Animal Ordinances in Orem, UT

If you live in Orem or are thinking about moving there, animal ordinances are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Orem has 11 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of animal ordinances, and some of them might surprise you.

Veterinary Clinic Zoning

Orem's zoning code lists veterinary services and small animal hospitals as Standard Land Use Code 6515 in Appendix A, and permits the use by right in only five zones: C2, C3, HS, M1 and M2. Every residential zone (R5 through R20), OS5/ROS, PO, C1, CM, BP and PF are marked "N," meaning the use is not permitted there at all, not even conditionally.

Key details: Permitted zones: C2, C3, HS, M1, M2 only. Land use code: SLU 6515. Residential zones: Not permitted (N), no exceptions. Conditional use option: None; row has no "C". Governing section: Orem City Code § 22-19-1, Appendix A.

Operating a veterinary clinic in a zone marked "N" is a violation of Chapter 22. Under Section 22-1-6 (Penalties), violating any zoning provision is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 for individuals or $1,000 for corporations, associations or partnerships, or imprisonment up to three months, and each day the violation continues is a separate offense. Development Services code enforcement personnel are authorized to issue non-criminal citations, and the City may also seek an injunction or abatement order under Section 22-1-3.

Bird Protection

Orem City Code makes it a criminal offense to take or kill any bird, or to rob or destroy any bird's nest, egg, or young, whenever doing so violates Utah's wildlife laws. The city folds the state's protections into its own animal control chapter, giving Orem police an independent citywide charge.

Key details: Governing section: Orem City Code § 5-1-3. Prohibited act: Killing birds; destroying nests, eggs, young. Standard: Tracks Utah state wildlife law. Enforcing agency: Orem Police Department. Penalty: Class B misdemeanor, up to $1,000/6 months.

Violating Section 5-1-3 is not among the reduced-penalty offenses listed in Section 5-1-13, so it is prosecuted as any other Chapter 5 violation: a Class B misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both. Each day the violation continues is a separate offense, and the court must impose a fine of at least $500 upon conviction of a Class B misdemeanor under this chapter.

Pet Store Rules

Orem's animal control chapter singles out one species-specific retail ban: pet shops in the city may not raise or sell red-eared slider turtles or the closely related Cumberland slider, listed by their scientific names. The code sets no adoption-only mandate and no general ban on stores selling dogs, cats, or other animals.

Key details: Governing section: Orem City Code § 5-1-6. Banned species: Pseudemys Scripta-Elegans; P. Troostii turtles. Applies to: Pet shops raising or selling turtles. No general ban: Dog/cat retail sale unrestricted by this chapter. Penalty: Class B misdemeanor, up to $1,000/6 months.

A pet shop that raises or sells a banned turtle is not named in the reduced first-offense schedule of Section 5-1-13, so the violation is treated as any other Chapter 5 offense: a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both, with a $500 statutory minimum fine on conviction and each day of continued sale charged separately.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Orem gives residents more flexibility on pet store rules.

Exotic Pets

Orem bans keeping, selling, or trading a defined list of wild animals: bears, non-domesticated wild cats, coyotes, foxes, wolves, monkeys and apes, raccoons, skunks, venomous snakes, venomous fish and piranha, and non-domesticated weasels, no matter how tame the individual animal is. Zoos, shelters, vets, labs, and circuses may keep them only if properly secured.

Key details: Governing sections: Orem City Code §§ 5-1-1(W), 5-1-7. Banned examples: Bears, wild felids, coyotes, monkeys, skunks, venomous snakes. Institutional exceptions: Shelter, zoo, vet, lab, circus if secured. Excluded: Domesticated ferrets and cats not covered. Penalty: Class B misdemeanor; animal may be seized.

Keeping, selling, or trading a listed wild animal without qualifying institutional status is a Chapter 5 violation not covered by Section 5-1-13's reduced first-offense schedule, so it is charged as a Class B misdemeanor: up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in jail, or both, with a $500 minimum fine, and the City may additionally order the animal destroyed or removed from Orem.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Orem actively enforces its exotic pets requirements.

Pet Groomer Rules

Run a dog or cat grooming business out of a residential zone in Orem and the code drops one hard rule on it: every part of the operation must happen inside an enclosed building, and no animal may stay on the premises overnight. There is no separate grooming license listed in this chapter.

Key details: Governing section: Orem City Code § 5-1-12. Zone: Applies to grooming parlors in residential zones. Building rule: All activity must be inside an enclosed building. Boarding rule: No overnight keeping of any animal. Penalty: Class B misdemeanor, up to $1,000/6 months.

A grooming parlor that operates outdoors in a residential zone, or boards animals overnight there, is not on Section 5-1-13's reduced-penalty list, so it is charged as any other Chapter 5 violation: a Class B misdemeanor with a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both, and a $500 minimum fine on conviction, with each day of continued violation a separate offense.

Cat Rules

Every cat in Orem four months or older must carry a current rabies vaccination: the first shot within 30 days of turning four months or arriving in the city, then revaccinated every 12 months, half the 24-month interval the code sets for dogs. Skip the collar tag and the cat is presumed unvaccinated and impoundable.

