How St. George Handles Animal Ordinances: A Practical Guide
St. George maintains 130 local ordinances across all categories, and 10 of those deal specifically with animal ordinances. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where St. George falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.
Bird Protection
St. George City Code flatly bans taking or killing any bird, or robbing or destroying any bird's nest, eggs, or young, anywhere within city limits, with no listed exceptions for nuisance species.
Key details: Prohibited act: Taking or killing any bird. Also banned: Destroying nests, eggs, or young. Penalty: Infraction, § 5-2-12. Exceptions in text: None listed. Code location: Title 5, Animal Control chapter.
Taking or killing a bird, or destroying its nest, eggs, or young, is an infraction under St. George City Code § 5-2-12; each continuing day counts as a separate offense.
This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. St. George actively enforces its bird protection requirements.
Chickens & Livestock
St. George permits homeowners in every single-family zone to keep up to six adult hens as an accessory use, scaled to lot size, but the zoning table lists no allowance for roosters in those zones.
Key details: Hens allowed: Up to 6 adult hens per 1,000 sf. Lot cap: 16 animals per lot, 10 rabbits max. Coop setback: 20 feet from lot line, rear yard only. Roosters: Not listed as permitted in R-1 zones. Zone: Permitted accessory use in all R-1 zones.
Exceeding the per-lot animal cap, placing a coop outside the required rear-yard setback, or keeping a rooster in an R-1 zone is a zoning violation subject to code enforcement and correction orders.
Beekeeping
St. George caps residential apiaries at two hives per 12,000 square feet, eight hives maximum, with setback, water, and flyaway-barrier rules under city code section 10-17A-4.
Key details: Max hives per lot: 8 hives, or equivalent capacity. Density limit: 2 hives per 12,000 sq ft. Property line setback: 5 feet minimum. School buffer: 500 feet minimum. Commercial apiaries: Agricultural zones A-1/A-5/A-10/A-20 only.
Nuisance beekeeping is unlawful regardless of technical compliance under subsection K; hives within 25 feet of a property line without a six-foot flyaway barrier, missing beekeeper ID markings, or exceeding the hive cap are code violations subject to city zoning enforcement.
Pet Limits
St. George caps most households at two dogs, with a narrow exception allowing up to four dogs on acre-plus lots or lots adjoining open space or agricultural zones.
Key details: Base dog limit: 2 dogs per dwelling unit. Exception limit: Up to 4 dogs on acre+ or open-space-adjacent lots. Sportsman's permit: Up to 5 registered purebred dogs. Cat limit: Not separately capped in city code.
Exceeding the limit violates City Code chapter 5-2 and can be treated as a nuisance; a dog license issued above the cap does not waive the city's right to enforce compliance.
Exotic Pets
St. George bans selling, buying, bartering, giving away, or keeping any non-domesticated wild animal or endangered species as a pet, with narrow exceptions for licensed institutions.
Key details: Rule type: Outright ban on private ownership. Covers: Any non-domesticated wild animal. Also covers: Endangered species. Exemptions: Shelter, zoo, vet, circus, education only. Enforcement: Division of animal control.
Violating this chapter is a class B misdemeanor under the general animal control penalty provision, and the division of animal control can impound any animal kept in violation of the chapter.
This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. St. George actively enforces its exotic pets requirements.
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
St. George's animal shelter cannot transfer a cat or dog for adoption unless it is sterilized or the recipient signs a sterilization agreement and pays a deposit, and owners redeeming an animal on its second impound in 12 months must prove sterilization or post a deposit.
Key details: Sterilization window: 30 days after signing or turning 6 months. First violation penalty: at least $250. Repeat violation penalty: at least $500. Redemption trigger: second impound within 12 months. Deposit basis: animal's gender and weight (Schedule A).
Falsifying sterilization proof, giving false ownership or fee information, or writing a bad check for a sterilization deposit draws a civil penalty of at least $250 for a first offense and $500 for repeat offenses, imposed by the shelter supervisor and appealable to the city's administrative law judge.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
St. George limits animal hospitals and veterinary clinics to commercial, manufacturing, and planned development zones: allowed outright in M-1 and M-C, but only with added standards in C-2 and C-3, and capped at 150 animals in enclosed buildings within PD-C.
Key details: C-2 / C-3 commercial: Permitted with standards (chapter 17). M-1 / M-C manufacturing: Permitted outright, no added standards. PD-C planned development: Permitted, capped at 150 animals. PD-C outdoor activity: Must be approved on the site plan. Residential zones: Not a listed use.
Operating an animal hospital or vet clinic outside a permitted zone, exceeding the PD-C 150-animal cap, or adding outdoor activity without site-plan approval violates the zoning code and can trigger a stop-work order or site plan revocation.
Pet Groomer Rules
St. George requires anyone operating a pet-grooming business, called a "groomery" in the code, to obtain a regulatory permit from the division of animal control before opening.
Key details: Permit required: Regulatory permit from animal control. Term: Expires December 31 each year. Renewal window: Apply within 2 months of expiration. Posting: Permit must be posted on site. Violation class: Infraction, per day.
Operating a groomery without a permit, or violating animal control's rules for groomeries, is an infraction under section 5-2-12, with each day of continued violation a separate offense; a permit can also be suspended or revoked for false statements on the application or ongoing violations.
Cat Rules
St. George's at-large ordinance exempts domestic cats entirely: only dogs and other animals must be confined or leashed. Cats need no city license, but rabies vaccination is still required starting at four months old.
Key details: At-large rule: Cats exempt, unlike dogs. City license: Not required for cats. Rabies vaccination: Required by 4 months old. Revaccination interval: Every 12 months for cats. Enforcement: Division of Animal Control.
Running at large isn't a violation for cats. An unvaccinated cat may be impounded under § 5-2-10A(5); other chapter violations are infractions under § 5-2-12, with each day a separate offense.
If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find St. George gives residents more flexibility on cat rules.
Dog Leash Laws
St. George bans letting any dog run at large citywide, and the city code defines a leashed dog as one on a leash, cord, or chain, or confined in a vehicle whenever off the owner's property.
Key details: Rule: No dog running at large, ever. Leash defined as: Leash, cord, chain, or vehicle confinement. Liability standard: Strict liability, ignorance no defense. Cats exempted: Rule does not cover domestic cats. Enforcement: City animal control division.
Infraction under Code § 5-2-12; each day of violation is a separate offense; the dog can be impounded, and three or more violations in 12 months can trigger a one-year license revocation.
The Bottom Line
St. George is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 10 rules covered here, 2 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in St. George, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.
Keep in mind that St. George 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.