Tinley Park's Animal Ordinances: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles animal ordinances a little differently. In Tinley Park, Illinois, there are 8 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.

Microchipping

Tinley Park does not require every pet to be microchipped at adoption, but § 91.07(B) makes it mandatory the first time a dog or cat is found running at large: the Hearing Officer or court must order the animal microchipped, at the owner's expense, within 14 days if it is not chipped already.

Key details: Trigger: First adjudicated running-at-large violation. Deadline: Microchip within 14 days, owner's expense. Second violation: Animal must also be altered within 14 days. Impound hold: At least 5 days at shelter. Enforcing body: Hearing Officer, Animal Control Officer, Police.

Letting a dog or cat run at large is itself a Chapter 91 violation carrying the § 10.99 general penalty of $50 to $750 per day. Once the Hearing Officer or court enters a finding of violation, failing to microchip within the 14-day window, or to alter the animal after a second finding, is a separate compliance failure that can support further citations and continued impoundment until the owner complies.

Chickens & Livestock

Tinley Park allows up to four female hens per licensed property under Village Code § 91.43, but bans roosters outright and requires a $50 annual poultry license, a building permit for the coop, and setbacks of at least 75 feet from neighboring homes not occupied by the license holder.

Key details: Hen limit: 4 female hens, no roosters. License fee: $50 per year. Setback: 75 ft from other residences. Coop size: max 24 sq ft, 6 ft tall. Zoning required: R1-R6, 7,500 sq ft lot min..

The annual poultry license costs $50, with a $10 transfer fee when a licensed property changes hands and a $150 fee for keeping poultry without first obtaining a license. Failing to comply with the coop, setback, screening or hen-count conditions in § 91.43 can result in revocation of the license and a fine of up to $750 per day the violation continues.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Tinley Park actively enforces its chickens & livestock requirements.

Pet Limits

Tinley Park caps most households at three dogs and three cats at a time under § 91.15, with licensed kennels exempt, and bars keeping more than one litter of young under three months old. Owners who already exceeded the cap before September 28, 2010 may keep those animals but cannot replace them once the count drops.

Key details: Cap: Three dogs and three cats per address. Litter allowance: One litter under 3 months old permitted. Kennel exemption: Licensed kennels exempt from dog-license cap. Grandfather date: Owners predating September 28, 2010 protected. Grandfather loss: 3+ nuisance complaints in 3 months.

Exceeding the household cap without the pre-2010 grandfather protection is a Chapter 91 violation subject to the § 10.99 general penalty of $50 to $750 per day the excess animals remain. A grandfathered owner who generates more than three nuisance complaints about the animals in any three-month span loses the exemption under § 91.15(C) and becomes liable for the same fines for every animal above the three-and-three limit.

Bird Protection

Tinley Park's Village Code makes it a violation to ground feed animals or birds, covering everything from squirrels and rabbits to deer, ducks and geese, on any public or private property. Hanging bird feeders remain legal, but only if the feed stays inside a purpose-built feeder and the ground below is kept clear of spilled food.

Key details: Fine range: $100 to $750 per day. Covered species: cats, squirrels, rabbits, deer, ducks, geese, more. Hanging feeders: allowed if feed stays contained. Adopted: Ord. 2024-O-060, passed 11-19-24. Enforced by: Public Works Dept. / Animal Control Officer.

Ground feeding animals or birds carries a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $750 per day, with each day the feeding continues counted as a separate offense under § 91.16. The Public Works Department and Animal Control Officer enforce the section and can cite property owners on public or private land alike; there is no separate warning period built into the ordinance.

Wildlife Feeding

Tinley Park bans ground feeding of wild animals and birds, including deer, geese, raccoons, opossums, skunks and stray cats, on any public or private property in the village under § 91.16, with fines of $100 to $750 per day. Hanging bird feeders remain legal as long as feed stays in a proper feeder and the area beneath it is kept clean.

Key details: Covered animals: Cats, deer, geese, raccoons, opossums, skunks. Fine: $100 to $750 per day of violation. Bird feeders: Allowed only in a proper container/feeder. Ground rule: Area around feeder must stay clear of spilled feed. Adopted: Ord. 2024-O-060, passed November 19, 2024.

Ground feeding wildlife or birds anywhere in the village carries its own fine under § 91.16 of $100 to $750, with every day the feeding continues counted as a separate offense, on top of and distinct from the § 10.99 general penalty used elsewhere in Chapter 91. A bird feeder that lets feed pile up on the ground is enforced the same way as a deliberate feeding station.

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

Exotic Pets

Tinley Park bans keeping live snakes, large cats, swine, cattle, goats and most fowl anywhere in the village under § 91.14(A), and forbids any animal other than an ordinary pet except in a licensed pet shop or animal hospital, so owning a wild or exotic animal as a household pet is flatly prohibited.

Key details: Banned examples: Snakes, large cats, swine, cattle, goats. Poultry exception: Only licensed chickens under §§ 91.40-91.43. Pet-shop exception: Licensed pet shops and animal hospitals only. Basis: Flat keeping ban, not a permit scheme. Penalty: $50-$750 per day under § 10.99.

Keeping a prohibited animal violates § 91.14 and draws the § 10.99 general penalty of $50 to $750, with each day the animal remains in the village a separate offense. Animal Control can also treat an unlawfully kept animal as it does other nuisance-code violations, up to and including removal from the premises, since § 91.14(A) makes keeping the animal itself unlawful rather than merely regulating its care.

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

Breed Restrictions

Tinley Park does not ban dog breeds by name. Instead, § 91.05 lets the Hearing Officer or a court declare an individual dog “dangerous” after an evidentiary hearing on its behavior, then imposes secure confinement, muzzling, $100,000 liability insurance, mandatory microchipping and behavioral evaluation on the owner, with a separate “vicious dog” tier that can lead to euthanasia.

Key details: Designation authority: Hearing Officer or court after evidentiary hearing. Liability insurance: $100,000 minimum or surety bond. Confinement: 6-ft fenced yard or locked enclosure. Alter/microchip deadline: Within 14 days of designation. Behavior evaluation: Within 180 days of designation.

Keeping a dangerous dog without meeting every § 91.05(B) restriction is unlawful and exposes the owner to the general penalty under § 10.99: a fine of $50 to $750, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense. The Hearing Officer can revoke the dog's license, order it permanently removed from the village within 14 days at the owner's expense, or, if it is returned afterward or found vicious a second time, order it humanely destroyed. A noncompliant dangerous dog is declared a public nuisance and may be impounded immediately.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Tinley Park actively enforces its breed restrictions requirements.

Dog Leash Laws

Tinley Park requires every dog or animal off its owner's own property to be under control by leash or another recognized method. The code defines adequate restraint as staying on the owner's premises, being held on a stout leash no more than eight feet long, or heeling obediently beside a competent handler.

Key details: Leash length: Stout leash, no more than 8 feet. Off-leash exception: Heeling obediently beside a competent handler. Enforcement: Animal Control Officer or any police officer. Impound hold: At least 5 days at contracted shelter. Penalty: $50 to $750 per § 10.99.

Violating the leash requirement carries the § 10.99 general penalty of $50 to $750, with each day of the violation a separate offense. An unleashed dog found at large may be impounded immediately by the Animal Control Officer or police, and repeat at-large findings escalate into the § 91.07 microchipping and altering mandates on top of any fine.

The Bottom Line

Tinley Park is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 8 rules covered here, 4 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Tinley Park, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

These rules come from Tinley Park's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.