Key details: Governing section: Orem City Code § 5-4-2. Initial vaccination: Within 30 days of age 4 months. Cat revaccination interval: Every 12 months (dogs: 24 months). Tag requirement: Serially numbered tag on collar/harness. Untagged consequence: Presumed unvaccinated; may be impounded.

Failing to vaccinate or tag a cat under Section 5-4-2, or letting one run at large under Section 5-1-10, exposes the owner to an infraction with a fine up to $750 for a first through third offense in 12 months, escalating to a Class B misdemeanor, up to $1,000, six months in jail, or both, for a fourth offense; an untagged cat may also simply be impounded.

Beekeeping

Orem allows backyard beekeeping in every residential zone under Orem City Code Section 22-6-10(L), capped at two hives in R5 through R8 and three in R12/R20 (five on half-acre-plus lots). Hives must sit 15 feet from property lines, and beekeepers must register with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.

Key details: Hive limit, R5-R8: 2 hives maximum. Hive limit, R12/R20: 3 hives (5 on half-acre+ lots). Setback from property line: 15 feet minimum. State registration: Required with Utah Dept. of Agriculture and Food. Penalty: Criminal misdemeanor under Sec. 22-1-6.

Keeping more hives than the applicable zone allows, placing a hive closer than 15 feet to a property line, or skipping the required flyway barrier within 25 feet of a property line violates Section 22-6-10(L) and is enforced as a criminal misdemeanor under Orem City Code Section 22-1-6, subject to the penalty provisions of Section 22-1-3. An unregistered apiary or one that becomes a documented nuisance, because bees swarm a neighbor's yard or a documented bee-allergic neighbor lives adjacent, can also be ordered removed.

Pet Limits

Orem limits households to a maximum of two dogs and two cats (four months of age or older) per lot. Dogs over four months old must also be licensed annually and kept current on rabies vaccination.

Key details: Maximum dogs: 2 per lot (4 months+). Maximum cats: 2 per lot (4 months+). Code Section: Orem City Code 22-6-10.C.3. Dog license required: Yes - over 4 months, annually. License fee: $15 altered / $35 unaltered.

Harboring more than two dogs or two cats four months of age or older per lot violates Orem City Code Section 22-6-10.C; keeping an unlicensed dog over four months old, or one without current rabies vaccination, is also a violation. Animals kept in excess of the limit, or determined to be a nuisance by virtue of number, may be impounded under the governing animal control code.

Chickens & Livestock

Orem permits backyard hen chickens (no roosters) on single-family lots under one acre, with the number scaled to lot size (2 hens at 5,000 sq ft up to 12 at 30,000 sq ft). Larger livestock such as cattle, horses, sheep, goats, and turkeys require at least one acre.

Key details: Backyard hens: Allowed under 1 acre; no roosters. Hen count by lot: 2 at 5,000 sq ft up to 12 at 30,000 sq ft. Coop setback: 10 ft from all property lines; not in front yard. Livestock minimum lot: 1 acre (cattle, horses, sheep, goats, fowl). Slaughtering chickens: Prohibited.

Keeping livestock on a lot smaller than one acre, exceeding the per-lot-size chicken limits, keeping roosters, locating a coop in a front yard or within 10 feet of a property line, slaughtering chickens, or keeping animals for commercial production all violate Orem City Code Section 22-6-10.C and are enforced as zoning violations through the City's Neighborhood Improvement Team.

Breed Restrictions

Orem has no breed-specific ordinance, and it cannot enact one. Utah Code Section 18-2-101 prohibits any municipality from adopting or enforcing breed-specific dog rules and voids any that exist, so pit bulls and other breeds are legal in Orem.

Key details: Breed bans: Prohibited - state-preempted. Controlling statute: Utah Code 18-2-101. Pit bulls: Legal in Orem. Regulation basis: Individual behavior, not breed. Vicious animal at large: Class B misdemeanor (Utah County 5-2-17).

Because breed-specific regulation is preempted, no penalty attaches to owning any particular breed. Owners of any dog determined to be vicious by behavior must comply with confinement and muzzling requirements; allowing a vicious animal to go at large is a Class B misdemeanor (Class A if it causes a human death) under Utah County Code 5-2-17.

Orem is more permissive than most cities when it comes to breed restrictions. That said, there are still limits.

Dog Leash Laws

Orem requires all dogs to be leashed or contained at all times, including in most city parks. The only designated off-leash area is the dog park at Timpanogos Park. All dogs over 4 months must be licensed annually.

Key details: Leash Required: All public areas. Off-Leash Area: Timpanogos Park dog park only. License Required: All dogs 4+ months. License Fee: $15 neutered / $35 unaltered. Shelter: North Utah Valley Animal Shelter, Lindon.

Citations for dogs at large or off-leash in non-designated areas. Impoundment fees at North Utah Valley Animal Shelter. Fines for failure to license.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Orem gives residents more room on animal ordinances. 2 of the 11 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

Keep in mind that Orem can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.