other supervised restraint the dog cannot escape. Dog parks: Parks and Recreation "park dog run" counts as adequate confinement.

For a sterilized dog, failure to confine draws $25 for a first offense, $75 for a second and $100 for a third or later offense within 3 years. For an unsterilized dog the schedule is higher: $100 for a first offense and $200 for a second or later offense, unless sterilization is proven before sentencing.

Breed Restrictions

Little Rock classifies pit bulls as a potentially dangerous breed and requires an annual permit, microchip, and sterilization to keep one in city limits.

Key details: Covered breeds: Pit bull, Staffordshire, Am. Staffordshire, mixes. Permit: Annual, fee set by city manager. Max per residence: 2 dogs. Required: Microchip, sterilization, rabies shot. Appeal window: 5 days to request hearing.

Keeping an unregistered pit bull, missing permit conditions, or exceeding the two-dog limit is a Chapter 6 violation; noncompliance can bring a citation and a warrant to seize the dog. A second cruelty conviction revokes the permit and bars registering another potentially dangerous breed for 2 years (10 years for a cruelty conviction).

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

Beekeeping

Little Rock caps hobby beekeeping at two hives per residential lot and requires 25-foot setbacks from dwellings and sidewalks.

Key details: Hobby hive limit: 2 hives per residence. Minimum lot size: 50 x 100 feet. Setback from structures: 25 feet minimum. Flyway barrier trigger: within 50 ft of lot line. Max fine: $500 per violation.

Violations draw a fine up to $500 per offense, with each hive over the two-hive residential cap counted as a separate violation, plus $100 per day for continued noncompliance after conviction.

Exotic Pets

Little Rock Sec. 6-42 makes the sale, possession, maintenance or keeping of carnivora, innately wild animals, nonhuman primates and venomous reptiles unlawful within the city. The exceptions are institutional: the Little Rock Zoo, the Museum of Science and History, bona fide circuses and carnivals, research or educational institutions, and professional members of the Arkansas Herpetological Society who have prior approval from the director of the Little Rock Zoo. After notice, there is a three-day grace period to remove the animal from the city before the penalty applies.

Key details: Citation: Little Rock Code of Ordinances Sec. 6-42. Banned classes: Carnivora, innately wild animals, nonhuman primates, venomous reptiles. Conduct covered: Sale, possession, maintenance or keeping. Institutional exceptions: Little Rock Zoo; Museum of Science and History; bona fide circuses and carnivals; research or educational institutions. Only individual exception: Arkansas Herpetological Society professionals with prior zoo director approval.

Possession, sale, maintenance or keeping of a covered animal is unlawful under Sec. 6-42(b). Under Sec. 6-42(d), an owner who receives notice has a three-day grace period to remove the innately wild animal from the city before the penalty for violation of the section is imposed. Meeting an exception in Sec. 6-42(c) is what avoids liability, and for an individual the only route is professional membership in the Arkansas Herpetological Society with prior approval from the director of the Little Rock Zoo.

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

The Bottom Line

Little Rock is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 12 rules covered here, 2 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Little Rock, 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 Little Rock'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.