How Memphis Handles Animal Ordinances: A Practical Guide
Memphis maintains 129 local ordinances across all categories, and 11 of those deal specifically with animal ordinances. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Memphis falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Memphis and Shelby County zoning lets veterinary clinics, animal hospitals, pet clinics, boarding facilities, shelters, and kennels operate only under strict outdoor-run limits: open-air runs are allowed solely in the CA, CMU, EMP, WD, and IH districts, and everywhere else all overnight animal care, pens, kennels, and runs must stay fully enclosed inside a building.
Key details: Governing section: UDC § 2.6.3.H, Commercial Use Standards. Outdoor runs allowed: CA, CMU, EMP, WD, IH districts only. Other districts: Overnight care and runs must be enclosed. Covers: Animal hospitals, vet clinics, boarding, shelters, kennels. Applies to: City of Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County.
Building and zoning inspectors can deny or revoke a certificate of occupancy for a clinic, kennel, or shelter that keeps animals or runs outdoors in a district where the code requires enclosure, and code enforcement can order the outdoor structure removed or the animals moved indoors. A facility built without the required enclosure can also be cited for operating outside its approved site plan.
Pet Groomer Rules
The Memphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code lists animal hospitals and kennels, including animal grooming and boarding, among the uses that cannot operate as a home occupation anywhere in Memphis or unincorporated Shelby County. A groomer instead must locate as a Retail Sales and Service business under UDC Section 2.9.4.H, the same commercial use category as veterinary clinics, kennels and pet day cares.
Key details: Home occupation status: Prohibited outright, UDC § 2.7.4.A(13). Where it belongs: Retail Sales and Service use, UDC § 2.9.4.H. Also barred from home: Animal hospitals, kennels, boarding. Jurisdictions covered: City of Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County. Enforcement: Zoning Administrator/Building Official, unpermitted use.
Running a grooming, boarding or kennel operation out of a residence forfeits the home-occupation exemption in Section 2.7.4.B entirely, since Section 2.7.4.A excludes the use outright rather than capping it. That converts the business into an unpermitted commercial use in a residential zone, enforceable by the Building Official and Zoning Administrator through the UDC's standard zoning-violation process, the same posture as running an unlicensed auto-repair shop or restaurant from a house.
This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Memphis actively enforces its pet groomer rules requirements.
Microchipping
Memphis requires every dog and cat to be implanted with a registered microchip by six months old, or within 30 days of acquisition if the animal is older. Section 8-3-5 also makes owners keep their microchip registration current, update it within 30 days of a move, and re-register within 30 days of a change in ownership.
Key details: Deadline: Chip required by 6 months old. Acquired older: Chip within 30 days of acquisition. Registration updates: Address/owner changes within 30 days. Medical exemption: Written vet unsuitability determination. Assistance: Animal Services may subsidize cost.
Failing to microchip a dog or cat, or letting registration lapse, is charged as its own Chapter 8-3 violation under Section 8-5-9: a court can fine the owner at the state-authorized city-ordinance rate, order the animal microchipped and registered before release, and, for repeated or combined violations, restrict future pet ownership or require sterilization.
Cat Rules
Memphis requires every cat three months or older to have current proof of rabies vaccination, and it treats unidentified strays differently from owned cats. Section 8-5-10 lets Animal Services impound any cat found at large, but a stray with no tag or microchip is classified a 'community cat,' sterilized, ear-tipped, and returned to where it was found instead of held.
Key details: Vaccination: Required for all cats 3+ months old. Community cat: Unowned/unidentified strays, ear-tipped when sterilized. Stray hold: 72 hours if tagged/microchipped. 3rd impoundment: Triggers mandatory neglect summons. Enforcing agency: Memphis Animal Services.
Failure to vaccinate or license under Chapter 8-3 is a city ordinance violation under Section 8-5-9: a court can impose fines set by state law for city ordinances, order forfeiture of the cat, require mandatory sterilization (automatic on a second violation), and bar the owner from keeping companion animals. Each impoundment cycle also carries its own reclaim fee under the shelter's current fee schedule.
Chickens & Livestock
Memphis regulates how livestock and fowl, including backyard chickens, may be kept within city limits. Section 8-4-1 bars keeping any livestock or fowl without sufficient water, shelter, ventilation, and food, and bars keeping them anywhere they become a nuisance from odor or contagious disease, while Section 8-4-5 bans selling chicks or ducklings as pets or novelties.
Key details: Welfare standard: Sufficient water, shelter, ventilation, food. Nuisance bar: No odor or disease nuisance conditions. Chick/duckling sales: Banned as pets or novelties. At-large: Livestock/fowl may not run loose on streets. Fowl defined: Chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys & designated birds.
Keeping fowl or livestock without adequate water, shelter, ventilation, or food, or in nuisance conditions, is a Chapter 8-4 violation enforced under Section 8-5-9: a court may impose a state-authorized city-ordinance fine, and each day the neglect or nuisance continues counts as a separate offense. Animal Services can also impound livestock or fowl kept in violation under Sections 8-5-12 and 8-5-13.
