Animal Ordinances in West Jordan, UT

West Jordan maintains 120 local ordinances across all categories, and 12 of those deal specifically with animal ordinances. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where West Jordan falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Breed Restrictions

West Jordan doesn't ban any dog breed by name; instead it regulates behavior. Section 6-3D-7 requires the owner of any fierce, dangerous or vicious animal to keep it muzzled and restrained off the owner's enclosed premises, and lets animal control officers seek administrative authority under title 16 to destroy or muzzle an uncontrollable animal.

Key details: Breed bans: None; behavior-based only. Off-property rule: Muzzle and restraint required. Enforcement path: Destruction order under title 16. Vicious classification: 2+ bites in 12 months. Impoundment: No court order needed.

Letting a declared fierce, dangerous or vicious animal off the owner's enclosed premises unmuzzled violates section 6-3D-7 and can bring a title 16 administrative notice of violation or a Class B misdemeanor charge under section 6-3G-1. An uncontrollable animal, or one with two or more bite/attack incidents in twelve months, can be impounded immediately without a court order and the owner can face a City-sought order authorizing its destruction.

Compared to other cities, West Jordan takes a harder line on breed restrictions. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Pet Limits

West Jordan limits any residence to four adult dogs and four adult cats at one time under section 6-3B-4, whether owned, harbored or merely licensed there. Licensed kennels, catteries and similar commercial permit holders can keep more animals legally, and litters of puppies get a temporary grace period before the cap applies.

Key details: Dog cap: 4 adult dogs per residence. Cat cap: 4 adult cats per residence. Cap basis: Per property, not per owner. Permit holder limit: 7 dogs over 6 months. Permit holder limit: 4 dogs over 1 year.

Keeping more than four adult dogs or four adult cats without a section 6-3B-6 commercial permit violates section 6-3B-4 and can be prosecuted administratively under title 16 or charged as a Class B misdemeanor under section 6-3G-1. Three or more violations of the animal control chapter within twelve months lets the Division of Animal Control seek a one-year license revocation and impound the excess dogs, which the owner then forfeits.

Mandatory Spay/Neuter

West Jordan's animal shelter won't release an unaltered dog or cat to a private adopter. Section 6-3C-5.B requires the animal to be spayed or neutered by a licensed veterinarian, at the adopter's expense, before it ever leaves the impound facility, though sale to a licensed research institution follows a separate cost-recovery path.

Key details: Minimum impound hold: 5 business days. Sterilization requirement: Required before private adoption. Cost responsibility: Adopter pays, not City. Adoption age minimum: 18 years old. Research sale price: Capped by fee schedule.

There's no separate penalty clause for subsection B itself: it's an operational condition on adoption, not a chargeable offense against the public. But the Division of Animal Control simply will not release an unaltered dog or cat to a private adopter until the sterilization is done and paid for, and violations elsewhere in the impound process are enforceable under title 16 or as a Class B misdemeanor under section 6-3G-1.

Dog Leash Laws

West Jordan makes it unlawful for any dog or cat to run at large or trespass onto someone else's property, and owners are strictly liable under section 6-3D-2 even if they took precautions or didn't know the animal got loose. Registered community cats are the only exemption from the at-large rule.

Key details: At-large prohibition: Applies at all times. Liability standard: Strict, no precaution defense. Exemption: Registered community cats only. Tethering: Cannot allow escape beyond property. Impoundment: No complaint needed for pickup.

An at-large violation under section 6-3D-2 is strict liability and can be prosecuted administratively under title 16 or as a Class B misdemeanor under section 6-3G-1, with the animal subject to impoundment under section 6-3C-3. Three or more violations of the chapter within twelve months lets the Division of Animal Control seek a one-year license revocation and impound the dog, which the owner then forfeits without redemption.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. West Jordan actively enforces its dog leash laws requirements.

