Animal Ordinances in Avondale, AZ (2026)
6 verified animal ordinances for Avondale, Arizona, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Avondale lets a single-family homeowner keep up to six backyard fowl, but bans roosters outright and demands a 20-foot setback, a 200-square-foot enclosure cap and twice-weekly manure removal under City Code § 3-26. Larger livestock need much more room: horses, cows and mules require 21,780 square feet per animal under § 3-22, and swine are banned citywide.
Avondale Backyard Chicken and Livestock Rules
Some RestrictionsAvondale City Code § 3-26 (Keeping of backyard fowl)
(A)A resident of a single-family detached residence may keep up to a maximum of six (6) fowl in the backyard of the property, provided that the following conditions are met:(1)All fowl shall be kept in an enclosure located in the rear or side yard of the property at least twenty (20) feet from a neighboring property. The size of the enclosure shall be a maximum of two hundred (200) square feet ...
Dog Leash Laws
Avondale's Police Animal Control Division enforces leashing under Arizona law. A.R.S. 11-1012 requires dogs to be physically restrained by a leash in any public park or on public school property, and a vicious dog may never be at large. Field enforcement and impoundment in Avondale follow this state framework, with impounded dogs taken to Maricopa County Animal Care and Control.
Avondale Dog Leash & At-Large Law
Some RestrictionsA.R.S. 11-1012(C), (D)
No person in charge of any dog shall permit such dog in a public park or upon any public school property unless the dog is physically restrained by a leash. Neither a female dog during her breeding or mating season nor a vicious dog shall be permitted at large.
Breed Restrictions
Avondale has no breed-specific dog ban. Instead, any animal of the carnivore order with a propensity to bite people without provocation can be declared 'vicious' after a hearing before a justice of the peace or city magistrate, and once declared, the county enforcement agent must destroy it on that court's order, under City Code §§ 3-41 and 3-51(g).
Avondale Vicious Animal Declaration Rule
Significant RestrictionsAvondale City Code §§ 3-41 (Definitions) and 3-51(g) (Handling of biting animals)
"Vicious animal" means any animal of the order carnivora that has a propensity to bite human beings without provocation, and has been so declared after a hearing before a justice of the peace or a city magistrate. ... The county enforcement agent shall destroy a vicious animal upon an order of justice of the peace or a city magistrate. A justice of the peace or city magistrate may issue such an...
Beekeeping
Avondale only allows residential beehives in two zoning districts. Section 28-33(c) requires hives to sit at least 200 feet from any neighboring residence in the AG District and at least 75 feet away in the RR-43 district; every other residential zoning district bans apiaries outright.
Avondale Backyard Beekeeping Zoning Rules
Significant RestrictionsAvondale Zoning Ordinance sec. 28-33(c)
(c)Apiary is allowed in certain residential zoning districts provided that:(1)In the AG District, hives shall have a minimum separation of two hundred (200) feet from any adjacent residences.(2)In the RR-43 District, hives shall have a minimum separation of seventy-five (75) feet from any adjacent residence.
Exotic Pets
Avondale bars any dangerous or vicious animal from running at large and requires a chief-of-police permit before any exhibition or parade of a wild ('ferae naturae') animal in the city. Loose dangerous animals are impounded on sight, and police may kill a dangerous animal when necessary to protect a person or property, under City Code § 3-1.
Avondale Dangerous and Wild Animal Rules
Significant RestrictionsAvondale City Code § 3-1 (Dangerous animals)
(a)It is unlawful for any person to permit any dangerous, vicious animal of any kind to run at large within the city, and such animals shall be immediately impounded by the police department. Exhibitions or parades of animals which are ferae naturae in the eyes of the law shall not be conducted without securing a permit from the chief of police. The chief of police shall issue such a permit if ...
Wildlife Feeding
It is illegal to feed wildlife in Avondale under Arizona state law. A.R.S. 13-2927 makes feeding, attracting, or enticing wildlife unlawful in larger counties (which includes Maricopa County), with exceptions only for feeding birds and tree squirrels. Unlawful feeding of wildlife is a petty offense. Feeding habituates coyotes and javelina and creates public-safety risk.
Avondale Wildlife Feeding Ban (State Law in Maricopa County)
Heavy RestrictionsA.R.S. 13-2927
This section applies in a county with a population of more than two hundred eighty thousand persons... Unlawful feeding of wildlife is a petty offense.
Looking for Maricopa County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Avondale city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Maricopa County →