Pet Limits
Memphis Code § 8-16-10 makes it a misdemeanor to possess more than five companion animals while showing general disregard for their living conditions, including failing to provide adequate food, water, shelter and care.
Key details: Threshold: Over five companion animals plus neglect. Governing section: Memphis Code § 8-16-10(B)-(C). Offense level: Misdemeanor. Water standard: Fresh water at least every 24 hours. Court remedy: Forfeiture to Memphis Animal Shelter.
A first hoarding conviction is a misdemeanor; the court can order forfeiture of the animals to the Memphis Animal Shelter, a ban on future animal custody for a period it sets, mandatory behavioral health evaluation, and payment of fees/fines. Sterilization of surviving animals becomes mandatory upon a second violation.
Bird Protection
Memphis makes it unlawful to kill or attempt to kill any wild bird within city limits, with a specific carve-out for pigeons. Section 8-4-4 lets residential and commercial property owners remove or destroy pigeons and other birds on their own property, or hire a licensed pest control company to do it, but firearms are expressly banned as a method.
Key details: General rule: Killing wild birds is prohibited. Pigeon exception: Property owners may remove/destroy on own property. Method ban: Firearms expressly prohibited. Protected exception: Registered homing pigeons must be released. Contractor option: Licensed, bonded pest control companies allowed.
Killing a protected bird outside the pigeon-removal exception, or using a firearm to remove pigeons or other birds, is a Chapter 8-4 violation enforced under Section 8-5-9: a court may impose a state-authorized city-ordinance fine, and each violation is charged separately from any state wildlife or firearms-discharge offense that may also apply.
This is one of the stricter rules in Memphis's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.
Beekeeping
Memphis and Shelby County zoning permits backyard beekeeping but caps colonies by lot size, from 2 hives on a half acre or less up to 8 hives on a full acre or more, and every hive must sit at least 15 feet from any property line. Colonies must also be registered with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture under the state Apiary Act.
Key details: Governing section: UDC § 2.6.5.F, Apiaries. Hive setback: 15 feet from any property line. Half-acre lot limit: 2 colonies. One-acre-plus lot limit: 8 colonies. State registration: Required under Tennessee Apiary Act of 1995.
A backyard beekeeper who exceeds the colony count for the lot size, places a hive closer than 15 feet to a property line, or never registers the colonies with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture is out of compliance with both the zoning code and the state Apiary Act, and can face code enforcement action locally as well as state penalties under the Apiary Act for unregistered colonies.
Dog Leash Laws
Memphis requires dog owners to keep animals leashed, fenced, or otherwise restrained at all times, both on their own property and in public. Section 8-3-6 spells out exact standards for fencing, invisible fencing, and tethering, and requires physical control on a leash whenever a dog is walked on a sidewalk or another person's property.
Key details: Fence height: At least 2.5x the dog's shoulder height. Tether length: Minimum 10 feet. Tie-out dogs: Must be spayed/neutered. Leash rule: Required on sidewalks & others' property. Exempt: Working police, service, therapy, SAR dogs.
A dog found running at-large is prima facie evidence under Section 8-3-6(E) that the owner's restraint methods are inadequate, and Animal Services can require corrective fencing or additional restraint. Violations are enforced under Section 8-5-9: a court may impose a state-authorized city-ordinance fine, order forfeiture or sterilization of the dog, and bar future pet ownership for repeat offenders.
Breed Restrictions
Memphis has no breed ban; instead Chapter 8-20 declares individual dogs dangerous or vicious based on bite or attack history, then forces owners into registration, insurance, confinement and muzzling requirements.
Key details: Basis for designation: Bite/attack history, not breed. Registration deadline: 30 days after classification. Required insurance/bond: $50,000.00 minimum. Leash length outdoors: No longer than 4 feet. Kennel setback: 20 ft from street, 10 ft from property line.
Failing to answer the dangerous/vicious summons forfeits the dog and can lead to a court-ordered destruction order if the owner does not show cause within five days. Missing the 30-day registration deadline forfeits the animal to the city; letting required liability insurance lapse is itself a violation of the chapter.
This is one of the stricter rules in Memphis's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Memphis requires every dog and cat kept in the city to be spayed or neutered unless the owner qualifies for a listed exemption or buys a fertile permit. Section 8-3-3 makes owning an intact pet without one of nine specific defenses a violation, and Section 8-3-4 lets owners of breeding-eligible animals pay for annual fertile status instead.
Key details: Base rule: All dogs/cats must be spayed or neutered. Exemption age: Under 6 months old. Opt-out: Fertile permit, 1 litter/female per 12 months. Permit requires: Current vaccination + microchip. 2nd violation: Sterilization becomes mandatory.
Keeping an unaltered dog or cat without a defense or fertile permit is a Chapter 8-3 violation enforced under Section 8-5-9: a court may fine the owner at the state-authorized rate for city ordinances, order the animal sterilized, mandatory on a second offense, bar the owner from future pet ownership, and require payment of impoundment, veterinary, and boarding costs.
This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Memphis actively enforces its mandatory spay/neuter requirements.
The Bottom Line
Memphis is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 11 rules covered here, 4 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Memphis, 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 Memphis'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.