Pet Store Rules

West Jordan does not outlaw pet shops selling dogs or cats, but City Code section 6-3D-11 requires every pet shop to disclose a sold animal's breeder name, city, contact information, date of birth, and a summary of its health certificate on request, and bars selling a dog younger than eight weeks old.

Key details: Minimum sale age: 8 weeks for a dog. Disclosure required: breeder name, city, contact, DOB, health cert. Public-place sales: banned on sidewalks, streets, parks. Exemptions: livestock and on-premises breeders. Penalty track: civil citation under 6-3D-11(E).

A pet shop that withholds required breeder, birth-date, or health-certificate information, or sells a dog younger than eight weeks, faces prosecution as a civil citation under 6-3D-11(E); selling or transferring a dog or cat on a public sidewalk, street, or park is a separate offense under the same section. Animal Services investigates complaints and can refer chronic violations for administrative prosecution under chapter 3's general penalty in section 6-3G-1, which treats each day of a continuing violation as a separate offense.

Chickens & Livestock

West Jordan allows backyard chickens under a required Fowl Keeping Permit: City Code section 6-3E-3 caps a lot at five egg-laying hens and five chicks, bans roosters and crowing hens, and requires coops to sit at least twenty feet from a neighbor's dwelling and five feet from the property line.

Key details: Flock cap: 5 laying hens + 5 chicks per lot. Roosters: not allowed anywhere in the city. Coop setback: 20 ft from neighbor home, 5 ft from line. Permit: annual Fowl Keeping Permit, non-transferable. Enforcement: 3 violations in 18 months revokes permit.

Animal Services or police give written notice of a chicken-keeping violation, such as exceeding the five-hen/five-chick cap, keeping a rooster, or a coop sited too close to a neighbor's home; if it is not fixed within ten days, the owner can be cited to Municipal Court under section 6-3E-7. Three proven violations within eighteen months revokes the Fowl Keeping Permit outright, and violations of the livestock at-large ban in 6-3F-1 carry strict liability regardless of fault.

Beekeeping

West Jordan allows honeybee keeping in every zoning district, but City Code section 6-3H-2 requires each beekeeper to register with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food and operate hives under the state Bee Inspection Act, while section 6-3H-3 sets hive setbacks as tight as five feet on smaller residential lots.

Key details: Where allowed: all zoning districts in the city. Registration: Utah Dept. of Agriculture and Food. Governing state law: Utah Bee Inspection Act, tit. 4 ch. 11. Small-lot setback: 5 ft from property line under 20,000 sq ft. Flyway barrier: 6 ft, required within 5-15 ft of line.

Keeping unregistered hives, or siting a hive closer than the required setback or without the flyway barrier on a lot under twenty thousand square feet, violates sections 6-3H-2 and 6-3H-3. Violations of chapter 3's animal provisions are enforced under the general penalty in section 6-3G-1: the city may prosecute administratively under Title 16 of the City Code or charge a Class B misdemeanor, with each day the hive remains out of compliance treated as a separate offense.

Veterinary Clinic Zoning

In West Jordan, a veterinary service for small animals is not allowed by right in any zone. City Code § 13-5E-3 lists the use as "conditional" (C) in the C-G, C-M, SC-1, SC-2 and SC-3 commercial zones, meaning the Planning Commission must approve a conditional use permit before a vet clinic can open its doors.

Key details: Zoning classification: Conditional use (C) in all five commercial zones. Zones covered: C-G, C-M, SC-1, SC-2, SC-3. Approval body: Planning Commission via conditional use permit. Governing section: City Code § 13-5E-3. Violation penalty: Class B misdemeanor, up to $5,000 corporate fine.

Operating a veterinary clinic without an approved conditional use permit, or outside the conditions the Planning Commission attaches, is a Code violation. Under § 1-14B-1, a conviction for violating any Code provision without an expressly stated penalty is punished as a Class B misdemeanor, and corporations face a fine of up to $5,000 per Class B offense under the same section's corporate-penalty provision.

Compared to other cities, West Jordan takes a harder line on veterinary clinic zoning. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Exotic Pets

West Jordan bans owning, selling, or keeping any wild animal within city limits under Code section 6-3D-12, defining a wild animal as any species that is wild in its natural state and exempting only the city animal shelter, zoos, veterinary hospitals, humane society shelters, public labs, circuses, and education or science facilities with escape-proof enclosures.

Key details: Rule: wild animal ownership and sale banned. Definition: any species wild in its natural state. Exempt facilities: shelter, zoo, vet hospital, lab, circus. Exemption condition: escape-proof protective enclosure required. Also bans: species protected under 50 CFR.

Keeping, selling, or acquiring a wild animal without qualifying for the shelter, zoo, veterinary, laboratory, circus, or education exemption violates 6-3D-12(A); keeping a species protected under 50 CFR or state law violates 6-3D-12(B) even if it is not otherwise defined as wild. Animal Services can seize a prohibited animal, and the city may prosecute the owner administratively under Title 16 or charge a Class B misdemeanor under the chapter's general penalty in 6-3G-1, with each day of continued possession a separate offense.

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

Cat Rules

Every cat in West Jordan must carry a City license once it turns four months old, renewed each year with proof of rabies vaccination, through the Division of Animal Control. Cats enrolled in a registered community cat colony are exempt from licensing and feeding-ban rules once their caretaker holds a City permit.

Key details: License required: At 4 months old. Licensing window: 30 days to license. Renewal requirement: Current rabies vaccination proof. Colony caretaker permit: Required to feed strays legally. Record keeping: Sterilization records kept 3 years.

An unlicensed cat is presumed unlicensed if it isn't wearing its tag, and the Division of Animal Control can impound it under section 6-3C-3. Chapter-wide, any violation of the animal control title can be prosecuted administratively under title 16 or charged as a Class B misdemeanor under section 6-3G-1, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense.

Pet Groomer Rules

Operating a groomery, kennel, cattery, pet shop, riding stable or veterinary clinic in West Jordan requires a regulatory permit from the Division of Animal Control under section 6-3B-6, on top of any business license. Applicants need sign-off from the Salt Lake County Health Department and City zoning before the Division will issue the permit.

Key details: Permit required for: Kennel, cattery, groomery, pet shop. Health approval needed: Salt Lake County Health Dept. Zoning approval: Required where applicable. Permit expiration: Every December 31. Renewal window: 2 months before expiry.

Operating a groomery or similar establishment without the section 6-3B-6 permit, or violating its conditions, can draw an emergency suspension with no advance hearing when inspectors find unsanitary or hazardous conditions, plus permit revocation for falsified applications, ordinance violations, or a cruelty conviction, prosecuted administratively under title 16 or as a Class B misdemeanor under section 6-3G-1.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. West Jordan actively enforces its pet groomer rules requirements.

Wildlife Feeding

West Jordan makes it unlawful to harbor, feed or keep any lost or strayed dog or cat on your property, unless you're a licensed animal welfare society. Section 6-3D-1 requires anyone who finds a stray to notify the Division of Animal Control within twenty-four hours so it can be impounded instead of adopted informally.

Key details: Feeding a stray dog/cat: Unlawful under § 6-3D-1. Exception: Licensed animal welfare societies. Finder's duty: Report stray within 24 hours. Enforcement: Division of Animal Control impounds. Deer/goose feeding: No separate ordinance exists.

Harboring or feeding a stray dog or cat instead of reporting it violates section 6-3D-1 and can be prosecuted administratively under title 16 of the Code or charged as a Class B misdemeanor under section 6-3G-1, with each day the animal is kept unreported a separate offense. Feeding cats in an unregistered colony carries the same exposure, since the feeding-ban exemption applies only to permitted community cat caretakers.

The Bottom Line

West Jordan is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 12 rules covered here, 5 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in West Jordan, 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 West Jordan'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.